INDIANAPOLIS – It is finally here. Oregon Ducks’ basketball fans have been waiting for this since 2007 – the return to relevancy. Tonight’s game against overall one-seed Louisville marks the first Sweet 16 game played in six years for the Ducks. A 12-seed, UO is projected as a 10-point underdog, but legendary Louisville coach Rick Pitino called the game a “coin-flip.” The Ducks and Cardinals will take flight tonight with a 4:15 p.m. (PST) tipoff time. The game is televised on CBS. Sports Reporter Jackson Long and Photo Editor Alex McDougall are here in Indianapolis with coverage. For live updates throughout the game you can follow them on Twitter – @jacksonclong and @adougall. @ODEsports will have fast-flying tweets, which will be coupled with this live blog, featuring analysis and in-game recapping. Check back throughout the game for info.
For a scouting report on Louisville check this article out.
See how Dana Altman fits in the regional of legendary coaches.
A full preview of Oregon v. Louisville.
Pregame
Starters for Oregon as the usual: Artis, Dotson, Singler, Kazemi, Woods. Louisville has Siva, Smith, Behanan and Blackshear. Lucas Oil Stadium usually holds close to 70,000. Tonight only half the stadium is open, meaning around 36,000 folks will have seats. It is almost all Louisville fans, per proximity to the campus. Essentially a home game for the Cards.
15:19 remaining in first half
Louisville leads, 10-5. Whoa this Cardinals press is something to witness. The team’s overall speed in flipping from defense to offense is blistering. Making a missed shot for the Ducks seem like a huge mistake, as the Cardinals get the ball up the court so quickly. Ducks haven’t had glaring mistakes but the talent and discipline difference is on display early here. Dotson 0-for-2 so far from the field. Peyton Siva, Louisville’s defender extraordinaire has two fouls.
11:58 remaining in first half
Louisville leads, 17-7. Louisville likes to create havoc and panic. The Ducks can tell you first hand after just eight minutes. The defense for the Cardinals has not allowed an easy shot for UO yet. Unlike Saint Louis and Oklahoma State, Louisville is competing on the boards, really getting after it and turning UO missed shots and misses chances into quick points. Slip, and the Cardinals will punish you. 10-point lead early shows this.
7:54 remaining in first half
Louisville leads, 28-16. It looked bad, real bad. But Oregon is not going to head home yet. The Ducks trailed by as much as 16 but two threes from Artis have helped cut it to a 10-point deficit for UO. Ducks are getting our-rebounded thought and shooting poorly from the line.
3:25 remaining in first half
Louisville leads, 34-26. Oregon has clung on thanks to an inspired performance from Artis so far, who has eight points. Three fouls on Loyd and two on Artis could be really bad news for the Ducks, as they would be left without an experienced point guard against the vaunted press.
Halftime
Louisville leads, 45-31. Oregon looked like it may be climbing ever-so-slowly back into this one, behind eight with six minutes to go in half. The Cardinals hit the go switch though, ending the half with a 14-point lead, punctuated with a three-pointer in the final minute. Louisville has advantage on boards, 17-16 and is shooting nearly 60 percent. Artis has 10 so far while Russ Smith has 16 for the Cardinals.
15:44 left in game
Louisville leads, 51-38. The Cardinals’ lead spiked to 16 in the first half before it was cut to eight, it burgeoned up there again again here in the second half but a Loyd three stopped it from going further. Artis has 10 points but Loyd has seen better success at slipping through the Louisville press with his speed. Ducks are not getting many open shots and Damyean Dotson has yet to score.
12:00 left in game
Feisty. That is what the Ducks are right now. UO is unwilling to pack it in but Louisville won’t give up the solid lead. Oregon needs to play with some urgency now as not much time is left for a run. Some of Oregon’s shots are way off the mark but the team is fighting through the defense at least. If Oregon can find some precision we could have a game.
8:57 left in game
Louisville leads, 66-48. Just when it looked like the Ducks might get back into it, Louisville goes on 7-0 run and the stadium explodes with cheers. Things looking bleak for UO now.
3:48 left in game
Louisville leads, 72-64. Ducks pulled within six, the closest they had been since very early. But Louisville got a basket, and Singler missed an open three. Crunch time is on.
Final
Louisville wins, 77-69. Oregon pushed hard late but the Cardinals held on and the Ducks’ shots went awry when they were needed. What seemed like a done deal early, was kept alive by a resilient Oregon team, but the fast-paced Cards will advance to play the winner of Duke and Michigan State.