Oregon dominated defending national champion Duke Thursday night in Anaheim with a high-flying display of dandy dishes and high-flying dunks, earning an Elite Eight berth opposite Oklahoma in the West Regional Final.
The Ducks led 36-31 at the half but quickly grabbed the Blue Devils by the horns when play resumed. Casey Benson nailed a couple of clutch threes, Chris Boucher hammered home a dunk off a pass from Dillon Brooks and the rout was on.
Oregon was too quick, too versatile and too athletic for this version of the Dukies. The win gave the Ducks a marquee win over an historically great program, but no one in the UO lockerroom was satisfied. They want to make the Final Four.
Dillon Brooks led the offense with 22 points on 9-19 shooting, including 4-9 from 3-point range. Jordan Bell ignited the defense with three big blocks to go along with 13 points and 7 rebounds. Benson chipped in 11 points and 8 assists.
It was a complete victory and a convincing one. Oregon trailed just once in the game at 26-25 and answered every Blue Devil challenge. They owned the boards 42-32, took care of the basketball with just 8 turnovers. They were crisp and resilient offensively, handing 22 assists on their 32 made baskets.
Elgin Cook continued his strong postseason play with 16 points and 9 rebounds.
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