Last Pac-12 team standing, Oregon, takes on defending national champion Duke
Oregon forward Dillon Brooks (24) celebrates in the second half of a second round NCAA tournament game against Saint Joseph’s.
NCAA West Regional, Game 2
WHO: No. 4 Duke (25-10) vs. No. 1 Oregon (30-6)
WHAT: NCAA West Regional semifinal game, Thursday, 6:55 p.m.
WHERE: Honda Center, Anaheim.
TV: TBS; Radio: 710.
UPDATE: Oregon, the last team standing from a battered Pac-12 Conference, has double the tournament wins of the rest of the conference. It dispatched Holy Cross, 91-52, in the first round before defeating St. Joseph’s, 69-64.
Duke defeated North Carolina Wilmington, 93-85, and Yale, 71-64. Duke is the reigning national champion but has almost completely overhauled its lineup this season — only Matt Jones remains from last season’s starting five.
That’s part of the reason why Duke is a slight underdog — a rarity for the Blue Devils, who have won five national championships under Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Grayson Allen leads Duke in points and three-point shooting percentage (43.5%).
But the most talented Blue Devil player on the floor is Brandon Ingram, the freshman who some believe deserves to be the No. 1 overall pick should he enter the NBA draft. Ingram has scored more than 20 points in both tournament games and has sat all of one minute.
Neither team uses its depth; both played just two reserves last game. Oregon attacks opponents with a balanced, athletic lineup. Dillon Brooks is the team’s offensive leader, and he scored 25 points against St. Joseph’s. Tyler Dorsey, a freshman, has had an impressive postseason. He shoots 45% from the field. And forward Chris Boucher averages three blocks per game.
Oregon prefers to run, but don’t confuse that for a lack of defense. The Ducks actually score fewer points per game than Duke — 81.5 for Duke to Oregon’s 78.9 — but allow fewer points — Oregon: 68.5, Duke: 72.2.
DUKE
Starters
Pos - Player: Ht, Wt -- PPG
G - Grayson Allen: 6-5, 205 -- 21.8
G - Luke Kennard: 6-5, 180 -- 11.8
G - Matt Jones: 6-5, 200 -- 10.5
F - Brandon Ingram: 6-9, 190 -- 17.1
C - Marshall Plumlee: 7-0, 250 -- 8.4
Reserves
G - Derryck Thornton: 6-2, 175 -- 7.2
F - Chase Jeter: 6-10, 240 -- 1.9
OREGON
Starters
Pos - Player: Ht, Wt -- PPG
G -Casey Benson: 6-3, 185 -- 5.9
G - Tyler Dorsey: 6-4, 180 -- 13.7
F - Elgin Cook: 6-6, 205 -- 14.5
F - Dillon Brooks: 6-7, 225 -- 16.8
F - Chris Boucher: 6-10, 190 -- 12.1
Reserves
F - Dwayne Benjamin: 6-7, 210 -- 8.1
F - Jordan Bell: 6-9, 225 -- 6.9
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