NOT RUSTY: DUCKS SOAR PAST IOWA
Oregon weaved its way through a pandemic-altered season filled with injuries, pauses and uncertainty to win a conference title.
When another kink surfaced in the NCAA Tournament, the resilient, adaptable Ducks shook it off and soared.
Off to another Sweet 16. Chris Duarte scored 23 points and Oregon showed no signs of rust after a long layoff, beating No. 2 seed Iowa 95-80 on Monday to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the past five NCAA Tournaments. The Ducks await Pac-12 rival USC.
“The guys fought through it, they stayed together,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “I’m proud of the way they responded.”
The seventh-seeded Ducks (21-6) were put in an unprecedented spot, advancing to the West Region’s second round without playing a game. Virginia Commonwealth’s multiple positive COVID-19 tests took care of that, leaving Oregon with a nine-day break since losing in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals.
Oregon’s offense hummed like it was fresh off the line once the ball went up, kicking off the NCAA Tournament’s first Monday of second-round games with a masterpiece.
The Ducks flowed on the floor and glowed on the scoresheet, shooting 56 percent and hitting 11 3-pointers. LJ Figueroa hit five 3s while scoring 21 points and Will Richardson added 19 points in an offensive domination.
“We just said keep our foot on the gas,” Duarte said. “We did and it was a lot of fun.”
The Ducks’ sweet offensive movements left the Hawkeyes (22-9) flailing, one game short of the Sweet 16 for the fourth time under Fran McCaffery. Luka Garza scored 36 points for Iowa.
No. 1 Gonzaga 87, No. 8 Oklahoma 71: The Bulldogs continued to roll behind a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds from Drew Timme as Gonzaga beat the Sooners (16-11).
Gonzaga (28-0) won its 32nd straight game dating to last season, passing its first real test of the NCAAs in the Bulldogs’ quest to be the first undefeated champion since Indiana 45 years ago.
Timme, sporting a handlebar mustache, was 9 of 12 shooting and 12 of 14 at the free-throw line.
Austin Reaves scored 27 points for Oklahoma.
No. 6 USC 85, No. 3 Kansas 51: Trojans coach Andy Enfield is taking another program back to the Sweet 16. The only surprise about this one? How handily his Trojans took apart Kansas (21-9).
Isaiah Mobley hit four 3-pointers
and scored 17 points, AllAmerican big brother Evan added 10 points and 13 rebounds, and sixth-seeded USC rolled to an victory inside Hinkle Fieldhouse — more than doubling the worst margin of defeat for the Jayhawks in 49 trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Isaiah White added 13 points and Tahj Eaddy had 12 for the Trojans (24-7), who kept the Pac-12’s charmed tourney going by reaching their fourth Sweet 16.
No. 5 Creighton 72, No. 13 Ohio 58: Marcus Zegarowski scored 20 points to help the Bluejays beat the Bobcats (17-8), securing the program’s first trip to the round of 16 in 47 years.
Damien Jefferson added 15 points for the Bluejays (22-8). They had a cold opening few minutes before the offense — and Zegarowski in particular — got rolling with a strong performance that built a double-digit lead by halftime against an upstart trying to spring a second straight tournament upset.