Oregon
NCAA Tournament first-round predictions: Will Arizona, Oregon survive upset bids?
The East Region of the 2025 NCAA Tournament is loaded with offensive talent.
From No. 1 seed Duke to No. 13 seed Akron, the region features a host of teams who like to play fast and can put up points in bunches.
At least three of those teams — Arizona, Oregon and BYU — face tough first-round matchups. And No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s — one team that doesn’t play fast — will have its hands full with No. 10 Vanderbilt.
East Region first-round predictions: Seattle
The first-round matchups in the East are spread over four regional “pods” — Raleigh, North Carolina; Cleveland; Denver; and Seattle.
The Seattle pod features No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Akron and No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Liberty. Akron and Liberty are both flying across the country; Arizona has a short flight from Tucson; and Oregon could drive to Seattle from Eugene.
Akron doesn’t have an impressive resume — 0-1 in Quad 1 games — but the Zips present myriad issues with their balance and shooting ability. They’ve made 369 3-pointers this season and they feature seven players who have made at least 30 triples.
Compare that with Arizona, who has made 232 3-pointers and has only three players who have drained 30 more from downtown. But the Wildcats are built around toughness and paint points, and their size should ultimately be too difficult for Akron to handle. Arizona is favored by 13.5 points, but it will be closer than that.
Prediction: No. 4 Arizona 85, No. 13 Akron 77
Oregon landed in the dreaded 5-12 matchup, which has produced more upsets than any other seed since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1985 — a whopping 55 upsets. And there were two last season: No. 12 Grand Canyon beat No. 5 Saint Mary’s and No. 12 James Madison stunned No. 5 Wisconsin.
The difference between the 12-5 and 13-6 matchup is staggering: Only 33 No. 13 seeds have upset No. 4 seeds since 1985.
Oregon has won eight of its last nine, but only one of those wins was against an NCAA Tournament team (Wisconsin). The Ducks finished No. 29 in the NCAA NET Ranking and went 8-7 in Quad 1 games, but most of those wins came over two months ago.
Liberty finished No. 60 in the NET and doesn’t have a single Quad 1 win, but the Flames have remarkable balance — and one of the best shooters in the country in senior guard Taelon Porter, who is averaging 13.9 points and shooting 46% from downtown.
Liberty has four players who score in double figures and seven who average at least 8.8 points per game. They also have length and tons of experience. Fifth-year senior guard Kaden Metheny (13.5 ppg) has been on a heater his last three games, shooting 16-of-31 from downtown to lead Liberty to the CUSA Tournament championship.
Oregon’s 7-foot sophomore Nate Bittle will be a problem for Liberty, but the Flames have enough big bodies to throw at him, and if they get hot from downtown, watch out. There’s a reason Oregon is only favored by 6.5 points. Down goes another No. 5 seed.
Prediction: No. 12 Liberty 73, No. 5 Oregon 68
East Region first-round predictions: Raleigh
Baylor’s zone will give Mississippi State problems, and freshman VJ Edgecombe is getting better and better. The Bears are built for March.
Prediction: No. 9 Baylor 75, No. 8 Mississippi State 69
With our without Cooper Flagg, Duke will roll to victory over the play-in winner between American and Mount St. Mary’s. We’re predicting American will win, and move on to face Duke.
Prediction: No. 1 Duke 81, No. 16 American 57
East Region first-round predictions: Cleveland
Robert Morris (26-8) is really good, but Alabama (25-8) is on a different level. The Crimson Tide should win by 20.
Prediction: No. 2 Alabama 89, No. 15 Robert Morris 69
After being upset by Grand Canyon in the first round last season, Saint Mary’s has another tough draw in 2025. The Gaels have to travel across the country to face Vanderbilt, a team that has wins over Tennessee, Kentucky and Texas A&M.
The Commodores have played a much tougher schedule than Saint Mary’s, and that will make the difference in this one.
Prediction: No. 10 Vanderbilt 71, No. 7 Saint Mary’s 67
East Region first-round predictions: Denver
No. 3 Wisconsin shouldn’t have much trouble with No. 14 Montana. The Badgers are favored by 14.5 points, but they’ll win by more than 20.
Prediction: No. 3 Wisconsin 78, No. 14 Montana 56
In the final first-round game in the East Region, BYU has to face a VCU team that is much better than its No. 11 seed. The Rams finished No. 31 in NET — just six spots behind BYU.
BYU has been playing incredible basketball the past five weeks, but Houston smothered them in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals and VCU will do the same on Thursday.
Prediction: No. 11 VCU 77, No. 6 BYU 72
More Arizona & Big 12 Analysis
Oregon
Visit Delicious Oregon
Editor’s note: In 2016, WW expanded its Cheap Eats guide to include a road trip. We identified nine diners, food trucks and one boat worth a pit stop when journeying through Oregon. Since then, a few things have changed: Two of our picks have closed, as noted below, and you don’t need to travel to Medford to find an In-N-Out Burger. But maybe you should!
This list first appeared in the March 23, 1016, edition of WW.
TAQUERIA GUERRERO
508 E 1ST ST., NEWBERG.
Half tienda, half taco spot, Guerrero serves its street tacos and huge mojado burrito ($8.95) with handmade tortillas that shame almost anything in Portland.
JOE’S DONUT SHOP
39230 PIONEER BLVD., SANDY.
This 40-year-old candy-striped dough den offers a ridiculously rich cronut—that’s a fried croissant—fast service, and always-fresh doughnuts. It’s arguably the best doughnut shop in the state.
THE DINER
2580 SE STRATUS AVE., MCMINNVILLE.
The Diner makes one of the state’s greatest sandwiches—a fried-chicken club in which each layer is seasoned and housemade, and the middle slice of bread is replaced by the satisfying crunch of fried chicken.
EASTWIND DRIVE IN
395 WANAPA ST., CASCADE LOCKS.
The Eastwind is where Cheryl Strayed first tasted civilization after ending her long, long walk. The soft-serve ice cream is good enough for you, too, motherfucker.
BOWPICKER FISH & CHIPS
1634 DUANE ST., ASTORIA.
At this 28-foot converted gillnet boat, there are always 12 old men waiting in line for beautifully fresh-caught, hand-battered albacore tuna served with a raft of fries. Join them.
LOCAL BOYZ HAWAIIAN CAFE
1425 NW MONROE AVE., CORVALLIS.
A sweet shoyu chicken plate lunch will fill you up until dinner tomorrow. But broke high-school kids will buy rice for $1.50 just so they can douse it in the magical ginger-garlic-shoyu sauce.
IN-N-OUT
1970 CRATER LAKE HIGHWAY, MEDFORD.
With an address that already sounds like a road trip, the magnificent double-double has punctured the state line. Even from as far away as Portland, it beckons.
NOW CLOSED:
FAT FREDDY’S
6320 PACIFIC AVE., PACIFIC CITY.
After a brief hiatus best forgotten, Pacific City’s beachfront home of towering burgers and equally towering Tillamook ice-cream milkshakes returned two years ago to the sound of hardening arteries.
CORNBREAD CAFE
1290 W 7TH AVE., EUGENE.
It’s arguably Eugene’s best restaurant, and it’s also a perfect fit for the town—a vegan version of an old-school diner, complete with barbecued seitan and outrageously good greens.
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Oregon
OPB’s First Look: Town hall follows power outages
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Oregon
Public asked to help find missing 2-year-old Armani Andrews in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Oregon officials asked the public to help find a two-year-old boy who went missing from Portland last Wednesday, June 17.
The Oregon Department of Human Services, Child Welfare Division, is asking the public to help find Armani Andrews and call 911 or local law enforcement if they believe they saw him.
Armani is believed to be in danger and is suspected to be in Portland, around any of the following areas: Rose Haven, Multnomah County Central Library, or Southeast Portland around 82nd-103rd.
Armani is a two-year-old Black/mixed race baby. He is about 24 inches tall, he has brown hair, brown eyes, and his weight is unknown.
If contacting Portland Police Bureau about Armani, reference the case number: #PP185430
The report number for Armani with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Report is: 2093182
ODHS said in a statement when a child is missing, they may be in significant danger and the department “may need to locate them to assess and support their safety.”
KATU News reached out to ODHS to clarify whether there is a custody aspect to the missing child’s case. The department said they are unable to provide that information.
Armani Andrews with Mother Rashonda Andrews/ODHS photos
You can report suspected child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233). The toll-free number allows anyone to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and every day of the year.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (12)
KATU News included photographs of Armani to help the public identify and find him.
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