NCAA Basketball: Best games from 2019-20 season – Michigan vs. Oregon

An exciting mid-December matchup between Michigan and Oregon really delivered; let’s remember how it went down.

This most recent college basketball season was significantly hindered by the canceled of most of the postseason, and the entire NCAA Basketball Tournament, but it still gave us some fantastic matchups and moments. In our continuing look at the top 40 games from the 2019-20 season, we’ll dive deeply into one of those matchups that was a bit unexpected way back in December.

23. #10 Oregon 71, #5 Michigan 70, OT

December 14, 2019, Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, MI

Throughout the college basketball season, there are teams that live up to expectations and those who do not. There are also teams that exceed those expectations greatly, and one of those teams got a big challenge back in December. As non-conference play hummed along, two top 10 teams got together for what was unexpectedly a bigtime matchup.

Michigan’s season had been an utter surprise to this point. With new talent and a new head coach in Juwan Howard, expectations weren’t as high for the Wolverines, but they were already exceeding them. They had won the Battle 4 Atlantis in shocking top 10 teams in North Carolina and Gonzaga. They had lost twice since then, but still maintained their #5 ranking, and were perfect to this point at home.

For Oregon, they were watching Payton Pritchard bloom before their eyes, but the season had been up and down to this point. They had also been in Atlantis, losing close battles to both Gonzaga and North Carolina to finish in 4th place. However, Oregon also had hard-fought wins over #13 Memphis and #13 Seton Hall to this point. They traveled all the way to Michigan hoping for another great early season win.

Out of the gates, it looked like Oregon was going to get another great win. The Wolverines hit a few shots early but then their offense fell away. Ten minutes into the game, Oregon’s lead was 22-7 with Michigan in the midst of a long field goal drought. A 3-pointer from Anthony Mathis extended the lead to 15, but the Ducks weren’t done. Mathis’s next long-range shot made their lead 16 points, though Michigan would start making a dent.

The Wolverines finally began making their shots, using a late 9-0 run to pull within eight points at the end of the first half. They would need plenty more offense after a paltry 23 points in the opening stanza, and they would certainly get it. Both teams were keen on offense in the early going. At one point early in the second half, the two teams traded 3-pointers back and forth on four straight possessions.

Franz Wagner’s 3-pointer a few minutes later pulled Michigan back to within five, while they got back to within a single possession just a few moments later. A pair of free throws from Brandon Johns Jr. with just under nine minutes left tied the game, while Wagner’s next shot gave Michigan their first lead since the opening minute of the game.

Oregon wasn’t finished, tying the game a few minutes later and soon reclaiming the lead. The two teams were set up for an exciting finish and it became a back and forth affair. The teams traded buckets in the final minutes, with Oregon holding a slight advantage. Pritchard hit shot after shot in the final two minutes, but his missed free throw set up the Wolverines. Johns hit the layup to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Wagner and Pritchard starred in overtime, making each of their team’s first two baskets in the bonus period. However, it was Francis Okoro whose jumper gave Oregon the lead with three minutes left, a lead they would not relinquish. The offense was less successful in the final minutes, and Oregon held on for a 1-point lead. Michigan had several chances in the final minute but missed at least five shots to take the lead down the stretch.

Pritchard scored nearly all of his 23 points after the first half and the Ducks certainly needed it to hold off Michigan’s furious rally. Mathis added 19 points as Oregon made half of their 3-pointers, key in building that big lead early. Michigan got back into the game by forcing 16 turnovers, and a 21-point effort from Wagner was certainly needed, but they just couldn’t find their offense in the closing moments of overtime.

While this loss at home was disappointing, this Michigan team had already exceeded expectations in the early going. They would slip a bit as Big Ten play began, eventually winding up as the 9th place team in a very deep conference. Still, their earlier performances were no bluff and this was a team that could’ve certainly done some damage in the postseason.

Oregon lost a few questionable road games in the Pac-12 but certainly used the momentum from this road win, taking another regular-season crown in conference play. This Ducks team was certainly the best program from the Pac-12 this year and certainly had plenty of momentum heading into a canceled postseason.

Before that cancellation, these two teams gave us a game worthy of the bigtime expectations. These two programs both found themselves in the top 10 early in the season and played like elite teams. There’s no telling what either would have done in the NCAA Tournament; we’ll just have to see what the future holds.