Oregon defeats Iowa to Advance to Sweet 16
The Ducks came out fast on offense, getting multiple and-one layups from guard Will Richardson. Iowa wasn't any slouch, getting a barrage of points from all-American Luka Garza.
Garza was getting what he wanted inside, and the Ducks didn't get any help from officials with lots of ticky-tacky fouls. Oregon doubled Garza, using help from guards to harass the center.
Things started to get tricky when he stepped outside on the perimeter and knocked down a deep 3-pointer over Eugene Omoruyi.
Chris Duarte was doing it all the offense, converting slam dunks and launching a step-back three over Garza. Duarte and Richardson were leading the way, but Dana Altman was getting scoring from every starter.
LJ Figueroa got hot from beyond the arc, and a trio of threes helped Oregon go on multiple runs to build its lead over Iowa.
Heading into the half, four of five starters were already in double figures. The Ducks needed to be careful managing fouls with Will Richardson being the only starter without two fouls.
Oregon lead 56-46 at halftime.
A ten-point lead would get blown wide open in the second half.
Oregon was getting buckets from just about anyone who touched the ball as it dismantled the Hawkeyes. Will Richardson looked like his 2019 form and knocked down three 3-pointers en route to 19 points.
The defense slowed down Luka Garza, who finished with 36 points--22 of those came in the first half. Joe Wieskamp was the only other starter to score for Iowa. The Ducks were flowing and looked like a team that was completely on the same page.
The ball was humming around, the defense was rotating, and the team never looked back. Hot 3-point shooting elevated the offense, fueling multiple runs that created separation.
Strong defense and rebounding was crucial to the team running in transition, and the Hawkeyes didn't have enough weapons aside from Garza to stay in this one.
Oregon would win 95-80 and will face the winner of Kansas vs. USC in the Sweet. 16.
Final Stats
Chris Duarte: 23 pts (9-12 FG, 1-3 3pt FG), 7 ast, 3 reb, 2 stl
LJ Figueroa: 21 pts (8-14 FG, 5-9 3pt FG), 7 reb, 2 stl, 1 ast
Will Richardson: 19 pts (7-10 FG 3-4 3pt FG), 7 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl
Eugene Omoruyi: 17 pts (8-15 FG, 1-5 3pt FG), 6 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk
Eric Williams Jr.: 9 pts (3-9 FG, 1-3 3pt FG), 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk
Franck Kepnang: 4 pts, 2 blk, 1 reb, 1 ast
Chandler Lawson: 2 pts, 2 reb, 1 blk
