Dillon Brooks told reporters he was a little scared heading into Oregon’s first round matchup against 16th-seeded Holy Cross Friday. It wasn’t because of a certain mismatch the Crusaders posed, rather because of the craziness that was ensuing before it.
Michigan State, a team that for many weeks of the season was ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, lost by nine to 15th-seeded Middle Tennessee State. No. 4 seed Cal, a team that once beat Oregon by 20 points, lost by double digits to 13th-seeded Hawaii.
But, in a matter of minutes, it became clear that a narrative like that would not continue during Oregon’s game. The Ducks’ size and athleticism proved to be simply too much for Holy Cross, and the group ran away with a 91-52 win.
Now, the next obstacle for Brooks and Co. will be to get through not just the first day, but the first weekend unscathed.
Oregon will face eighth-seeded St. Joseph’s Sunday in the second round. The Red Hawks reached this point after Isaiah Miles hit a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining that would ultimately give them a 78-76 victory Friday night. Miles finished with 19 points and DeAndrew Bembry, who is projected by Draft Express to be picked in the second round of this year’s NBA Draft, added 23.
The two appear to be the most dangerous threats to cut Oregon’s season short. The game will tipoff at 6:50 p.m. PT Sunday on TNT.
Oregon wins if: It follows the same formula it did against Holy Cross. While it is likely that Oregon gets a stiffer challenge from St. Joseph’s Sunday, if it dominates the Red Hawks on the glass and stymies them into tough shots on the perimeter, it shouldn’t matter.
Players to watch
Chris Boucher has scored at least 15 points in three of the Ducks’ last four games, and if he gets it going on the offensive end, Oregon becomes hard to stop. Just ask Holy Cross’s defenders, who had no answers for Boucher while he scored 20 points in 17 minutes Friday. Boucher’s ability to shoot the three also makes him that much more versatile, and based on St. Joseph’s size disadvantage, he appears to be a matchup nightmare.
Dillon Brooks still serves as the most well-rounded player on Oregon. He averages 16.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. And when his numbers look similar to those averages — he scored 11 points and had six rebounds and five assists against Holy Cross — the Ducks seem to be in a seamless rhythm.
St. Joseph’s wins if:  Both Bembry and Miles create havoc for the Ducks on offense and defense. The two average a combined 35 points and 15 rebounds per game. If they can generate number like those, they can at least set up the rest of the team to be successful.
Players to watch besides Bembry and Miles:
Aaron Brown is the only other St. Joseph’s player to average more than 10 points per game. He shot 50 percent from the field and scored 13 points in the Red Hawks’ win over Cincinnati.
They said it: 
St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli after beating Cincinnati and being welcomed to the Northwest :
” Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate that. Do they sell marijuana in this town?”
Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JustinFWise