Oregon vs. UC-Irvine Basketball Prediction, Odds, Line, Pick, and Preview: November 11

The (#21) Oregon Ducks (1-0) will square off against the UC-Irvine Anteaters (1-0) in a non-conference matchup on Friday. Oregon went 20-15 last season, missing the Big Dance for only the second time in their last eight tries. The Ducks struggled without the services of LJ Figueroa, Eugene Omoruyi, and Chris Duarte, going 11-9 in conference play. Three-year starting point guard Will Richardson was their best player last season and returns for his fifth season in Eugene. Many of the key pieces from last year's team return much improved, including former ESPN top 100 recruit Nathan Bittle. He had 10 points and five rebounds in their season opener against Florida A&M. Another blue chip prospect, Kel'el (Superman?) Ware scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds in the 80-45 win.

The Anteaters went 15-10 last season, finishing fourth in the Big West. Leading scorer Collin Welp is gone, but the next four most-minute getters from the previous year are returning, anchored by junior guard Dawson Baker. Baker had 14 points in the win over Chapman on Monday. UNLV transfer Devin Tillis also added 14 points of his own.

Oregon vs. UC-Irvine Betting Odds

Team	Spread	Over/Under	Moneyline
UC-Irvine Anteaters	+15.5	0137	+900
Oregon Ducks	-15.5	u137	-1700

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ShotQuality Tale of the Tape

Per ShotQuality data, the Oregon Ducks were solid on offense yet lousy on defense. Nevertheless, they posted a healthy 1.08 AdjOFF SQ anchored by a quality pick & roll game and rim and three rate. However, they struggled in isolation, something they frequently did, yet the Anteaters possess only a slightly better SQ PPP number in that defensive category. The Ducks did an admirable job shooting the three (0.99 SQ PPP on off-the-dribble treys), something UC-Irvine floundered with last season.

Defensively, Oregon was poor in spacing and post-up. However, Dana Altman's squad should be vastly improved in the low block considering the leaps of improvement from Nathan Bittle (7'0 215 pounds) and the arrival of Kel'el Ware (7'0 210 pounds). With center N'Fay Dante now healthy, the Ducks have three frontcourt mates that tower around 7 feet tall or above. The Anteaters were one of the better teams in catch-and-shoot threes, posing a near-elite 1.07 SQ PPP in that category. The Ducks struggled heavily with those shots, yet UC-Irvine has a low-frequency number in the said category.

Oregon vs. UC-Irvine Prediction

What the Ducks did poorly last season should have been shored up by their trio of giants that showed up in the season opener against Florida A&M. They dominated in points in the paint (42-24) and blocks (5-0). Irvine is in trouble if this is any indicator of what this team can do. The Evan Mobley-led USC Trojans also deployed this strategy of lengthy bigs, and they made it to the Elite Eight.