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Arizona Basketball: Top 5 toughest opponents for the 2019-20 season

By David Rosen

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs looks on during the first half of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Honda Center on March 30, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs looks on during the first half of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Honda Center on March 30, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – MARCH 28: Payton Pritchard #3 of the Oregon Ducks in action against the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at the KFC YUM! Center on March 28, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – MARCH 28: Payton Pritchard #3 of the Oregon Ducks in action against the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at the KFC YUM! Center on March 28, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

No.2 – Oregon

2018-19 record: 25-13 Overall), 10-8  (4th in the Pac-12)

Leading scorer:  Louis King 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Technically it was Bol Bol with 21.0 points, 9.6 rebound and 1.0 assist per game, but he only played in 9 games due to injury.

Head-to-head matchup: 51-32

Last meeting: Oregon won 73-47 in Matthew Knight Arena

The 2018-19 Pac-12 Tournament Champion Oregon Ducks went the furthest in the NCAA Tournament, making it all the way to the Sweet 16 before losing to eventual National Champions, Virginia Cavaliers. Even though they finished fourth in the Pac-12, that didn’t stop the Ducks from having a successful season.

They did lose three players to the NBA, Louis King, Kenny Woten, and Bol Bol. King was there true leading scorer and rebounder. Paul White, who was one of their top three scorers graduated. The Ducks though will have their starting point guard Payton Pritchard back for another year, who was one of the key contributors all season long including in the postseason.

The Ducks have loss top talent but will be bringing in some talent, including five-star power forward CJ Walker, four-star Isaac Johnson, and four-star Chandler Lawson. They may not be the same type of team from last season, but they will have the athleticism and experience to be a dangerous team in the Pac-12. Plus they have two transfers with experience and size in Lok Wur and Eric Williams.

Last time these two teams met, the Ducks put a pounding on the Wildcats 73-47. Believe it or not, this game was tied at the half, but the Ducks outscored the Wildcats 42-16 in the second to come away with the victory. Dylan Smith led the team with 14 points and Brandon Williams had 12, no one else scored more than 10 points.

Both teams were about even on the glass, but when it came to scoring buckets in the second half the Wildcats couldn’t make it happen. This season, Sean Miller has plenty of options to choose from when it comes to shooters on the team. Scoring shouldn’t be a problem this time around. Wildcats have the edge in this one as long as they shoot well and take care of the glass.

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