Oregon Basketball falls to Arizona in March Madness’ Second round

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The Oregon Ducks have fallen in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, losing to the 4-seed Arizona Wildcats, 87-83. The Ducks led big in the first half, and in the second half, Oregon brought an 11-point deficit back to one but couldn’t complete the comeback.

Down the stretch, Oregon inched closer with Nate Bittle post-hooks, stops on the other end, and missteps from the Wildcats. But in the final seconds, with the Ducks down three, Arizona intentionally fouled twice, denying Oregon an opportunity to tie the game. With 3.9 seconds left and the Ducks down 85-83, Jackson Shelstad intentionally missed a free throw hoping to give the Ducks a chance, but the Wildcats secured the rebound.

This loss marks the end of a 25-10 season for Oregon that was full of ups and downs. The Ducks started the year so hot, picking up wins over Alabama and Texas A&M. Then, in January and February, the Ducks went ice-cold, losing five straight, but they rallied, winning their last six regular season games. Oregon surely hoped to advance further than the round of 32 for the second year in a row, but this was still a successful season for the Ducks.

Oregon vs Arizona Keys to the Game

Arizona’s offense in the second half was led by a tremendous effort from veteran guard Caleb Love. Love is a capable scorer, but often, he doesn’t shoot efficiently. On Sunday night, Love was incredibly efficient, scoring 29 points on 10/18 shooting. His 5/7 three-point field goals — especially the ones he hit down the stretch — gave Arizona massive momentum toward victory.Oregon’s matchup zone defense kept the Ducks from boxing out consistently, which gave the Wildcats a plethora of offensive rebounds. After Oregon started the game with a big lead, second-chance opportunities were how the Wildcats worked their way back into the game.All season, the Ducks have been one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the country — across the board. Against Arizona, the Ducks made just 12 of 22 free throws, letting…

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Publish date : 2025-03-24 04:50:00

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