AUDIO & VIDEO: Oregon Stops Kansas In Elite Eight

By KSAL Staff March 25, 2017

Last season, both Kansas and Oregon were stopped shy of the Final Four.

Oregon made sure it didn’t happen twice.

The high-octane Ducks shot 51 percent from the field and held Kansas to 35 percent as they fly into the Final Four for the first time since 1939 after a 74-60 victory at the Sprint Center.

Kansas started off rocky as freshman Josh Jackson picked up two fouls in the first three minutes of the game. That allowed the Oregon Ducks to get in an offensive rhythm while Kansas searched for one, giving Oregon a 12-5 advantage with 13:44 to go in the half.

The Jayhawks didn’t go away as they knotted up the score at the 7:56 mark. Senior Frank Mason III connected on a trey to tie it up at 19-all. Leading by three with 1:27 left in the half, Oregon had an 8-0 flurry to go into the locker room. Tyler Dorsey hit back-to-back threes, allowing Oregon to lead 44-33 at the break.

Much didn’t change early on in the second half as the Ducks flew out to an 18-point cushion. KU countered by trimming the deficit to 66-60 with 2:50 remaining off the Jayhawks’ only three of the half by Svi Mykhailuk. With the shot clock winding down, Dorsey hoisted up a prayer. The ball bounced off Jackson and Mason III and right to Jordan Bell. Dorsey put the final nail in the coffin with a triple at the 1:51 mark.

Tyler “Mr. March” Dorsey had 27 points for the Ducks. It was his seventh straight game of 20 or more points. Bell nearly had a triple-double, scoring 11 points, pulling down 13 rebounds and blocking eight shots.

Mason III paced the Hawks with 21 points in his final game as a Jayhawk. Jackson finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Devonte’ Graham was 0-for-7 with three points. KU finished the year with a 31-5 record, but fell short in the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season.