Oregon advances to Elite 8 with win over Michigan

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyler Dorsey scored 20 points and made the go-ahead layup with 1:08 left, and third-seeded Oregon ended No. 7 Michigan’s dramatic postseason run with a 69-68 victory in a Midwest Regional semifinal on Thursday night.

Dorsey, the man the Ducks call “Mr. March,” had his sixth straight game scoring 20 or more points.

The Wolverines (27-11) had one more chance to extend their run after Dylan Ennis missed a free throw with 15 seconds left. But Derrick Walton, who had carried the Wolverines the last three weeks, was off with his long jumper just before the buzzer.

Jordan Bell had a double-double for the Ducks (32-5), with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Pac-12 player of the year Dillon Brooks added 12 points and Dylan 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.

Oregon plays Kansas or Purdue on Saturday in the regional final.

The Ducks are going to the Elite Eight for the second year in a row, and they made it without big man Chris Boucher, who went out in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals with a season-ending knee injury.

Oregon still had plenty of inside game without Boucher, outscoring the Wolverines 34-16 in the pain 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.

After Walton missed a layup, Dorsey gave the Ducks the lead.

Ennis missed another free throw with 15 seconds left, giving Michigan one more chance. Oregon had fouls to give but failed to get a hand on anyone, allowing Walton to put up one more shot.

The teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm early, and Michigan had uncharacteristic problems with turnovers against a Ducks’ defense that switched between man-to-man and matchup zone.

BIG PICTURE

Michigan: The Wolverines got on a roll late in the season, and they became a tournament favorite after their plane skidded off the run way as they attempted to take off for the Big Ten Tournament. They ended up winning four games in four days to claim the conference tournament title and two more in the NCAA Tournament. But they shot just 39.3 percent against the Ducks, and fatigue might have been a factor.

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.

UP NEXT

Michigan’s season is over.

Oregon plays Kansas or Purdue in a regional final Saturday.