Oregon men’s basketball is set to face No.10 seed VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 6:57 p.m. Ben Malakoff and Noah Fleischman, sports reporters at The Commonwealth Times, joined Shane to discuss the matchup.  

First reactions to VCU landing a No. 10 seed?

Fleischman: When VCU lost the Atlantic-10 championship game I really thought they would end up as a No. 11 seed. When we looked at it we thought, they win they’re probably and nine or 10, they lose they’re probably going to fall to an 11. It was kind of surprising when we saw it pop up as a 10, that was probably the highest they were going to get. 

Can Nah’Shon Hyland — the A-10 player of the year — handle this Oregon defense? If not, where does VCU go offensively? 

Fleischman: When Hyland struggles, which has happened before in a couple games — and when they were without him due to a foot sprain for a few games at the end of the regular season — they really relied on Vince Williams a lot. He plays the three, out of Toledo, he’s a junior. They bring in a freshman, Jamir Watkins, who’s really naturally a three but they put him in at the shooting guard and he either struggles there or he plays really well so it’s pretty on and off from him when he starts.

The past couple games, teams will throw everything at [Hyland]. He’ll get doubled. They’ll literally meet him at half court because he can pretty much pull-up from anywhere inside half court.

Malakoff: We saw in the championship game that it was downhill once Hyland got those three early fouls in the first half. In terms of going against some bigger guys, the one thing that VCU is consistent with is the depth of their bench and turning to other guys when they need it most… Because Vince Williams is the only other double-digit points scorer, the points are really spread out across that deep lineup. 

Who is VCU’s defensive heartbeat? 

Fleischman: Hason Ward for VCU, he’s a guy who’s 6-foot-8, 6-foot-9, really lanky… Hason can go out to the perimeter and guard out there… He’s one of the top shot-blockers in the country. For the VCU defense to go going, he’s got to be on as well as the point guard Ace [Adrian] Baldwin who’s listed at six-feet, but that’s probably generous. Him and Bones Hyland together will generate steals in the backcourt, and then you have the front court of Ward and Levi Stockard III that will try to protect the rim as much as they can. Hason is definitely going to have to get a couple blocks if VCU wants to hang with Oregon. 

What has VCU done in terms of post-season presence the last few years?

Fleischman: With VCU, you talk about the Final Four run and that was in 2011, so ten years ago. Since then, they’ve made the NCAA Tournament nine of the last ten times, they missed it once. But, the last win in the NCAA Tournament came in 2016. Last time they were there was two years ago, they played UCF and Tacko Fall and got blown out. Last year they would have missed it, but it got canceled. Mike Rhoades is looking for his first tournament win as a head coach. 

Biggest weakness/worry for VCU?

Fleischman: When you talk about the rebounding that’s definitely something VCU and Oregon have in common. VCU, when they lose, they usually get outrebounded by a ton. That’s their biggest weakness, you can point to that first. Most games this year they are getting outrebounded, I think their average margin is actually like minus-six. That’s definitely something that’s hurt them, especially in the postseason. 

Malakoff: Even when VCU is clicking, one thing they just can’t seem to avoid is turning the ball over. It’s partially because they have a very young team, but it’s also because they play very fast-paced, going from defense to offense. Mistakes are made very easily, they’ll foul and they’ll turn over the ball. That’s where you might start to see this team beating themselves.

Who wins on Saturday night and why?

Fleischman: I think it’s going to be a close game. I think it’s going to be a one or two possession game if both teams show up. Honestly it could go either way. It’s college basketball and VCU’s a team full of freshman and sophomores but I think that could actually help them by playing loose and carefree… Oregon definitely has the edge but I think VCU has the chance to steal the game late. 

Malakoff: VCU loves being the underdog. They were picked ninth in the pre-season poll in the A-10, we’ve all seen what they did making it to the championship…. Just the energy there. The experience definitely hurts, but I think that the youth can be put to the Rams’ advantage.  

Follow Shane on Twitter @shane_hoffmann as he continues coverage of Oregon throughout the NCAA Tournament.