Written by Steven Slivka

No. 7 Oregon vs No. 10 BYU - Preview

As a No. 7 seed, the Oregon Ducks have the momentum on their side against No. 10 BYU. The Cougars come into this match-up without guard Kyle Collinsworth after he tore his ACL against Gonzaga in the WCC Championship game. Collinsworth led the Cougars in rebounds per game (8), assists (4.6), and was second on the team in points per game (14).

Without that consistent production that led them to the nation's third-best offense at 84. 2 points per game, BYU is going to have a tough time matching up against an Oregon squad that has improved tremendously since going on an 8-1 run to finish out the season.

Led by Joseph Young and Mike Moser, the Ducks are also one of the highest scoring teams in the country. Moser, a transfer from UNLV who was a finalist for the Oscar Robertson award in 2012, averaged 13. 5 points and eight rebounds per game during his first year at Oregon.

The Ducks came out swinging when the season started by going 13-0, but a disastrous 2-8 run over their next 10 games left them wondering if the Big Dance was still a possibility. They doubted the naysayers by holding opponents to 71 points per game over their last nine games, and a strong finish to the season has Oregon right where it wants to be at this stage of the season.

The Cougars have a few solid wins on their resume including victories over three NCAA tournament teams in Gonzaga, Texas and Stanford. The strength of schedule in the WCC can always be brought into question, but it's hard to bet against a team with the third-best offense in the country. Then again, that was with Collinsworth in the lineup.

This is a rematch from earlier in the season when the Ducks held off the Cougars 100-96 in overtime.

AccuScore has expert picks Against the Spread and on Over/Unders for every single game in the NCAA tournament. All NCAA Tournament Picks are star-rated. Join now using the "MMadness" coupon code and get $100 off an annual membership (33% off!). AccuScore has picks for every game, so Join AccuScore Today!

KEY PLAYERS

Oregon: Joseph Young, 18.6 PPG; Mike Moser, 13.5 PPG, 8 RPG

BYU: Tyler Haws, 23.4 PPG, 88% FT