Thursday, March 23, 2017

NCAA Midwest: Ducks Outlast Wolverines In Feisty Match; Jayhawks Demolish Boilermakers For Right To Face Oregon For Final Four Berth

Both games in the semifinal round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament's Midwest Region were contested on Thursday at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri as the overall round known as the "Sweet Sixteen" commenced.

In the opener, Tyler Dorsey scored 20 points, two of them on a go-ahead layup with 68 seconds remaining, as the third-seeded Oregon Ducks (32-5) outlasted the seventh-seeded Michigan Wolverines (26-12) 69-68, to reach the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year (they fell to Oklahoma last year).

Jordan Bell added sixteen points (as well as 13 rebounds) to the Ducks' coffers.

Derrick Walton, who scored 20 points to pace the Wolverines, had a chance to win the game for Michigan, but his long jumper was not converted.


In the nightcap, Frank Mason III and Devonte Graham each scored 26 points as the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks (31-4) blindsided the fourth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers (27-8) 98-66.

The Jayhawks and Oregon will battle each other on Saturday in Kansas City for a berth in the Final Four at Glendale, Arizona.

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