March Madness: Dorsey helps Ducks advance to Elite Eight
Tyler Dorsey scores 20 points, including the go-ahead basket, to help the Oregon Ducks reach one of March Madness’ regional finals on Saturday.
The Oregon Ducks clinched the first spot in the Elite Eight after they defeated the Michigan Wolverines on Thursday night in Kansas City, 69-68, in the Midwest Regional semifinals.
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Tyler Dorsey once again stepped up for the Ducks by scoring the go-ahead lay-up with 1:07 remaining in the game to put them back ahead, 69-68. Dorsey finished the game as Oregon’s leader in scoring with 20 points, including 5-of-7 from three-point range.
Michigan had opportunities in the final seconds. However, Derrick Walton Jr. missed his go-ahead shot attempt. Walton finished as the leading scorer for Michigan with 20 points. He also had eight rebounds and five assists.
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Another hero stepped up for the Ducks in the form of Jordan Bell, who had two critical offensive rebounds in a game that didn’t feature very many of them. Down 68-65 with 1:48 left, Bell latched onto a rebound off a missed one-and-one to score a putback and cut the lead to one. Bell grabbed another rebound off a Dillon Brooks missed lay-up with 17 seconds left and the shot clock winding down. The rebound forced Michigan to foul.
Offensive rebounds didn’t play much of a role outside of the last two minutes. The two teams combined for eight offensive boards. Bell had four of those.
The Wolverines relied heavily on shooting three’s, as they have for most of the season. Of their 58 shots total, 31 of those attempts were from three. Michigan made only 11 three-pointers in the game. They made more than Oregon, who made eight. However, Oregon attempted just 17 three-pointers in the game. They didn’t rely as heavily on shooting on the perimeter.
It’s tough to see the run for Michigan end after getting so far. They had an incredible run through the Big Ten Tournament and scored two solid wins in the tournament. It’s no fun to go out in the Sweet 16, but it certainly was fun to watch them play these last couple of weeks.
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This will be the second straight Elite Eight appearance for Oregon. Last year, they lost to Oklahoma. Oregon will take on Kansas in Kansas City on Saturday. A win on Saturday puts Oregon in the Final Four for the first time since 1939.