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Ducks carry No. 1 seed into opener against revitalized Holy Cross

Oregon forward Dillon Brooks, left, Arizona center Kaleb Tarczewski, and Oregon guard Tyler Dorsey and forward Jordan Bell vie for a rebound in overtime of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Pac-12 men’s tournament Friday, March 11, 2016, in Las Vegas. Oregon won 95-89. (John Locher / Associated Press)
Oregon forward Dillon Brooks, left, Arizona center Kaleb Tarczewski, and Oregon guard Tyler Dorsey and forward Jordan Bell vie for a rebound in overtime of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Pac-12 men’s tournament Friday, March 11, 2016, in Las Vegas. Oregon won 95-89. (John Locher / Associated Press)
By Thomas Clouse tomc@spokesman.com(509) 459-5495

Playing for the first time as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, Oregon will try to preserve history of no upsets by the top seed Friday against a Holy Cross team that has made a recent run of pulling upsets.

Oregon (28-6) takes on a 16th-seeded Crusaders team (15-19) that had to go on the road three times to win the Patriot League tournament title and defeated Southern 59-55 in a First Four game on Wednesday.

“Our guys definitely won’t underestimate anybody,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “I’m a little more concerned about them being a little tight. We just got to relax and play.”

It’s been a career year for the Ducks. For the first time, they won the Pac-12’s regular-season and tournament titles while playing the second-toughest schedule in the country.

But they have to play a scrappy Holy Cross team that doesn’t seem to care about records.

“Their 1-3-1 zone has given some people some problems,” Altman said, “so we’ll have to execute against that.”

The Ducks watched Wednesday as the Crusaders won their first NCAA tournament game since 1953 using a defense that didn’t become a weapon until late in the season.

Holy Cross coach Bill Carmody, whose team arrived in Spokane from Dayton just after midnight Thursday, said the squad tried man-to-man and zone defenses before finding the 1-3-1 zone. While he searched for a defense, the Crusaders went 5-13 in conference play.

“We tried a lot of different defenses this year … and this seems to be the most effective,” Carmody said. “I don’t know if it makes you more likely or more able to beat a higher seed like a No. 1 seed, but … we think it helps us have a better chance of winning.”

Holy Cross gives up a sizable height advantage to Oregon. The Crusaders’ tallest starter is 6-foot-7 forward Malachi Alexander (11.8 points, 5.5 rebounds). The Ducks counter with 6-6 Elgin Cook, 6-7 Dillon Brooks and 6-10 Chris Boucher.

“We know we face a very tough opponent in Oregon,” Carmody said. “Good players that play together. So we definitely have our work cut out for us.”

Carmody opted not to practice on Thursday at the Arena, especially after the late arrival.

“What knowledge can we impart on them?” he said. “There isn’t too much you haven’t seen. Certainly, the level here of athleticism is not what we see all the time … and our guys are aware of that.”

Oregon’s Cook, a senior forward, said early upsets in the tournament – he specifically mentioned Baylor’s loss to Yale – ensure that the Ducks won’t overlook the Crusaders.

“Seeding does not matter in March,” Cook said. “We’re going to come in focused and we’re ready to play Holy Cross. That’s the only thing we’re worried about right now.”