By EDDIE PELLS
AP National Writer
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) North Carolina missed the shots. No surprise there.
Kennedy Meeks saved the game. No surprise there, either.
Meeks, the only Tar Heel who could shoot straight Saturday night, muscled away the game-saving offensive rebound in a 77-76 victory over Oregon after ice-cold Carolina missed its fourth straight free throw down the stretch.
All part of a career night for the North Carolina senior, who was on the bench in last year's championship game when Villanova devastatingly ended the Tar Heels' chance at a title with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
In this one, Meeks was front and center. He finished 11 for 13 to match his career high with 25 points. And he had 14 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive glass and none of which was more important than the last. It secured a Monday-night date with Gonzaga in the title game, where the Tar Heels (32-7) will go for the program's sixth title.
"If it wasn't for Kennedy Meeks, we wouldn't have been in the basketball game," Carolina coach Roy Williams said.
Meeks had plenty to mop up for.
The rest of his team shot a brick-a-minute 14 for 55 from the floor (25 percent). Justin Jackson was one of the few to break through. He had 22 points on 6-for-13 shooting, including a five-minute stretch with three 3-pointers and two free throws that helped the Heels to a double-digit lead and put them on the verge of a runaway midway through the second half.
Given the lead and Oregon's own awful shooting (37 percent), losing this one might have felt every bit as bad as the Villanova loss last year. This is, after all, a team on a mission with only one acceptable destination.
"I just didn't want to lose another game off a winning shot," said Joel Berry II, who missed the free throw that Meeks tore away from Jordan Bell to ice the game. "I wish we would have closed it out."
Didn't quite happen. And after Keith Smith's layup pulled Oregon within 77-76 with 7 seconds left (should Oregon have pulled it out for a game-tying 3? Maybe so), it looked like it would come down to free throws.
It did, and it wasn't pretty.
First, Meeks got fouled, stepped to the line and rimmed out two. But Theo Pinson got inside and batted the ball back out to Berry, who then got fouled with 4 seconds left and took his turn at the line.
Berry missed both, too. But Meeks got inside of Bell for that final rebound, threw it outside to Pinson, who dribbled out the clock to end this ugly affair.
"My main focus was, if Joel missed the second free throw, to hit the offensive glass hard," Meeks said.
Bell finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds, but needed No. 17 to give the Ducks a last shot.
"Jordan felt terrible," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "But I told him, `Buddy, you got 16 rebounds, we wouldn't have been in this position if it hadn't been for you.'"
That it came down to Carolina winning on the boards was no big surprise. This was the best rebounding team in the country this season, grabbing an average of 13 more boards than their opponents over the course of the season.
Against the Ducks, the rebounding battle was even (43 each), though North Carolina got five more on the offensive glass, which resulted in 19 second-chance points, 10 more shots and, eventually, the win.
"I think coach, definitely, when we're gone, he's going to tell that story," said Pinson, who finished with eight points and eight boards. "That just shows how big offensive rebounding is. Boxing out at the end of the game. I'm sure (Bell) wished he'd boxed out right there."
ANKLE TROUBLE: Berry played, as promised, but his shot was troubled by the injured ankles that limited him in practice all week. He was 2 for 14 from the floor and 5 for 9 from the line and finished with 11 points.
MR. MARCH: Tyler Dorsey had been lighting it up through the tournament for Oregon, shooting 65 percent from 3, but the Tar Heels got in his face early and he never got on track. His 21 points came on 11 shots from the field and he only went 3 for 7 from behind the arc. Oregon shot 3 for 18 from 3 in the second half.
BROOKS STRUGGLES: Dillon Brooks has been the leader for Oregon all season, but struggled, finishing with 10 points on 2-for-11 shooting before fouling out.
GOOD COMPANY: According to ESPN Stats and Info, Meeks joins Larry Bird, Ed O'Bannon, Carmelo Anthony and Danny Manning as the only players to reach 25 points and 14 rebounds in the Final Four over the last 40 years.
NEXT UP: Carolina vs. Gonzaga in the title game Monday. Ducks' season over after falling a game short of returning to the title game for the first time since 1939, the first NCAA Tournament.
Showing posts with label Oregon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oregon. Show all posts
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Surprising Oregon faces old-school UNC in Final Four
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North Carolina is the best rebounding team in the country. Oregon is down a big guy.
The Tar Heels reek of old-school. They are the only blue-blood in the Final Four. They have an old-school coach in Roy Williams. They have an old-school, low-post big man in Kennedy Meeks, who dominated Kentucky in the South Regional final, grabbing 17 rebounds and blocking four shots.
North Carolina (31-7) has a national-best rebounding margin of plus-13 per game. And the Tar Heels are rebounding nearly 42 percent of their missed shots entering Saturday's game in Glendale, Ariz., tipping off at 8:49 p.m. ET.
"We feel like it's extremely important to get the other team in foul trouble," Williams said. "The biggest way to get their big guys in foul trouble is to go inside. That's something that's been important for us ever since I started coaching, and I still believe that. And Kennedy does a great job rebounding the basketball. ...
"I do think you have to have some guys that can make 3-point shots. But I've seen very few teams win the NCAA championship just shooting threes, because everybody's got somebody inside that can give you a little balance."
Oregon (33-5) provides a contrast. It is a good rebounding team, too, although not like North Carolina. The Ducks do it more through athleticism and effort, especially after losing shot-blocking stretch-forward Chris Boucher to a torn ACL in the Pac-12 tournament.
The Ducks, playing in their first Final Four since winning the inaugural NCAA Tournament in 1939, often play with 6-foot-7 wing Dillon Brooks at power forward next to active 6-9 center Jordan Bell.
Bell had 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks in a 74-60 takedown of overall No. 1 seed Kansas in an Elite Eight game in Kansas City, Mo.
"I can't overemphasize Jordan controlling the paint in the first 10 minutes of the game and just putting a thought in their mind that they were not going to get easy baskets," Ducks coach Dana Altman said.
While many wrote off Oregon after the Boucher injury, the Ducks got hot behind a tight rotation that is not going much past six players.
Sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey has scored at least 20 points in seven consecutive games. He made 25 of 40 3-point shots in the past six games.
Bell, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, has double-digit rebounds in six straight games. Hardly anyone plays harder than Brooks, the Pac-12 Player of the Year who is averaging 16.3 points per game.
"I think all the guys have picked it up a little bit, just knowing that Chris isn't there," Altman said. "But we will have our work cut out for us on Saturday. North Carolina is probably the best rebounding team that we faced all year. They score pretty good on the first shot, but their offensive rebounding numbers are off the charts."
Much of the focus before Saturday will be on the health of North Carolina point guard Joel Berry II, who is dealing with two balky ankles.
"Hopefully by the time we get to Thursday or Friday, he'll be able to do some things in practice," Williams said, "but I'm scared to death right now because I don't know."
The Tar Heels have been led all season by All-America wing Justin Jackson, who is averaging 18.2 points per game and shooting 38 percent from 3-point range (101 of 266). Berry is averaging 14.6 points, Meeks is at 12.3, and forward Isaiah Hicks scores 12.1 per game.
Forward Luke Maye came off the bench to average 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games in the South regional in Memphis. His jumper with 0.3 seconds left beat Kentucky 75-73.
North Carolina, which was the top seed in the South, is in the Final Four for the second consecutive season, having lost in the 2016 final when Villanova's Kris Jenkins hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. The Ducks, the No. 3 seed in the Midwest, have taken a step further than last season, when they lost in the Elite Eight.
"This is a bigger stage," Altman said. "Our guys are aware of that."
North Carolina is the best rebounding team in the country. Oregon is down a big guy.
The Tar Heels reek of old-school. They are the only blue-blood in the Final Four. They have an old-school coach in Roy Williams. They have an old-school, low-post big man in Kennedy Meeks, who dominated Kentucky in the South Regional final, grabbing 17 rebounds and blocking four shots.
North Carolina (31-7) has a national-best rebounding margin of plus-13 per game. And the Tar Heels are rebounding nearly 42 percent of their missed shots entering Saturday's game in Glendale, Ariz., tipping off at 8:49 p.m. ET.
"We feel like it's extremely important to get the other team in foul trouble," Williams said. "The biggest way to get their big guys in foul trouble is to go inside. That's something that's been important for us ever since I started coaching, and I still believe that. And Kennedy does a great job rebounding the basketball. ...
"I do think you have to have some guys that can make 3-point shots. But I've seen very few teams win the NCAA championship just shooting threes, because everybody's got somebody inside that can give you a little balance."
Oregon (33-5) provides a contrast. It is a good rebounding team, too, although not like North Carolina. The Ducks do it more through athleticism and effort, especially after losing shot-blocking stretch-forward Chris Boucher to a torn ACL in the Pac-12 tournament.
The Ducks, playing in their first Final Four since winning the inaugural NCAA Tournament in 1939, often play with 6-foot-7 wing Dillon Brooks at power forward next to active 6-9 center Jordan Bell.
Bell had 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks in a 74-60 takedown of overall No. 1 seed Kansas in an Elite Eight game in Kansas City, Mo.
"I can't overemphasize Jordan controlling the paint in the first 10 minutes of the game and just putting a thought in their mind that they were not going to get easy baskets," Ducks coach Dana Altman said.
While many wrote off Oregon after the Boucher injury, the Ducks got hot behind a tight rotation that is not going much past six players.
Sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey has scored at least 20 points in seven consecutive games. He made 25 of 40 3-point shots in the past six games.
Bell, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, has double-digit rebounds in six straight games. Hardly anyone plays harder than Brooks, the Pac-12 Player of the Year who is averaging 16.3 points per game.
"I think all the guys have picked it up a little bit, just knowing that Chris isn't there," Altman said. "But we will have our work cut out for us on Saturday. North Carolina is probably the best rebounding team that we faced all year. They score pretty good on the first shot, but their offensive rebounding numbers are off the charts."
Much of the focus before Saturday will be on the health of North Carolina point guard Joel Berry II, who is dealing with two balky ankles.
"Hopefully by the time we get to Thursday or Friday, he'll be able to do some things in practice," Williams said, "but I'm scared to death right now because I don't know."
The Tar Heels have been led all season by All-America wing Justin Jackson, who is averaging 18.2 points per game and shooting 38 percent from 3-point range (101 of 266). Berry is averaging 14.6 points, Meeks is at 12.3, and forward Isaiah Hicks scores 12.1 per game.
Forward Luke Maye came off the bench to average 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games in the South regional in Memphis. His jumper with 0.3 seconds left beat Kentucky 75-73.
North Carolina, which was the top seed in the South, is in the Final Four for the second consecutive season, having lost in the 2016 final when Villanova's Kris Jenkins hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. The Ducks, the No. 3 seed in the Midwest, have taken a step further than last season, when they lost in the Elite Eight.
"This is a bigger stage," Altman said. "Our guys are aware of that."
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Oregon beats Kansas 74-60 to punch Final Four ticket
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Oregon lost one of its best players to an injury just before the NCAA Tournament, had to survive two nail-biters to reach the Midwest Regional finals, and then faced a top-seeded Kansas team that had romped to the brink of the Final Four.
Of course, the Ducks would rise to the occasion.
With swagger and verve and downright prolific shooting, the plucky team that everybody wanted to count out rolled to a 74-60 victory over the Jayhawks on Saturday night, earning the Ducks their first trip to the national semifinals in nearly 80 years.
"You feel so good for so many people," said Ducks coach Dana Altman, who is headed to his first Final Four after 13 trips to the NCAA Tournament. "It's a team effort. You feel good for a lot of people."
Indeed, a whole lot of people had a hand in it.
Tyler Dorsey hit six 3s and poured in 27 points, Dillon Brooks added 17 and Jordan Bell finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks in a virtuoso performance for the Ducks (33-5), who seized the lead with 16 minutes left in the first half and never trailed the rest of the way.
Now, they'll face the winner of Sunday's game between North Carolina and Kentucky in the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona. It will be their first trip since 1939, when the Tall Firs won it all.
Player of the year candidate Frank Mason III had 21 points in his final game for the Jayhawks (31-5), but the offensive fireworks and steady poise that had carried them to a 13th straight Big 12 title fizzled just 40 minutes from campus on a night where very little went right.
Star freshman Josh Jackson was mired in early foul trouble. Sharpshooting guard Devonte Graham never got on track. And the swagger the Jayhawks showed in humiliating Purdue in the Sweet 16 simply evaporated for a team that rolled to the Elite Eight by an average margin of 30 points.
"I'm disappointed for them more than I am for me," said Kansas coach Bill Self, who fell to 2-7 in Elite Eight game, including four defeats as a No. 1 seed. "But the one thing that happened today, and it's hard to admit, the best team did win today."
The Ducks knew everything was stacked against them, but the point was only driven home when their bus passed the Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City on the way to the arena. Thousands of fans in red and blue were rallying hours before the tipoff, turning it into a de facto road game.
But the torrid shooting of Brooks, Ennis and Dorsey quickly deflated the sold-out Sprint Center, and sent a warning shot to the Jayhawks that they were in for a fight.
"You've got to give them credit," Graham said. "They hit some big shots."
Foul trouble sent Jackson to the bench for much of the first half, allowing the Ducks carve to out a comfortable lead. Then Dorsey finished the half with back-to-back 3s, including a deep bank shot at the buzzer, as the Ducks pranced to their locker room relishing in a 44-33 advantage.
"When you play hard throughout the whole game," Brooks said, "you catch some breaks."
The Ducks kept dancing in the second half, beating the Jayhawks at their own game: Getting into transition, passing up good shots for better ones and knocking down 3-pointers.
The Ducks' lead swelled to 55-37 when Brooks drilled another shot from the perimeter, and frustration began to creep into the Kansas bench. It was only compounded every time Jackson or Graham tossed up a shot that clanked hollowly off the iron, the Jayhawks' sense of desperation slowly growing.
Jackson didn't score until midway through the second half, and said later he'd "never been in such a tough position." Graham was 0 for 7 from the field, missing all six of his 3s.
The Jayhawks eventually began to whittle into their deficit, doing most of the work at the free-throw line. But the Ducks kept answering just enough to keep the crowd from giving Kansas anything extra.
When Svi Mykhailiuk scored to make it 64-55, Ennis answered with a driving basket. When Mykhailiuk buried a 3 from the corner to make it 66-60 with 2:49 left, Dorsey answered at the other end with another 3-pointer as the shot-clock expired to give Oregon some breathing room.
A few minutes later, the Ducks were cutting down the nets to end a satisfying trip to Kansas City.
"The seven years we've been at Oregon, we've had great guys to work with," Altman said, "but I also feel good for all the other players, the ex-players, who have built Oregon basketball. Like we said, 1939 is a long drought, but we owe all the ex-players."
BILL'S BUMMING
The Jayhawks lost in the Elite Eight for the second straight year, while Self also lost for the seventh time as a No. 1 seed. That trails only Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina's Roy Williams, who have nine losses apiece, for most in NCAA Tournament history.
BIG PICTURE
Oregon wound up shooting 51 percent from the field and hit 11 of 25 from beyond the arc, taking advantage of a porous defense that never matched the standard set by previous Kansas teams.
Kansas may look a whole lot different next season. Mason and big man Landen Lucas will graduate, and Jackson is likely to turn pro, though he said afterward he hasn't thought about it. Graham and Mykhailiuk may also consider declaring for the NBA draft.
UP NEXT
The Ducks are headed to the desert to play for a spot in the national championship.
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Oregon lost one of its best players to an injury just before the NCAA Tournament, had to survive two nail-biters to reach the Midwest Regional finals, and then faced a top-seeded Kansas team that had romped to the brink of the Final Four.
Of course, the Ducks would rise to the occasion.
With swagger and verve and downright prolific shooting, the plucky team that everybody wanted to count out rolled to a 74-60 victory over the Jayhawks on Saturday night, earning the Ducks their first trip to the national semifinals in nearly 80 years.
"You feel so good for so many people," said Ducks coach Dana Altman, who is headed to his first Final Four after 13 trips to the NCAA Tournament. "It's a team effort. You feel good for a lot of people."
Indeed, a whole lot of people had a hand in it.
Tyler Dorsey hit six 3s and poured in 27 points, Dillon Brooks added 17 and Jordan Bell finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks in a virtuoso performance for the Ducks (33-5), who seized the lead with 16 minutes left in the first half and never trailed the rest of the way.
Now, they'll face the winner of Sunday's game between North Carolina and Kentucky in the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona. It will be their first trip since 1939, when the Tall Firs won it all.
Player of the year candidate Frank Mason III had 21 points in his final game for the Jayhawks (31-5), but the offensive fireworks and steady poise that had carried them to a 13th straight Big 12 title fizzled just 40 minutes from campus on a night where very little went right.
Star freshman Josh Jackson was mired in early foul trouble. Sharpshooting guard Devonte Graham never got on track. And the swagger the Jayhawks showed in humiliating Purdue in the Sweet 16 simply evaporated for a team that rolled to the Elite Eight by an average margin of 30 points.
"I'm disappointed for them more than I am for me," said Kansas coach Bill Self, who fell to 2-7 in Elite Eight game, including four defeats as a No. 1 seed. "But the one thing that happened today, and it's hard to admit, the best team did win today."
The Ducks knew everything was stacked against them, but the point was only driven home when their bus passed the Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City on the way to the arena. Thousands of fans in red and blue were rallying hours before the tipoff, turning it into a de facto road game.
But the torrid shooting of Brooks, Ennis and Dorsey quickly deflated the sold-out Sprint Center, and sent a warning shot to the Jayhawks that they were in for a fight.
"You've got to give them credit," Graham said. "They hit some big shots."
Foul trouble sent Jackson to the bench for much of the first half, allowing the Ducks carve to out a comfortable lead. Then Dorsey finished the half with back-to-back 3s, including a deep bank shot at the buzzer, as the Ducks pranced to their locker room relishing in a 44-33 advantage.
"When you play hard throughout the whole game," Brooks said, "you catch some breaks."
The Ducks kept dancing in the second half, beating the Jayhawks at their own game: Getting into transition, passing up good shots for better ones and knocking down 3-pointers.
The Ducks' lead swelled to 55-37 when Brooks drilled another shot from the perimeter, and frustration began to creep into the Kansas bench. It was only compounded every time Jackson or Graham tossed up a shot that clanked hollowly off the iron, the Jayhawks' sense of desperation slowly growing.
Jackson didn't score until midway through the second half, and said later he'd "never been in such a tough position." Graham was 0 for 7 from the field, missing all six of his 3s.
The Jayhawks eventually began to whittle into their deficit, doing most of the work at the free-throw line. But the Ducks kept answering just enough to keep the crowd from giving Kansas anything extra.
When Svi Mykhailiuk scored to make it 64-55, Ennis answered with a driving basket. When Mykhailiuk buried a 3 from the corner to make it 66-60 with 2:49 left, Dorsey answered at the other end with another 3-pointer as the shot-clock expired to give Oregon some breathing room.
A few minutes later, the Ducks were cutting down the nets to end a satisfying trip to Kansas City.
"The seven years we've been at Oregon, we've had great guys to work with," Altman said, "but I also feel good for all the other players, the ex-players, who have built Oregon basketball. Like we said, 1939 is a long drought, but we owe all the ex-players."
BILL'S BUMMING
The Jayhawks lost in the Elite Eight for the second straight year, while Self also lost for the seventh time as a No. 1 seed. That trails only Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina's Roy Williams, who have nine losses apiece, for most in NCAA Tournament history.
BIG PICTURE
Oregon wound up shooting 51 percent from the field and hit 11 of 25 from beyond the arc, taking advantage of a porous defense that never matched the standard set by previous Kansas teams.
Kansas may look a whole lot different next season. Mason and big man Landen Lucas will graduate, and Jackson is likely to turn pro, though he said afterward he hasn't thought about it. Graham and Mykhailiuk may also consider declaring for the NBA draft.
UP NEXT
The Ducks are headed to the desert to play for a spot in the national championship.
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Home fans will boost Kansas in battle with Oregon
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- En route to the Elite Eight, Kansas won its three NCAA Tournament games by an average of 30 points, averaging 96 points in that span.
Slowing down the top-seeded Jayhawks will be the task for third-seeded Oregon in the Midwest Regional final Saturday (8:49 p.m. EDT) at Sprint Center. To make it a little more of a challenge, the Ducks must do it in a hostile environment.
Sprint Center is less than an hour's drive from Lawrence, Kan., the home of the Jayhawks, so the arena will be filled with Kansas fans.
"We look forward to the challenge. It's an opportunity to play," Oregon coach Dana Altman said before Kansas easily dispatched Purdue 98-66. "Kansas is Kansas. Obviously look out there. There is a little green section and a dark blue section. Royal blue filled everything else. It will be a tough ballgame because it's a road game."
Kansas' players know the advantage of having most of the 18,000-plus fans behind them.
"Playing here in K.C. is great," Kansas guard Devonte' Graham said. "The crowd (is) behind us and they give us so much momentum and energy throughout the game. It's just great to be here."
Oregon is a good matchup for Kansas because of similar styles. Kansas relies on four guards in their starting lineup, while Oregon plays small with the loss of 6-10 forward Chris Boucher to injury late in the season.
"(I have a) ton of respect (for Oregon)," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "(They're) unbelievably athletic. They're like us, they're going to play small a lot of the time because they will play Dillon (Brooks) at the 4 like we play Josh and then play the best defender in the Pac-12, Defensive Player of the Year around the middle, kind of like we do Landen (Lucas). So I think it will be two teams that at least match up with each other pretty well."
Kansas is led by national player of the year candidate Frank Mason III. He was averaging 20.8 points per game coming into the NCAA Tournament. He scored 26 points against Purdue. He can drive to the basket, shoot from the outside (he was 4-of-5 from 3-point range against the Boilermakers and shoots 47.2 percent on the season), and he loves to pass, averaging 5.2 assists per game.
Oregon's go-to player is Brooks, who leads the Ducks with 16.4 points per game. He can bring the ball up court, though he plays the power-forward position for the Ducks with the absence of Boucher.
Altman and Oregon are back in the Elite Eight for the second straight year. They lost to Big 12 opponent Oklahoma with a spot in last year's Final Four. If they accomplish their goal Saturday, it will be the Ducks' first Final Four since the very first NCAA Tournament in 1939, when the Ducks won their only title.
"It's just an unbelievable feeling," Altman said. "I owe these guys (his players) so much, for putting us in this position. As a coach, you always dream of playing in the Final Four and winning a national title. I feel really fortunate to have really good players who have put us in that position."
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- En route to the Elite Eight, Kansas won its three NCAA Tournament games by an average of 30 points, averaging 96 points in that span.
Slowing down the top-seeded Jayhawks will be the task for third-seeded Oregon in the Midwest Regional final Saturday (8:49 p.m. EDT) at Sprint Center. To make it a little more of a challenge, the Ducks must do it in a hostile environment.
Sprint Center is less than an hour's drive from Lawrence, Kan., the home of the Jayhawks, so the arena will be filled with Kansas fans.
"We look forward to the challenge. It's an opportunity to play," Oregon coach Dana Altman said before Kansas easily dispatched Purdue 98-66. "Kansas is Kansas. Obviously look out there. There is a little green section and a dark blue section. Royal blue filled everything else. It will be a tough ballgame because it's a road game."
Kansas' players know the advantage of having most of the 18,000-plus fans behind them.
"Playing here in K.C. is great," Kansas guard Devonte' Graham said. "The crowd (is) behind us and they give us so much momentum and energy throughout the game. It's just great to be here."
Oregon is a good matchup for Kansas because of similar styles. Kansas relies on four guards in their starting lineup, while Oregon plays small with the loss of 6-10 forward Chris Boucher to injury late in the season.
"(I have a) ton of respect (for Oregon)," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "(They're) unbelievably athletic. They're like us, they're going to play small a lot of the time because they will play Dillon (Brooks) at the 4 like we play Josh and then play the best defender in the Pac-12, Defensive Player of the Year around the middle, kind of like we do Landen (Lucas). So I think it will be two teams that at least match up with each other pretty well."
Kansas is led by national player of the year candidate Frank Mason III. He was averaging 20.8 points per game coming into the NCAA Tournament. He scored 26 points against Purdue. He can drive to the basket, shoot from the outside (he was 4-of-5 from 3-point range against the Boilermakers and shoots 47.2 percent on the season), and he loves to pass, averaging 5.2 assists per game.
Oregon's go-to player is Brooks, who leads the Ducks with 16.4 points per game. He can bring the ball up court, though he plays the power-forward position for the Ducks with the absence of Boucher.
Altman and Oregon are back in the Elite Eight for the second straight year. They lost to Big 12 opponent Oklahoma with a spot in last year's Final Four. If they accomplish their goal Saturday, it will be the Ducks' first Final Four since the very first NCAA Tournament in 1939, when the Ducks won their only title.
"It's just an unbelievable feeling," Altman said. "I owe these guys (his players) so much, for putting us in this position. As a coach, you always dream of playing in the Final Four and winning a national title. I feel really fortunate to have really good players who have put us in that position."
Friday, March 24, 2017
Ducks end Michigan's run with 69-68 victory, head to Elite 8
By ERIC OLSON
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Tyler Dorsey's teammates call him "Mr. March."
Yeah, that fits.
Dorsey scored 20 points and made the go-ahead layup with 1:08 left, and third-seeded Oregon held on to end No. 7 Michigan's dramatic postseason run with a 69-68 victory in a Midwest Regional semifinal on Thursday night.
"We lean on him right now," the Ducks' Dylan Ennis said. "He's playing his best basketball, and it's coming at the right time."
Dorsey's recent surge has been timely, for sure. He's scored 20 or more points in six straight games, a stretch that has seen Pac-12 player of the year Dillon Brooks struggle with his shot.
Oregon didn't have the win secured until Derrick Walton Jr., who had carried the Wolverines the last three weeks, was off with his long jumper just before the buzzer.
For the Ducks (32-5), it's on to the Elite Eight for the second straight year.
For the Wolverines (26-12), it was the end of a wild ride.
"The kids fought their hearts out this whole season," Michigan coach John Beilein said, "but particularly this last six weeks to be more than a story. It was a great team. They were becoming a great team before the story. We weren't sharp as we would have liked to have been today, but you have to credit Oregon with that."
Jordan Bell had a double-double for the Ducks, with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Brooks added 12 points and Ennis had 10.
Walton led the Wolverines with 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Zak Irvin had 14 of his 19 points in the second half and DJ Wilson had 12 points.
The Ducks' run to the regional final has come without big man Chris Boucher, who went out in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals with a season-ending knee injury. Oregon had plenty of inside game without Boucher, outscoring the Wolverines 34-16 in the paint and outrebounding them 36-31.
Its biggest play in the post came after Walton had made a jumper to give Michigan a 68-65 lead. Ennis got fouled and went to the line for a one-and-one. He missed, and Bell swooped in for the offensive rebound and put it in to make it a one-point game.
"We have a play that we practice on, if one of us misses a free throw. We executed it perfectly," Bell said.
After Walton missed a layup on the other end, Dorsey gave the Ducks the lead.
Ennis missed another free throw with 15 seconds left, giving Michigan one more chance. Oregon had two fouls to give and wanted to use them so Michigan would have to inbound the ball. The Ducks couldn't get it done, though, and Walton was able to put up one more shot.
"We were supposed to foul," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "Dylan Ennis had an opportunity there. I was a little upset that he didn't. Fortunately the ball didn't go in."
BIG PICTURE
Michigan: The Wolverines have gone through a lot, with their plane skidding off the runway as they tried to fly to the Big Ten Tournament and advancing to the Sweet 16 as a No. 7 seed. Ultimately, fatigue might have caught up to them. They shot just 39.3 percent against the Ducks and didn't seem to have that special ingredient they showed last week.
Oregon: The Ducks set the school record with their 32nd win and are off to the Elite Eight for the second straight year thanks to a big-time performance from Dorsey.
WOE IS MOE
Michigan's Moe Wagner scored a career-high 26 points in Sunday's win over No. 2 seed Louisville. But he missed six of his first seven shots against the Ducks and finished with seven points after going 3 for 10.
LUCKY DUCKS
Oregon won despite making just 9 of 16 free throws. The Ducks came in shooting 71 percent from the line. "Nine for 16 usually spells disaster at this time of year," Altman said.
UP NEXT
Michigan's season is over.
Oregon plays Kansas in a regional final Saturday.
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Tyler Dorsey's teammates call him "Mr. March."
Yeah, that fits.
Dorsey scored 20 points and made the go-ahead layup with 1:08 left, and third-seeded Oregon held on to end No. 7 Michigan's dramatic postseason run with a 69-68 victory in a Midwest Regional semifinal on Thursday night.
"We lean on him right now," the Ducks' Dylan Ennis said. "He's playing his best basketball, and it's coming at the right time."
Dorsey's recent surge has been timely, for sure. He's scored 20 or more points in six straight games, a stretch that has seen Pac-12 player of the year Dillon Brooks struggle with his shot.
Oregon didn't have the win secured until Derrick Walton Jr., who had carried the Wolverines the last three weeks, was off with his long jumper just before the buzzer.
For the Ducks (32-5), it's on to the Elite Eight for the second straight year.
For the Wolverines (26-12), it was the end of a wild ride.
"The kids fought their hearts out this whole season," Michigan coach John Beilein said, "but particularly this last six weeks to be more than a story. It was a great team. They were becoming a great team before the story. We weren't sharp as we would have liked to have been today, but you have to credit Oregon with that."
Jordan Bell had a double-double for the Ducks, with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Brooks added 12 points and Ennis had 10.
Walton led the Wolverines with 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Zak Irvin had 14 of his 19 points in the second half and DJ Wilson had 12 points.
The Ducks' run to the regional final has come without big man Chris Boucher, who went out in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals with a season-ending knee injury. Oregon had plenty of inside game without Boucher, outscoring the Wolverines 34-16 in the paint and outrebounding them 36-31.
Its biggest play in the post came after Walton had made a jumper to give Michigan a 68-65 lead. Ennis got fouled and went to the line for a one-and-one. He missed, and Bell swooped in for the offensive rebound and put it in to make it a one-point game.
"We have a play that we practice on, if one of us misses a free throw. We executed it perfectly," Bell said.
After Walton missed a layup on the other end, Dorsey gave the Ducks the lead.
Ennis missed another free throw with 15 seconds left, giving Michigan one more chance. Oregon had two fouls to give and wanted to use them so Michigan would have to inbound the ball. The Ducks couldn't get it done, though, and Walton was able to put up one more shot.
"We were supposed to foul," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "Dylan Ennis had an opportunity there. I was a little upset that he didn't. Fortunately the ball didn't go in."
BIG PICTURE
Michigan: The Wolverines have gone through a lot, with their plane skidding off the runway as they tried to fly to the Big Ten Tournament and advancing to the Sweet 16 as a No. 7 seed. Ultimately, fatigue might have caught up to them. They shot just 39.3 percent against the Ducks and didn't seem to have that special ingredient they showed last week.
Oregon: The Ducks set the school record with their 32nd win and are off to the Elite Eight for the second straight year thanks to a big-time performance from Dorsey.
WOE IS MOE
Michigan's Moe Wagner scored a career-high 26 points in Sunday's win over No. 2 seed Louisville. But he missed six of his first seven shots against the Ducks and finished with seven points after going 3 for 10.
LUCKY DUCKS
Oregon won despite making just 9 of 16 free throws. The Ducks came in shooting 71 percent from the line. "Nine for 16 usually spells disaster at this time of year," Altman said.
UP NEXT
Michigan's season is over.
Oregon plays Kansas in a regional final Saturday.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Oregon next obstacle for Cinderella Michigan
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There are two compelling stories heading into the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region matchup between Michigan and Oregon. The Wolverines and the Ducks face off in the first of two semifinals on Thursday night at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Michigan’s run through the Big Ten tournament, beginning with its team plane’s slide off the runway prior to the event, has been well-chronicled. But the No. 7 seed Wolverines (26-11) are not a fairy-tale story. They earned their way to Kansas City with gutsy victories over Oklahoma State and second-seeded Louisville in the first two rounds.
“There’s always going to be a lot of hype about what teams are getting most hype early, and it just doesn’t go away,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “The level of coaching in this league, the resources in this league, the level of talent in this league, it will come to the top at the end of the year.”
The Wolverines are confident heading into Kansas City to face the third-seeded Ducks (31-5). They seem to have that “it” that underdogs who make deep runs must have.
“I had no doubt in my mind, if it came down to the way it did, in the second half that we would be able to pull it out,” D.J. Wilson said about the victory over Louisville. “I think it just shows the versatility of this team. Our offense, it’s kind of like ‘pick your poison.’ Today, we didn’t knock down the 3 (3-point shot). We worked, and we did other things to put the ball in the hole, and it was effective.”
Michigan is a well-balanced team, with four players (Derrick Walton Jr., Zak Irvin, Moritz Wagner and Wilson) averaging between 11.0 and 15.4 points, and those same four players average between 4.1 and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Walton is the leader of the team, but the star of the first two rounds was Wagner, who scored a career-high 26 points, including a 3-pointer to give the Wolverines the lead for good against Louisville.
The other story is the return of Oregon coach Dana Altman to his Midwestern roots. Altman previously coached at Kansas State, two hours to the west of Thursday’s site. He also coached at Creighton, three hours to the north of Sprint Center. He even cut his teeth at Moberly (Mo.) Junior College, two hours to the east of Kansas City.
Altman is not coming to Kansas City empty-handed. He will bring some talented players with him. Forward Dillon Brooks is the Ducks’ leading scorer at 16.4 points per game. Even though he shot only 7 of 20 against Rhode Island in the second round, he still scored 19 points.
Oregon lost star center Chris Boucher to a season-ending injury in the Pac-12 Conference tournament, which has forced Oregon to play small. Brooks (6-foot-7) and Jordan Bell (6-9) make up the frontcourt. Guard Tyler Dorsey has recorded four straight games over 20 points, including 27 against the Rams.
Like most coaches, Altman is focused on the opposition, and he is impressed with Michigan.
“I didn’t really watch it,” Altman said of Michigan’s victory over Louisville in the second round. “I watched one of Michigan’s games in the Big Ten tournament, and wow! Beating Louisville with their athletes. … They’re hard to guard. What (Wagner) does offensively is really unique and special, and they’re an outstanding offensive team.”
Friday, March 17, 2017
After loss of star Boucher, Oregon shows it has NCAA depth
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Star big man Chris Boucher carefully stood with his bulky knee brace to pump his arms and cheer his teammates at every chance. He shimmied his shoulders in delight to celebrate the Oregon Ducks and what they were doing on the big stage without him.
Not quite the shot-blocking menace on the sidelines that he is on the floor for Oregon. He's doing his part.
The Ducks advanced in the NCAA Tournament in large part because each player committed to do all the little things that Boucher brings on both ends.
Tyler Dorsey scored 24 points to lead four players in double figures, and No. 3 seed Oregon beat 14th-seeded Iona 93-77 on Friday in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Region.
The Ducks (30-5) showed they have depth and sheer athleticism to make a special March run, just as coach Dana Altman hoped this week when he challenged role players to make larger contributions in Boucher's absence.
"Him being on the sideline is just like him being on the floor chemistry-wise," Dylan Ennis said. "He's physically not there but he's so much a part of our team encouraging us. Obviously not having him out there, it's a different look. If all of us just stay active on defense, hopefully we can make up for him being out."
Iona star Jordan Washington gave his team a huge scare when he went down hard under Oregon's basket, screaming in pain and grabbing his lower left leg with 1:12 to go before halftime. But the senior forward returned to start the second half and finished with 22 points on 10-for-16 shooting and 11 rebounds in his final college game for the Gaels (22-13).
Boucher was relegated to a cheerleading role for the Ducks, who shared the Pac-12 regular-season crown with Arizona then lost by three points to the Wildcats in the conference tournament final after Boucher tore his left ACL in the semifinals.
While this is hardly the kind of finish Boucher envisioned for his final collegiate season, his teammates so appreciate the way he keeps contributing.
Oregon, which had its 27-point lead trimmed to 13 in the second half before holding on, shot 63.6 percent with only three turnovers in the first half to take control, began the second half with a 10-1 burst and went 55.6 percent from the floor overall.
Dillon Brooks scored 18 points and Payton Pritchard 16 points and Jordan Bell 17 with 12 boards.
"We have a lot of guys who are very confident in their ability to score a basket," Altman said.
For Iona, Washington limped off with help just before halftime at first-year Golden 1 Center, home of the NBA Sacramento Kings.
He brought energy on both ends to lead the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champs, driving for a pretty spin move with 11:46 left in the first half then taking a charge from Dorsey moments later. He then drew another one.
Washington scored 14 of his team's initial 18 points, but Oregon led 55-37 at halftime. He had an X-ray, believing he injured his shin.
Sam Cassell Jr., son of the former NBA star, scored 16 points in his final collegiate game. He pumped his arms and kicked out a leg when Oregon called timeout after Iona pulled to 29-26 with 8:35 to play in the first half on consecutive 3s by Cassell and E.J. Crawford.
"They got out in transition. Our bad shots led to their fast-break layups," Cassell Jr. said.
Bell delivered back-to-back layins as the Ducks answered, then his putback with 4:27 left in the half extended Oregon's lead to 41-33.
"This year we have a confident bunch," Brooks said. "We're thinking about one goal and one goal only."
BIG PICTURE
Iona: Coach Tim Cluess said afterward G Rickey McGill played with a broken hand. ... Iona shot just 3 for 11 from 3-point range in the first half before hitting seven second-half 3s. ... The Gaels were outrebounded 40-27. ... They faced Oregon for the first time.
Oregon: The Ducks have won at least one NCAA game in five straight years. ... In the first half, Bell became the school's career NCAA Tournament rebounding leader, passing former teammate Elgin Cook's 49. ... Brooks moved into fourth place on the Ducks' single-season scoring list.
UP NEXT
Oregon advances to play Sunday against the No. 11 Rhode Island (25-9), which beat sixth-seeded Creighton 84-72.
Not quite the shot-blocking menace on the sidelines that he is on the floor for Oregon. He's doing his part.
The Ducks advanced in the NCAA Tournament in large part because each player committed to do all the little things that Boucher brings on both ends.
Tyler Dorsey scored 24 points to lead four players in double figures, and No. 3 seed Oregon beat 14th-seeded Iona 93-77 on Friday in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Region.
The Ducks (30-5) showed they have depth and sheer athleticism to make a special March run, just as coach Dana Altman hoped this week when he challenged role players to make larger contributions in Boucher's absence.
"Him being on the sideline is just like him being on the floor chemistry-wise," Dylan Ennis said. "He's physically not there but he's so much a part of our team encouraging us. Obviously not having him out there, it's a different look. If all of us just stay active on defense, hopefully we can make up for him being out."
Iona star Jordan Washington gave his team a huge scare when he went down hard under Oregon's basket, screaming in pain and grabbing his lower left leg with 1:12 to go before halftime. But the senior forward returned to start the second half and finished with 22 points on 10-for-16 shooting and 11 rebounds in his final college game for the Gaels (22-13).
Boucher was relegated to a cheerleading role for the Ducks, who shared the Pac-12 regular-season crown with Arizona then lost by three points to the Wildcats in the conference tournament final after Boucher tore his left ACL in the semifinals.
While this is hardly the kind of finish Boucher envisioned for his final collegiate season, his teammates so appreciate the way he keeps contributing.
Oregon, which had its 27-point lead trimmed to 13 in the second half before holding on, shot 63.6 percent with only three turnovers in the first half to take control, began the second half with a 10-1 burst and went 55.6 percent from the floor overall.
Dillon Brooks scored 18 points and Payton Pritchard 16 points and Jordan Bell 17 with 12 boards.
"We have a lot of guys who are very confident in their ability to score a basket," Altman said.
For Iona, Washington limped off with help just before halftime at first-year Golden 1 Center, home of the NBA Sacramento Kings.
He brought energy on both ends to lead the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champs, driving for a pretty spin move with 11:46 left in the first half then taking a charge from Dorsey moments later. He then drew another one.
Washington scored 14 of his team's initial 18 points, but Oregon led 55-37 at halftime. He had an X-ray, believing he injured his shin.
Sam Cassell Jr., son of the former NBA star, scored 16 points in his final collegiate game. He pumped his arms and kicked out a leg when Oregon called timeout after Iona pulled to 29-26 with 8:35 to play in the first half on consecutive 3s by Cassell and E.J. Crawford.
"They got out in transition. Our bad shots led to their fast-break layups," Cassell Jr. said.
Bell delivered back-to-back layins as the Ducks answered, then his putback with 4:27 left in the half extended Oregon's lead to 41-33.
"This year we have a confident bunch," Brooks said. "We're thinking about one goal and one goal only."
BIG PICTURE
Iona: Coach Tim Cluess said afterward G Rickey McGill played with a broken hand. ... Iona shot just 3 for 11 from 3-point range in the first half before hitting seven second-half 3s. ... The Gaels were outrebounded 40-27. ... They faced Oregon for the first time.
Oregon: The Ducks have won at least one NCAA game in five straight years. ... In the first half, Bell became the school's career NCAA Tournament rebounding leader, passing former teammate Elgin Cook's 49. ... Brooks moved into fourth place on the Ducks' single-season scoring list.
UP NEXT
Oregon advances to play Sunday against the No. 11 Rhode Island (25-9), which beat sixth-seeded Creighton 84-72.
Iona-Oregon Preview
Stats, LLC
Oregon will have to lean on Pac-12 Player of the Year Dillon Brooks even more in the NCAA Tournament.
The third-seeded Ducks will be without shot-blocking big man Chris Boucher as they navigate the rest of the postseason, starting against 14th-seeded Iona in a Midwest Regional game Friday. The game tips off at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., at 2 p.m. ET.
Oregon (29-5) tied Arizona for first place in the Pac-12, but lost to the Wildcats in the championship game of the Pac-12 tournament a night after losing Boucher to a torn ACL. Iona (22-12) earned an automatic bid after beating Siena to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament.
Boucher was third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding, averaging 11.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He led the Pac-12 with 2.5 blocked shots per game and was one of the team’s top 3-point shooters.
Oregon will miss all that, as well as his leadership.
“It was a big blow to our team this morning,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said after losing to Arizona on Saturday night. “We were all kind of down, because he’s one of the most popular guys on the team. He’s the one guy that picks everybody up.”
Oregon could be vulnerable to an early upset, but the Ducks still might have enough firepower to make a deep run. Brooks is a hard-playing junior forward who averages 16.3 points per game. Sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey averages 13.3 points. Athletic center Jordan Bell was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Picking up some of Boucher’s minutes will be Kavell Bigby-Williams, a 6-11 post who was last season’s junior college player of the year.
“We’ve got to bounce back from here — and we’ve got the group to do it,” Altman said. “They’re very competitive. I’d sure like to work with them three more weeks, but to do that we’ve got to think about it one game at a time.”
The Ducks, who advanced to last season’s Elite Eight, are making their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under Altman.
Iona won three games in three days to win the MAAC tournament, securing its fourth NCAA Tournament berth in six years. Senior forward Jordan Washington had 21 points and 10 rebounds in an overtime victory over Siena in the championship game. Washington averages team highs of 17.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
The Gaels also got key contributions in the championship game from a group of underclassmen, including freshman guard E.J. Crawford and sophomore guards Rickey McGill and Schadrac Casimir. The trio combined for 36 points.
Iona relies on the 3-pointer; the Gaels’ 836 attempts are 20th most in the country and they make 39.7 percent. They put up 90 points or more in nine games this season.
The Gaels lost five of seven in late December and early January, but they have won 12 of their last 16.
“It’s very special to be here today because we fought so hard,” McGill told The Journal News. “We had ups and downs. People were doubting us, saying we probably wouldn’t make it here. We just fought until the end.”
The winner advances to play No. 6 Creighton or No. 11 Rhode Island.
Oregon will have to lean on Pac-12 Player of the Year Dillon Brooks even more in the NCAA Tournament.
The third-seeded Ducks will be without shot-blocking big man Chris Boucher as they navigate the rest of the postseason, starting against 14th-seeded Iona in a Midwest Regional game Friday. The game tips off at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., at 2 p.m. ET.
Oregon (29-5) tied Arizona for first place in the Pac-12, but lost to the Wildcats in the championship game of the Pac-12 tournament a night after losing Boucher to a torn ACL. Iona (22-12) earned an automatic bid after beating Siena to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament.
Boucher was third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding, averaging 11.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He led the Pac-12 with 2.5 blocked shots per game and was one of the team’s top 3-point shooters.
Oregon will miss all that, as well as his leadership.
“It was a big blow to our team this morning,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said after losing to Arizona on Saturday night. “We were all kind of down, because he’s one of the most popular guys on the team. He’s the one guy that picks everybody up.”
Oregon could be vulnerable to an early upset, but the Ducks still might have enough firepower to make a deep run. Brooks is a hard-playing junior forward who averages 16.3 points per game. Sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey averages 13.3 points. Athletic center Jordan Bell was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Picking up some of Boucher’s minutes will be Kavell Bigby-Williams, a 6-11 post who was last season’s junior college player of the year.
“We’ve got to bounce back from here — and we’ve got the group to do it,” Altman said. “They’re very competitive. I’d sure like to work with them three more weeks, but to do that we’ve got to think about it one game at a time.”
The Ducks, who advanced to last season’s Elite Eight, are making their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under Altman.
Iona won three games in three days to win the MAAC tournament, securing its fourth NCAA Tournament berth in six years. Senior forward Jordan Washington had 21 points and 10 rebounds in an overtime victory over Siena in the championship game. Washington averages team highs of 17.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
The Gaels also got key contributions in the championship game from a group of underclassmen, including freshman guard E.J. Crawford and sophomore guards Rickey McGill and Schadrac Casimir. The trio combined for 36 points.
Iona relies on the 3-pointer; the Gaels’ 836 attempts are 20th most in the country and they make 39.7 percent. They put up 90 points or more in nine games this season.
The Gaels lost five of seven in late December and early January, but they have won 12 of their last 16.
“It’s very special to be here today because we fought so hard,” McGill told The Journal News. “We had ups and downs. People were doubting us, saying we probably wouldn’t make it here. We just fought until the end.”
The winner advances to play No. 6 Creighton or No. 11 Rhode Island.
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