SEATTLE — Oregon came out swinging, but Caleb Love and Arizona delivered the knockout.
After trailing by 15 early, No. 4 seed Arizona roared back behind Love’s game-high 29 points to defeat No. 5 seed Oregon 87-83 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
The Ducks (25-10) opened with a 19-4 blitz, ignited by hot shooting from Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle, but the Wildcats (24-12) responded with a blistering 38-19 run to close the first half and take a 42-38 lead into the break.
Love was the difference all night. The senior guard hit 10 of 18 from the field, including 5 of 7 from three-point range, and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He added nine rebounds and four assists, guiding Arizona to its fourth Sweet 16 appearance in the last six tournaments.
Oregon found success in the paint, outscoring Arizona 44-36 down low and shooting 47.1% from the floor. Shelstad led the Ducks with 25 points, while TJ Bamba added 17. Bittle finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds but struggled at times against Arizona’s physical forward Tobe Awaka, who had 14 boards of his own and dominated early and into the second half before picking up his fourth foul and spending a large portion of the second half on the bench.
Bittle was more effective when Awaka sat with four fouls midway through the second half, helping Oregon cut an eight-point deficit to just two with under three minutes left. But the Ducks couldn’t close the gap, missing key free throws and allowing Love to hit a dagger three-pointer with 2:01 remaining to stretch the lead to seven.
Oregon finished just 12 of 22 from the line, a stat that loomed large in the tight contest.
Arizona outrebounded Oregon 44-37 and shot 50% from beyond the arc (10 of 20), with freshman KJ Lewis and Anthony Dell'Orso chipping in 12 points apiece off the bench.
Despite the loss, Oregon’s late-season surge — including a Pac-12 Tournament title and opening round win over South Carolina — marked a strong finish to an up-and-down year.
Arizona advances to face No. 1 seed Duke in the Sweet 16.
In a season that saw the Ducks needing comebacks for a good part of the early season and struggle at times, the Ducks also beat Alabama and Texas A&M in non-conference play. There were flashes of brilliance, but too many moments of inconsistency that cost Oregon in big games. The loss to Arizona ends the season for the Ducks, but there was enough positive to feel that the future is still bright for Dana Altman and the Ducks.
