ANAHEIM – When Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski was asked to point out the biggest challenges about playing Oregon Wednesday afternoon, he highlighted the team’s athleticism, versatility and effort.
His All-Americans Grayson Allen and Matt Jones, who sat side-by-side with the five-time national champion, nodded their heads in agreement.
“You look at them, you can argue they’re one of the most athletic teams in the country,” Allen said. “Their guys attack you. It’s a tough team to defend.”
Sure, Duke (25-10) and many other east coast schools haven’t had time to watch much tape on Oregon but that doesn’t mean Duke doesn’t know what its Sweet 16 opponent is capable of.
“We don’t watch – you know, we watch our own neighborhood,” Krzyzewski admitted. “What I have learned a lot in watching them now is just how athletic they are. They play off each other very well. They play with a great verve. “
Oregon (30-6) does present matchup nightmares for opposing defenses with its unique skill sets.
Oregon has been notorious for outworking teams on the glass and barricading the rim with its shot blockers.
It’s why it finished the season second in ESPN’s RPI standings and entered the NCAA tournament as one of four No. 1 seeds.
So, while college hoops nation hypes up the narrative of a traditional powerhouse going up against an up and coming west coast program — Duke is 0-4 all-time in NCAA tournament when playing in the Pacific time zone — the real story on Thursday night will rest with whether or not Altman’s most accomplished roster can continue its historic run.
“Obviously we feel blessed to be here, but anybody who is in front of us, we approach it the same way,” Dylan Ennis said.
Oregon’s approach all season has been simple, and it’s been one that Altman has been preaching daily since he arrived in 2010: “make plays for each other.”
During Oregon’s open practice for fans and media members Wednesday afternoon, Altman was encouraging just that, repeating that very phrase over and over while his players went through routine drills to the tune of the school’s marching band.
What Oregon has done well this season is collectively exploiting other team’s weaknesses.
Most times that means forcing turnovers and protecting the rim.
Other times, it’s a matter of feeding the hot hand against favorable match-ups.
Oregon has no reason to overcomplicate or overhype up a game that, in the general eye, is a Sweet 16 matchup between old school and new school; the incumbent versus the challenger.
There’s no denying how much it would mean if Altman, who has never got past the Sweet 16, and Oregon could beat a storied program like Duke.
“Any time you get an opportunity to play someone that’s as well established as Duke, Coach K, it’s a great opportunity,” Altman said. “Our basketball tradition isn’t great.”
A win over Duke this late in March would do wonders for Oregon’s national perception.
“This is a point in our time that we need to play well,” Altman said. “We need to play well on the national stage against someone that is very good and has proven themselves.”
But that doesn’t mean Oregon will be looking to make this game any bigger than it already is, which is an opportunity to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2007.
In the Oregon locker room, freshman guard Tyler Dorsey was asked about what this win would mean to this team.
“If we keep winning, Oregon basketball will keep rising,” he said.
If Oregon wants to stay in Anaheim for a couple more nights and continue its historic season, its best bet is to approach this game like any other, however hard that may be.
“It’s pretty amazing and I never thought it would happen,” Dwayne Benjamin said about playing Duke. “They have a lot of good history. It’s kind of special for me because a lot of people I know are very big Duke fans.”
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim