The Oregon Ducks always seem to be around when it's time for the Big Dance. In what is probably the final season of the Pac 12 as we know, they rallied to the title as they defeated Arizona and Colorado and got their automatic invite.

By contrast, the Creighton Bluejays didn't get past the first round of the Big East tourney. And they have demonstrated the ability to perform in this event, having made it to the Elite Eight last season.

These two teams are in the Midwest Region, and they will meet on Saturday night at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

Let's look at the numbers.....

In the NCAA Tournament betting odds from which we will make our college basketball picks at BetOnline, Creighton is listed as the favorite:

Creighton Blue Jays -4 (-108)
Oregon Ducks +4 (-112)

Over 147 points (-115)
Under 147 points (-105)

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Let's take a look at the Oregon Ducks (24-11 SU, 17-18 ATS)

Oregon is on a five-game winning streak. In their opening round game, they took care of business in a very definitive way, posting an 87-73 win over South Carolina of the SEC.

This seemed to be a "take that" game of sorts for Jermaine Couisnard, Oregon's 6-4 guard who averages 16.1 points per game, but poured in a career-high 40. Couisnard, a native of East Chicago, IN, played for three years at South Carolina before transferring. His previous high came on March 2 (39 points vs. Arizona).

There is balance here. Jackson Shelstad has been an outstanding freshman, with a 13-point average and a sizzling 85.7% at the free throw line. And now healthy, N'Faly Dante has been a force down low, with averages of 16.5 points and 8.7 rebounds,. he shoots 70.5% from the field, so he is a reliable option in short range.

Coach Dana Altman has been down this road before. Now in his 14th year in Eugene, he has won at least 20 games in all of those seasons. Not only that, but he has advanced to the Sweet 16 five times with the Ducks.

And as if to do it on purpose, the NCAA Selection Committee chose to put Altman and Oregon into the same bracket as Creighton, where he also held the head coaching job for sixteen seasons, winning 20+ games eleven times.

Let's take a look at the Creighton Bluejays (24-9 SU, 18-15 ATS)

Creighton ranks 11th in the country in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency and 26th in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency, so I guess the takeaway from that is that they are efficient. They are the second most accurate team in Division I ball in two-point shooting (60.5%) and have hit 78% from the line.

They are 36.5% beyond the arc, and they live out there, taking 48.6% of their attempts from three-point territory. This is nothing new for head coach Greg McDermott.

This is not a pressure defense. Only a few teams in the country have forced fewer turnovers. But they are very strong on the defensive boards. So they look like a team that has the inside and outside covered.

Leading the way here is Baylor Sheierman, a 6-7 "Swiss Army knife" type who sports averages of 18.3 points and 9.1 rebounds. The big man is Ryan Kalkbrenner, who scores 17.4 ppg and also averages three blocked shots. Trey Alexander averages 17.6 points and 4.7 assists.

So, what do we think?

There are times when Creighton looks like one of the most complete teams in the country. And yeah, they have played like it. Do you need any more evidence than their 19-point win over UConn? Or a 29-point win over Nebraska, or a win over Alabama?

Yet they can also stink out the place. They did not get past the first round of the Big East tournament, as they lost to Providence. We know that they win this game on paper, but Oregon is a team doing what a team should be doing right now, which is "jelling" at the right time, to use a cliche. Altman knows how to get the most out of his guys, and there's no intimidation factor. They can cover this, at the very least.

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