March Madness: Oregon knocks off Kansas to advance to Final Four
The Oregon Ducks held off a late rally by Kansas to make their first March Madness Final Four appearance since 1939.
The wait is over and the Oregon Ducks are headed back to a place that they haven’t been in nearly 80 years: the Final Four.
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Oregon defeated the top seed in the Midwest Region, the Kansas Jayhawks, 74-60, in Kansas City on Saturday night.
The Ducks attacked early, taking an 11 point lead into halftime. The lead continued in the second half. Kansas tried to fight back as Oregon struggled offensively during certain points of the second half. The Jayhawks got the lead down to 66-60 with 2:50 to go.
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However, Tyler Dorsey sank a three-pointer with 1:49, which started an 8-0 run to seal the victory for the Ducks.
Dorsey once again stepped up for the Ducks when they needed him as he finished with 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 6-of-10 from three. Oregon went 11-of-25 from three as they shot 52 percent from the field for the game. Four Ducks, including Dorsey, had double-digit points.
Dillon Brooks scored 17, while Dylan Ennis had 11 points. Meanwhile, Jordan Bell had another big game. Bell had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, including seven boards on the offensive glass. Bell also blocked eight shots against the Jayhawks, which ties his career high.
While the Ducks sank their three’s, Kansas struggled to make a basket at certain times, especially in the second half. Kansas went 5-of-25 from three as they shot 35 percent from the field against Oregon. Frank Mason III did score 21 points, but he went 8-of-20 from the field and 2-of-8 from three.
Kansas’ offense was limited. Josh Jackson had 10 points, all of which came during the second half. Devonte’ Graham had three points and didn’t make a field goal.
It’s a tough way to end the season for Kansas, especially with the advantage they had in playing in Kansas City.
Meanwhile, there was much concern about Oregon’s chances of making the Final Four, especially after Chris Boucher went down with an ACL tear.
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You’d be hard-pressed to pick a better Most Outstanding Player candidate than Dorsey for Oregon. He enters the Final Four averaging 24.5 points per game in the tournament. Dorsey helped win their games against Rhode Island and Michigan. Oregon is joined in the Final Four by Gonzaga, who defeated Xavier earlier in the afternoon, 83-59, in the West Regional Final in San Jose.