(3) Oregon -2.5 vs. (7) UNLV (O/U: 140)
No matter who wins, this one should be good. How could you not like a team from Oregon with a pissed-off Donald Duck as their mascot, arguably the ugliest uniforms in the history of mankind, a coach named Ernie and a PG named Aaron Brooks who's actually clutch under pressure and doesn't throw the ball the opposite length of the court. And they're trying to become the first school from Oregon to reach the Final 4 since the Oregon State Beavers in 1963 (I didn't even realize we had discovered Oregon by then. Did everyone on the team have cholera and dysentery or drown trying to "ford" the river to the Final 4?).
Or how could you not enjoy a team from Las Vegas nicknamed the Runnin' Rebels (seriously, has there ever been a bigger "fuck you" to the NCAA than putting a school in Las Vegas and nicknaming it the Rebels?). They're led by one guard named "Wink" and the other guard, Kevin Kruger, son of their legendary head coach Lon Kruger and delivering a serious blow to nepotism everywhere with every big game he's put up for the team. After being shunned by the selection committee (most "bracketologists" had them projected in the 4-to-6 seed range); they took down everyone's least favorite favorite, the boring-as-white-bread Wisconsin to reach the Sweet 16. They're looking for the school's first Final 4 trip since 1991, the heyday of Larry "The Original LJ" Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Jerry Tarkanian and the famous picture of several UNLV players sitting in a hot tub with Richie "The Fixer" Perry (here's a clue as to what Perry did for a living: he didn't "fix" toilets).
Battle of the Mascots: Ol' Reb looks like he's a badass, even when he's participating in activities Tim Hardaway wouldn't approve of. But we have great appreciation for a duck that's wearing a shirt and no pants. Edge: Oregon
Battle of the Famous Alumni: Even the alumni for both these schools are pretty cool. UNLV probably wins in the athlete department (Larry Johnson, Shawn Marion, Ickey Woods and Randall Cunningham... though Oregon does have some football legends (Gary Zimmerman, Dan Fouts and Norm Van Brocklin). The Rebels can also claim Jimmy Kimmel, Suge Knight, Kenny Mayne, one Maloof brother and the drummer for the Killers. Most people know Phil Knight, founder of Nike, attended Oregon. But how are you gonna sleep on the guy who wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey) and the guy who wrote Fight Club (Chuck Palahniuk). You're not, that's how. Edge: Oregon
The play to make: Oregon hasn't really been challenged, so to speak, in the first two rounds. They had a tough game against Miami (OH) but the outcome was never really in doubt, and they followed it with a cake-walk against Winthrop (this is following double-digit Pac-10 tournament wins over Arizona, Cal and USC) . UNLV, meanwhile, had tough match-ups with Georgia Tech and Wisconsin come down to the final minute (following a tough MWC title win over BYU). Neither team has lost since February 22nd, so something has to give here. UNLV matches up pretty well here, they can run a little bit with Oregon if need be, but would prefer to draw them into a half-court game and limit possessions. Miami and Winthrop did show at times that Oregon can be suckered into playing outside their comfort zone. Play: UNLV +2.5 (medium confidence); Under 140 (medium confidence)
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