Oregon men's basketball beats Colorado in Pac-12 Championship; earns NCAA Tournament berth
LAS VEGAS — Oregon is going to the Big Dance.
The Ducks came to Las Vegas this week with one last chance to make the NCAA Tournament. That was all they needed.
Oregon completed its 3-0 run through the Pac-12 Tournament Saturday night with a 75-68 win against Colorado in the championship game to earn the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
In front of a crowd of 12,912 inside T-Mobile Arena, the fourth-seeded Ducks (23-11) won their first Pac-12 title since 2019 and sixth overall. They’ll learn their NCAA Tournament destination when the 68-team bracket is revealed at 3 p.m. Sunday on CBS.
“It feels special right now,” point guard Jackson Shelstad said. “We came here to get one thing done and we did it. I’m so proud of our team and how we played this weekend. We’re not done yet though. Now we gotta make something happen.”
N’Faly Dante dominates again
After three superb games, the Oregon center was named the most outstanding player of the tournament.
Saturday was his best performance yet.
Dante went 12-for-12 from the field for a career-high 25 points. He also had a game-high nine rebounds, three steals and one emphatic block of a 3-point attempt by Colorado’s KJ Simpson with 35 seconds to play and the Ducks leading 72-66.
“I thought N’Faly Dante was the difference in the game,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “… I thought he was a beast tonight.”
The fifth-year senior will get to play in his first NCAA Tournament game this week. In 2021, when the Ducks last played in the tournament, Dante, then a sophomore, was out with a knee injury.
“It’s something I want to do since I started at Oregon," Dante said. "I’m glad I can do something to help my team go.”
In the three Pac-12 Tournament games, Dante averaged 20.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and was a combined 25-for-30 from the field.
“Probably ought to get him the ball more,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “He puts such pressure on defenses and then he gives us a rim protector that people have to know where he's at. He's a difference maker. Like I said, his resiliency over the years, to go through the surgeries that he went through and just keep battling back, says a lot about his character.”
Dante didn’t do it alone
Guards Jermaine Couisnard and Shelstad, who were both named to the all-tournament team, also had standout week in Las Vegas, including in the game against the Buffaloes.
Shelstad scored 17 and had five rebounds. Couisnard had 14 points, three rebounds and eight assists.
In the three games, Couisnard averaged 14.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists. Shelstad averaged 16.7 points.
They were as important as anyone down the stretch Saturday night.
The Ducks led 33-30 at halftime then got into a back-and-forth battle with the Buffaloes in the second half that included seven lead changes and five ties.
Colorado’s last lead came at 4:51 when a 3-pointer by Luke O’Brien put the Buffaloes up 62-61.
It was all Ducks from there as they closed out the game on a 14-4 run to lead 75-66 before Colorado’s Cody Williams hit a shot as the final seconds ticked away.
The Ducks followed with a celebration near center court before cutting down the nets — a trophy Couisnard and Tracey wore around their necks during postgame interviews.
“For me, it was just something I always dreamed of,” Couisnard said. “Just winning. I feel like the guys who came together at the beginning of the year and we wrote this down on the board.”
Ducks came to Las Vegas as long shots
Oregon hadn’t won three straight since a six-game winning streak that was ended by the Buffaloes on Jan. 18. Since then, Oregon had won two straight just once.
Then as the bracket unfolded, the Ducks had to face three opponents who they were a combined 1-5 against during the regular season in No. 5 UCLA, No. 1 Arizona and No. 3 Colorado — which had defeated Oregon twice, including two weeks ago at Matthew Knight Arena.
In other words, Oregon seemed destined to head home early and get ready for a third-straight appearance in the National Invitation Tournament.
But they started with a 68-66 win against the Bruins in the quarterfinals on Thursday, shocked the Wildcats 67-59 in the semifinals on Friday, and then held their own against the Buffaloes until pulling away in the final minutes.
“Belief,” Couisnard said. “That’s the word. Belief. We knew what we had to do coming down here. And we knew we had to win three straight. Everybody had to just put everything aside and do whatever it takes for us to get the win.”
“Just trusting our coaches, too,” Jadrian Tracey said. “Knowing that they've been here before. They were preaching it to us and that made us believe some more. Like coach said, we've got some great leaders, and we just made it happen.”
What’s next for Oregon
The Selection Sunday show for the NCAA Tournament begins at 3 p.m. on CBS when the full 68-team bracket will be unveiled.
Live coverage of Oregon men's basketball vs. Colorado
With tipoff roughly 20 minutes away, both team's starters were revealed. For Oregon, Jackson Shelstad (13 PPG), Jermaine Couisnard (15.5 PPG), Kwame Evans Jr. (7.6 PPG), Jadrian Tracey (7.7 PPG), and N'Faly Dante (15.7 PPG) are slated to start. For Colorado: Luke O'Brien (6.4 PPG), J'Vonne Hadley (12 PPG), KJ Simpson (19.5 PPG), Tristan da Silva (16 PPG), and Eddie Lampkin (10.3 PPG).
Ducks take an early lead
At the first media timeout, the Ducks lead the Buffaloes 7-5 with 15:34 left to go in the first half. Couisnard scored Oregon's first four points and Shelstad just added a 3-pointer. Colorado already has three turnovers through just over four minutes.
Buffaloes strike back
A 7-0 run by Colorado has given it a 14-11 lead with 11:32 left to go in the first half. The Ducks are shooting just 4 for 12 from the field and getting crushed on the glass, 9-4. Colorado's Simpson has five early points.
Pace picks up as teams find rhythm
With four minutes left to play in the first half, Oregon trails Colorado 26-19.
Every Buffalo starter has scored, led by Simpson's seven, while Oregon has been paced by Dante's six points. The Ducks are shooting less than 30% from the field, but have forced six Buffalo turnovers to stay in the game.
HALF: Oregon 33, Colorado 30
The Ducks ended the first half on a 14-4 run, taking advantage of turnovers and catching fire offensively to take a lead at the halftime break. Both Dante and Shelstad have nine points to lead both teams, and Couisnard has eight points.
Colorado is led by da Silva and Simpson's seven a piece.
Oregon maintains lead in early goings of second half
Led by more scoring from Dante, Shelstad, and Couisnard, the Ducks lead the Buffs 44-39 with 15:56 to go in the game. All three Ducks are in double figures.
Ducks and Buffs go back and forth
Like two prize fighters, the Ducks and Buffaloes are going blow-for-blow. Oregon leads Colorado 56-55 with 7:41 to play in the game, led by Dante's 19 points and five boards.
Colorado leads with under four to play
The Buffaloes take a 62-61 lead with 3:59 to play behind a O'Brien 3-pointer. Oregon has shot just 2 for 17 from 3-point land.
Ducks back in front
Behind a quick 5-0 run, Oregon has retaken the lead with 2:41 left to play after a Tracey reverse layup. The Ducks lead 66-62. Dante has 21 points on a perfect 10 for 10 shooting with six rebounds.
Ducks lead by seven points with under a minute to play
Dante has continued his hot streak after altering a Colorado shot attempt and forcing a miss, before tipping in a miss to give Oregon a seven-point lead late, 71-64. He has 25 points.
FINAL: Oregon 75, Colorado 68
The Ducks clinch a Pac-12 Tournament championship, and their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2021, with a 75-68 win over Colorado in the Pac-12 Championship. N'Faly Dante had the game of his life, scoring a game-high 25 points to go along with nine rebounds and the game-sealing block on a 3-point attempt with under a minute to play.
Jackson Shelstad scored 17 points and Jermaine Couisnard had 14 points and eight assists, as well, for the Ducks. Colorado was led by KJ Simpson's 23 points and seven boards.
The Ducks now will await when and where they'll play in the Big Dance tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.
Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter@chansen_RG or email atchansen@registerguard.com.