By Jonah Bruneau
Eugene, ORE. — The Ducks have jumped out to a hot start so far in the young season with wins against a Power 5 school Georgia, and an N’Faly Dante-less victory in the home opener against Montana. Coming into this season, Oregon was bound to have a plethora of changes to their starting rotation with the departures of Will Richardson, Rivaldo Soares, and Quincy Guerrier. However in the two games played so far, returning players such as Jermaine Couisnard, Nate Bittle, Keeshawn Barthelemy and N’Faly Dante have proven to be meshing quite well.
Dante, a Senior that has been looked at as a potential NBA talent, had an eye-opening 21 rebound performance against Georgia down in Las Vegas which is the most by an Oregon player in almost 50 years. In the matchup with Montana, Dante was inactive for the night for an undisclosed reason, though it has been known that the six-foot eleven center has battled knee and hamstring injuries throughout his tenure wearing green and yellow. Coach Dana Altman seems to believe that not only Dante, but senior guard Jesse Zaruela will be “ready to go” for the contest with Tennessee State.
Matchup Preview
Oregon: Coming off a season without reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year, optimism coming into this campaign was not exactly peaking. Now through two games, the vibe around the team seems to be high energy and full of confidence. Junior guard Brennan Rigsby has stepped up in a big way so far, racking up 28 minutes and 30 minutes of court time in the first two games which includes a start in the home opener. If Dante is able to return on Friday, the big presence of both he and Nate Bittle getting the start in the paint will be a tough test for Tennessee State.
Tennessee State: The Tigers are as well riding the wave of an unbeaten start, kicking off a 3-0 beginning to the season. Their last time out was up the road in Portland against the Pilots, where the Tigers took a 75-65 victory. They were headed by graduate student and six-foot six guard Christian Brown, who had 24 points while going 8-14 from the field and 4-7 from downtown. This is the second straight tipoff to a season where the Tigers have gotten off to a 3-0 start, though last year they ended up finishing at 18-14 overall and suffering a first-round loss in the OVC Championship tournament.
Prediction: This is the first ever meeting between Oregon and Tennessee State. Expecting N’Faly Dante to be healthy Friday night, the talent difference may catch up to the Tigers and just be a bit too much.
Score Prediction: 88-62 Oregon Victory