Oregon survives St. Joe’s challenge
The Oregon Ducks have not won the NCAA Tournament since 1939. Back then, it was a field of eight teams and it was only heard on the radio, way before television became a popular vehicle to show sporting events.
It was also the first men’s basketball NCAA Tournament in history. Since then, Oregon has mostly been known as the school of Phil Knight, the creator of Nike, and a football factory in recent seasons.
However, the quack is back in the Ducks this campaign, with Oregon riding a nine-game winning streak into Sunday night’s contest against the St. Joesph’s Hawks. The Ducks, the No. 1 seed in the West region, were expected to roll but instead found themselves battling to the very end. Ultimately, Oregon would beat its A-10 foe, 69-64, with great play from its two stars in Elgin Cook and Dillon Brooks, along with timely hoops from freshman Tyler Dorsey.
The Ducks fell behind by eight at one point in the game, only to rally furiously in the closing minutes. Dorsey was key down the stretch, hitting a huge 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to give Oregon back the lead, something it would not relinquish to the underdogs.
Brooks was the star throughout the night, collecting 25 points to go with a pair of rebounds and two steals. Cook was terrific early but struggled in the second half, finishing with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. The win put the Ducks into the Sweet 16, where they will take on the No. 4 seed Duke Blue Devils at Anaheim.
Oregon made the NCAA Tournament each of the past three seasons, but has not advanced to the Sweet 16 since 2013, where it lost to Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals, 77-69. Nobody expected much from the Ducks that year, who entered March Madness as a 12th seed only to upset both the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Saint Louis Billikens.
To find the last Elite Eight appearance for the program, you need to go back to 2007, when it lost to the top-seeded Florida Gators, a team defending its national title and on its way to a second consecutive championship.
While many will speak of Duke as the favorites in this game because of the school’s histories, Oregon is the better team. Few squads can match the athleticism of Cook and Brooks, while Dorsey gives nice shooting and defense on the wing as a freshman.
The Ducks now head to Anaheim with a tough chore ahead. Not only is Duke lying in wait, but should Oregon advance, the winner of Texas A&M and Oklahoma is staring it in the face.
March Madness is in full swing, and despite the upsets galore we have seen so far, the Ducks are still quacking.
