University of Oregon
31-6
Duke
25-11
Ducks On To The Elite Eight After Dethroning Duke
03/25/16 | Men's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Photo: Kirby Lee
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Oregon men's basketball team led for all but two minutes of Thursday's Sweet Sixteen game at Honda Center, beating defending national champion Duke, 82-68, to set up a West Regional final matchup Saturday against Oklahoma for the right to play in the Final Four.
How It Happened: The Ducks (31-6) set a school record for victories in a season and won their 11th straight by limiting Duke's potent three-point attack for much of the night and getting a balanced scoring effort led by Dillon Brooks' 22 points.
Up five at halftime, the Ducks got back-to-back three-pointers by Casey Benson and a dunk from Chris Boucher to open up a 44-35 lead. The Blue Devils (25-11) closed within 46-40 when Oregon put together an 8-1 run that included a drive-and-dish by Brooks to set up a dunk by Jordan Bell, who returned the favor to cap the run for a 54-41 lead.
Oregon led 63-49 when Duke leading scorer Grayson Allen scored five straight to close the deficit to single digits. A Tyler Dorsey three-pointer got the Ducks back up 68-54, and another Benson three-pointer gave the UO men their biggest lead at 74-58. But, having struggled from three-point range most of the night, the Blue Devils then made three in their next four trips to close within 77-67.
With the game still in the balance in the final 90 seconds, Brooks missed the front end of a one-and-one twice. But the Blue Devils couldn't capitalize, Boucher got the lead back to double digits at 79-68 with a dunk, and Brooks finished it off with a three-pointer.
Oregon trailed in the opening minutes, before going up 8-4 on a Bell alleyoop from Brooks, on the first possession after Duke big man Marshall Plumlee went to the bench with two early fouls. The Ducks led 11-10 before opening a cushion with seven straight points, including a Dorsey three-pointer.
It was 18-10 when Duke answered with seven straight of its own, a run Brooks ended by going baseline for a dunk. Brooks hit a three-pointer on the next possession for a 23-17 Oregon lead, but after the teams traded threes, the Blue Devils put together another 7-0 run to lead 27-26. Brooks hit another three out of a timeout for a 29-27 lead, and the Ducks scored the final five points of the first half for a 36-31 lead at the break.
Who Stood Out: Brooks led the way with his 22 points, on 9-of-19 shooting, and he dished out six assists. Cook added 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds, making 6-of-8 shots. Benson and Boucher each scored 11, and while Dorsey scored just seven his two three-pointers came at key moments. But the star of the night might have been Bell. The Long Beach native scored 13 points, grabbed seven rebounds, blocked three shots and altered numerous others while playing 26 minutes.
What It Means: The Ducks advanced to the Elite Eight for the sixth time ever, and the first since 2007.
Quotable:
Dana Altman, UO head coach
On reaching the Elite Eight
“The team's excited. I'm excited. It's a great opportunity for our school, and for the guys who have worked awfully hard.”
Jordan Bell, UO sophomore
On the significance of the win over Duke
“I think we played one of our best games of the year — everybody, not just me. And I think we showed everybody we're a great team.”
On Oregon's efforts to aggressively defend three-pointers, and the pressure that put on the post defenders
“I told everybody, once they put it on the ground, don't foul them. I'll get it.”
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke head coach
On Dana Altman leading the Ducks to an Elite Eight
“For any coach who gets there, that's an honor, and you don't know if you're ever going to get there again. … As a coach, we'd all like to win national championships. But you cross a certain bridge when you go to the Final Four. And some of the great coaches in the history of our game have never gotten to the Final Four. So you're one step away.”
Notable: Cook reached 1,235 points for his career, 21st in UO history, and Brooks got to 1,041 career points, 32nd all-time at Oregon. … Cook became the Ducks' career leader in rebounds in the NCAA Tournament, with 48. He's the only player in program history to play in three NCAA Tournaments. … UO football coach Mark Helfrich attended the game, and sat with ESPN personality Neil Everett and actor Ty Burrell. Men's basketball alums Luke Ridnour and Luke Jackson sat together, and football alums Kenjon Barner, George Wrightster and Hroniss Grasu attended. Current UO offensive lineman Cameron Hunt also was at Honda Center for the game.
Up Next: The Ducks will face Oklahoma in the Elite Eight on Saturday (3:07 p.m., CBS).
