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Oregon escapes as Michigan misses last-second shot

By David Smale, The Sports Xchange
Oregon's Tyler Dorsey. (OregonMBB/Instagram)
Oregon's Tyler Dorsey. (OregonMBB/Instagram)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It was that close.

Oregon defeated Michigan 69-68 in the Sweet 16 on Thursday at Sprint Center when Michigan's Derrick Walton Jr. missed a long jumper at the buzzer that would have won it.

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"I don't know about (being) worried," Oregon guard Tyler Dorsey said of his thoughts as the ball was heading toward the rim. "I was just watching the ball in the air hoping it didn't go in. And it didn't."

Oregon held Michigan scoreless in the final 2:02. The Ducks face top-seeded Kansas in the Midwest Region Final on Saturday after the Jayhawks crushed Purdue 98-66 later Thursday. With a victory, Oregon would reach its first Final Four since the very first NCAA Tournament in 1939, won by the Ducks.

Oregon scored the final points of the game with 1:08 left.

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Michigan's D.J. Wilson missed a 3-pointer, but Oregon's Dillon Brooks missed a layup with 18 seconds left. Jordan Bell grabbed the rebound for the Ducks and passed it to Dylan Ennis, who was fouled with 15 seconds left. Ennis missed the front end of the one-and-one.

Michigan set up Walton for the game-winner, but his shot from the right side near the 3-point arc didn't go in.

"I thought he had a great matchup," Michigan's Zak Irvin said. "He had a lot of separation on his move. I've seen him make that shot thousands of times, so I had confidence in him knocking it down. It looked good from my angle. No one else on this team that we wanted taking that shot. He's been on a run and such a great player. I'm proud of him."

The game was back and forth all game long, with neither team grabbing more than a six-point lead. Oregon led 60-55 before Michigan hit back-to-back 3-pointers to retake the lead.

"We had a cushion there of five points, two possessions, but the game changed really quick," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "(Their) back-to-back threes really turned the game.

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"During the game, I don't know, you don't really think of the (closeness of the game). Then afterwards, you talk about little plays that could happen and it wears on you pretty good."

On Michigan's final possession, things did not go the way Oregon wanted, other than the end result.

"We were supposed to foul," Altman said. "Dylan Ennis had an opportunity there. I was a little upset that he didn't. Fortunately the ball didn't go in."

Oregon (32-5) was led by Dorsey with 20 points. Jordan Bell had 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Dillon Brooks had 12 points, and Ennis scored 10.

Walton led Michigan (26-12) with 20 points. He was joined in double figures by Irvin with 19 points and Wilson with 12.

The Wolverines, whose team airplane was involved in a scary incident prior to the Big Ten tournament, won the conference tourney and then reached the Sweet 16. It was a strong finish for a team that was 14-9 in early February.

"The kids fought their hearts out this whole season but particularly this last six weeks to be more than a story," Michigan coach John Beilein said. "They were becoming a great team before the story, so (I'm) really proud of them. We weren't as sharp as we would have liked to have been today, but you have to credit Oregon with that."

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NOTES: Michigan made 50.4 percent from the field in the tournament, including 47.8 percent from 3-point range, before shooting 43.1 percent Thursday. ... The Wolverines are 12-2 all-time in the Sweet 16. ... Oregon made back-to-back appearances in the Sweet 16 for the first time. The Ducks reached the Sweet 16 six times, including three in the last five years. ... Oregon is in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year. Prior to this stretch, Oregon never reached the NCAA Tournament more than twice in a row. ... Oregon defeated Michigan for the first time in five meetings.

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