ANAHEIM, Calif. — Using superior athleticism and depth, Oregon beat defending national champion Duke 82-68 in a Sweet 16 matchup Thursday.
Top-seeded Oregon will play second-seeded Oklahoma Saturday in the West Region final with a chance to play in the Final Four at stake.
Oregon coach Dana Altman said the victory carried specific significance.
"I mean, Duke is a household name, and Coach K, I have a great deal of respect,'' he said. "So, yeah, our guys knew the significance of playing Duke, defending national title, all the Final Fours, all the national championships that their program has been able to win.''
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, winner of five national titles, was humble in defeat.
"They were the better team,'' Krzyzewski. "That was pretty obvious tonight. They were an old, extremely well-coached team. Great athletes playing together and they knocked us back.''
Before the game, Krzyzewski didn't like being asked about Duke's 0-4 NCAA tournament record in the Pacific standard time zone. The Pacific standard zone must be feeling more like the Twlight Zone for Krzyzewski after his West coast tournament record dropped to 0-5.
Grayson Allen, Duke's leading scorer, had just four points on 1-for-6 scoring in the first half as No. 4 seed Duke fell behind 36-31.
In the second half, a block by Oregon's Jordan Bell triggered a fast break that ended with Chris Boucher's dunk that gave Oregon a 52-41 lead — the biggest of the game at that point — and prompted Krzyzewski to call a timeout.
It only delayed the inevitable as Oregon widened the lead to as many as 16 points.
"They were always in control of the game,'' Krzyzewski said.
Dillon Brooks led Oregon (31-6) with 22 points, and four other Ducks scored in double figures. They shot nearly 50% from the floor and were 10-for-23 on three-pointers (43.5%) while outrebounding Duke 42-32. Oregon's lone deficiency was at the free throw line, where the Ducks made only eight of 17 attempts.
"I thought they did a great job defensively,'' Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "I thought our activity was good.''
Brandon Ingram led Duke (25-11) with 24 points, and Allen finished with 15 points on 4-for-13 shooting.
It was likely Ingram's final game at Duke, with the freshman projected as a top 3 pick in the 2016 NBA draft.
"Well, I'm not really worried about that right now,'' Ingram said. "I'm worried about finishing school and just being with my guys. I love this team, and I'd do anything for this team.''
GALLERY: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SWEET 16
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