Ducks top Wolverines in close 69-68 win
Ducks among final eight for second straight year
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — 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 as third-seeded Oregon held on to end No. 7 seed 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 in which Pac-12 player of the year Dillon Brooks has struggled with his shot.
Oregon didn’t have its latest NCAA tournament win secured until Derrick Walton Jr., who had carried the Wolverines the past 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 D.J. 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.
The Ducks’ biggest play in the post came after Walton made a jumper to give Michigan a 68-65 lead. Ennis got fouled and went to the line for a one-andone opportunity. 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.”
Oregon also won despite making just nine of 16 free throws. The Ducks came in shooting 71 percent from the line.
“Nine-for-sixteen usually spells disaster at this time of year,” Altman said.