INDIANAPOLIS – The secret weapon of the NCAA tournament in the state of Oregon is perhaps the most striking player, Roman Silva of 7 feet 1, 265 pounds.
The 7-footer with offensive skills in the basket almost disappeared in the university basketball. It’s about stepping out and hitting tries, rejecting shots and taking lobbies for dips.
Silva? He’s as old as a four-door sedan. And as it turns out, college basketball may not have much of the answer for Oregon’s Oldsmobile Cutlass.
Silva dominated the inside on Friday afternoon, hitting 8 of 8 shots and scoring a career-high 16 points in the Oregon Series’ 70-56 NCAA Tournament in the first round over Tennessee. Silva also had three touchdowns, a record of the OSU NCAA Tournament.
Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle was a former Montana colleague and holds a position that could end up like Silva. But it did not happen overnight. It took Silva to get himself in shape, and teammates suffered an offensive setback.
“We wanted to dribble, Jack and all that,” Tinkle said. ‘Finally, we transferred the importance of balance from the outside to guys. Roman was a big part of it … I could no longer be happy for Roman, because of who he is. ‘
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said it all, but Silva is the difference.
“They had an inside game, and we didn’t get a chance,” Barnes said. “We did not do what we had to do to stop it.”
Silva has had moments over the past two years, just not consistent. He came to Oregon State two years ago as an unchilled JC transfer. Mistakes and conditioning were a problem last season. Silva has come in a better condition for this season, only to run into COVID-19 at the end of December.
Silva recovered and showed that he can be a force if he stays out of trouble. Silva led OSU to a 58-56 upset of USC in mid-January by hitting 6 of 7 off the floor. Late in the season, Silva scored 6 of 8 in a win over California and 5 of 6 in the final season against Oregon.
Oregon’s coaching staff was patient when he returned from the COVID-19 break. In a nutshell, they told Silva about their faith in his game and what he could do if he was right.
“It means a lot to have such support,” Silva said. ‘Not just the coaching staff, but teammates who support you and are willing to look for you. It’s a wonderful feeling. ”
Why would they not look for Silva? If the shot goes up, he’s as automatic as anyone in the Pac-12, shooting a 67.6% cut (71 of 105). When Silva gets on the roll, he rarely misses. Friday it was 8 out of 8.
“Novel was big time,” Tinkle said. “He did it for us, and we know he has an advantage in it. … we gun it for him, and he’s going to catch it, and he’s going to score it.
‘He’s an amazing kid, and he shows a first person on the team. That’s why his teammates are so happy for him. ”
– Nick Daschel | [email protected] | @nickdaschel