Once again, Mr. March came through for Oregon.
Tyler Dorsey — dubbed “Mr. March” for his performances in the Pac-12 and NCAA Tournament — hit a layup with 1:09 to help No.3 seed Oregon pull out a 69-68 victory over N0.7 Michigan. Two defensive stops, along with a crucial offensive rebound by Jordan Bell late in the game, helped preserve Oregon’s return to the Elite Eight on Saturday.
Dorsey finished the game with 20 points, including a game-best 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Bell finished with his third double-double in as many tournament games by scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Tyler Dorsey is the 1st Oregon player to score at least 20 points in first 3 NCAA Tournament games in single season. pic.twitter.com/ayzqyKzAwr
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 24, 2017
Michigan entered the game as one of the hottest teams in the tournament. First, the Wolverines won four games in four days to take the Big-10 Tournament championship. Then, in the NCAA Tournament, they defeated No.10 Oklahoma State and No.2 Louisville.
The Wolverines shot a combined 46 percent from behind the arc in their first two tourney games — including a 16-for-29 showing in their first round game — before finishing tonight 11-of-31 (35.5 percent) from deep.
Oregon seemed very intent on running the Wolverine’s off the three-point line, daring them drive the ball at the hoop where Bell — the Pac-12 defensive player of the year — was waiting to greet them. The strategy allowed the Ducks to take Michigan out of its rhythm.
The Wolverines went on a 7-1 run midway through the first half to take the four-point lead before Dorsey found his stroke. Dorsey scored 11 of Oregon’s next 17 points, the final of which gave the Ducks a 33-31 lead. An Ennis layup with seven seconds left gave Oregon a 35-33 lead at the break.
The first half was as back-and-forth as you’ll see in a game with neither team taking a lead more than five points.
Oregon did appear to be in control with five minutes left, but Michigan responded. The Wolverines hit back-to-back three-pointers around a Dorsey miss to take a 61-60 lead with four minutes to play.
The game went back-and-forth from there as Dorsey responded with a three-pointer on Oregon’s next possession. Zak Irvin (19 points) hit a three-pointer to keep the Wolverine’s ahead.
With two minutes left, Derrick Walton Jr. hit a layup to give Michigan a 68-65 lead, prompting an Oregon timeout.
Oregon cut the deficit to a point when Bell grabbed an offensive rebound and scored after Ennis missed a free throw. The Ducks were able to force a miss by Walton before Dorsey’s game-winning layup.
Ennis asked for the final assignment on defense after missing two FTs: "I swear, he would've made that shot, I would've quit basketball."
— Rob Moseley (@GoDucksMoseley) March 24, 2017
Dillon Brooks finished with 12 points, five assists and four rebounds for the Ducks while Ennis added 10 points.
Oregon returns to action Saturday when it faces the winner of Kansas-Purdue in the Elite Eight.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka
The post Dorsey and Bell lead Oregon over Michigan and into the Elite Eight appeared first on Emerald Media.