The Oklahoma Sooners have had a dream season to this point, but that dream won't be complete without the program's first Final Four berth since 2002. Oregon might be the top seed in the region, yet it's the Sooners who will come out on top in this one. Here are three reasons why:
3) Oklahoma's three-point shooting
National Player of the Year frontrunner Buddy Hield is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Sooners’ explosive three-point shooting attack. Isaiah Cousins and Jordan Woodard are both shooting over 41 percent from long range, and four other players shoot over 35 percent from distance. As a result, they rank second in the country as a team in three-point shooting percentage, and lead all power conference schools in three-pointers made. That has been their calling card all year and will carry them again in this one.
2) Oregon's lackluster shooting
For as good as the Ducks are at attacking the basket, they are one of the worst teams in the country when shooting from long range. They shoot just 34 percent from three-point land as a team, which ranks just 205th in country. With as high scoring as this game is going to be, Oregon's inability to shoot consistently from behind the three-point line will put them at a disadvantage.
1) Buddy Hield's greatness
Hield is the best player in the country for a reason. The second leading scorer in the country, Hield is making a ridiculous amount of difficult shots at a high clip, shooting over 50 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range, and is averaging 26.2 points per game against ranked teams.
Hield has stepped his game up even more in the NCAA Tournament, leading all scorers with 26.7 points per game to go along with 7.3 rebounds. Look for him to continue to carry the Sooners in this one.
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