Ducks Digest

Arizona Wildcats Beat Oregon Ducks, Advance to Sweet 16 to Face Duke Blue Devils

The Oregon Ducks lost to the Arizona Wildcats 87-83 on Sunday night, and Oregon coach Dana Altman and his team have been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. With the win, Arizona moves on to the Sweet 16, setting up a date with the Duke Blue Devils on Thursday.

Charlie Viehl

Mar 21, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman reacts with guard Jackson Shelstad (3) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena.
Mar 21, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman reacts with guard Jackson Shelstad (3) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena. / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
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The No. 5 seed Oregon Ducks men's basketball lost to the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats 87-83 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night. As a result, Arizona will face the Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16 in Newark, New Jersey.

The Ducks jumped out to an early lead, but Arizona stormed back to take the lead before halftime. The Ducks fought hard in the second half, but they were never able to overcome the deficit, cutting the Wildcats' lead down to two points with under a minute remaining.

Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad led the Ducks with 25 points, but Arizona's Caleb Love led all scorers with 29 points. The Ducks only made 12 of 22 free throw attempts, and they were out-rebounded 43-32 over the course of the game.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman reacts with guard Jackson Shelstad (3)
Mar 21, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman reacts with guard Jackson Shelstad (3) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena. / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

The Ducks season ends on Sunday night while Arizona will look to advance to the Elite Eight, but the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils stand in their way.

Second Half:

FINAL: Oregon 83, Arizona 87.

Oregon 83, Arizona 85: Shelstad intentionally misses the second free throw, but the Wildcats are able to get the rebound. Caleb Love makes both free throws with 2.2 seconds remaining.

Oregon 82, Arizona 85: Dell'Orso is fouled again and makes both free throws. Arizona fouls Shelstad again before he is able to get the shot off. 3.9 seconds are left in the game.

Oregon 82, Arizona 83: Shelstad is fouled with 5.7 seconds remaining. He makes both to cut the deficit to one point.

Oregon 80, Arizona 83: The Wildcats inbound the ball to Dell'Orso, and he is immediately fouled. He makes both free throws to extend the lead.

Oregon 80, Arizona 81: Oregon fouls again, and Jaden Bradley makes one of two free throws to give Arizona a three-point lead. Shelstad gets a quick layup on the other end with 10.6 seconds to go, and the Wildcats call timeout before inbounding the ball.

Oregon 78, Arizona 80: TJ Bamba misses the shot in the paint, and Arizona gets the rebound. Shelstad commits the foul with 25.9 seconds remaining.

Oregon 78, Arizona 80: Oregon forces a turnover. Ducks ball with 45.5 seconds remaining, but the play is under replay review.

Oregon 78, Arizona 80: With less than a minute remaining, Oregon comes up with a defensive stop followed by a hook shot by Bittle. Arizona calls timeout with 49.2 seconds left.

Oregon 76, Arizona 80: Bamba picks up his fourth foul, and Veesaar misses both free throws for Arizona, but Oregon is unable to corral the rebound. The ball was last touched by Bittle before going out of bounds.

Oregon 76, Arizona 80: Oregon turns it over after a replay review, but Arizona misses the layup. Barthelemy makes them pay and makes a three-pointer on the other end.

Oregon 73, Arizona 80: Caleb Love drills another three-pointer to extend Arizona's lead back to seven points.

Oregon 73, Arizona 77: TJ Bamba is fouled while finishing at the rim, and he makes his free throw.

Oregon 70, Arizona 77: Caleb Love blows by Bittle and dunks it in. The Ducks call their final timeout with 2:27 left in the game.

Oregon 70, Arizona 75: Caleb Love responds for Arizona with a three-pointer, extending the Wildcats' lead. Kwame Evans Jr. misses a three-pointer on the other end.

Oregon 70, Arizona 72: Bittle blocks Caleb Love's shot, and the Ducks score on the other end with a mid-range jump shot from Shelstad.

Oregon 68, Arizona 72: A foul on Carter Lewis sends Shelstad to the free throw line as the Ducks enter the bonus. Shelstad makes the first free throw but misses the second.

Oregon 67, Arizona 72: Kwame Evans Jr. misses the layup, and Bittle fouls Arizona's Caleb Love in transition. Love makes both free throws, and Bittle has three fouls in the game.

Oregon 67, Arizona 70: Bittle drives down the lane and banks it in off of the glass, and Bittle comes up with a defensive stop.

Oregon 65, Arizona 70: The Ducks force a turnover, but Barthelemy's shot is blocked. Arizona answers on the other end with an easy layup from Wildcats forward Carter Bryant.

Oregon 65, Arizona 68: Out of the break, Evans Jr. misses the first free throw but makes the second.

Oregon 64, Arizona 68: Kwame Evans Jr. is fouled again, this time by Dell'Orso. He will shout more free throws after the TV timeout. 7:38 remaining in the game.

Oregon 64, Arizona 68: Bittle backs down Veesaar in the post and scores another hook shot in the paint.

Oregon 62, Arizona 68: Oregon gets a defensive stop but TJ Bamba misses the three-pointer. The Ducks get the offensive rebound and Kwame Evans Jr. is fouled by Awaka, his fourth of the game. Evans Jr. makes one of two free throws.

Oregon 61, Arizona 68: KJ Lewis makes a three-pointer for Arizona, and Oregon responds with a basket in the paint by Bittle.

Oregon 59, Arizona 65: Arizona commits a turnover, and TJ Bamba is fouled as he drives down the lane. Bamba makes both free throws.

Oregon 57, Arizona 65: Another offensive rebound for Arizona after a missed three-pointer, and Carter Bryant is fouled by Jadrian Tracey. He makes both free throws to extend the Wildcats' lead.

Oregon 57, Arizona 63: Arizona is called for another goal tend, giving Oregon the basket. TV timeout with 11:03 left in the game.

Oregon 55, Arizona 63: Caleb Love has 17 points after making another floater over the Ducks defense.

Oregon 53, Arizona 61: Veesaar dunks it in for Arizona, followed by a layup from Oregon's Jadrian Tracey.

Oregon 53, Arizona 59: Keeshawn Barthelemy makes the free throw after the technical foul, and the Ducks have the ball.

Oregon 52, Arizona 59: Bittle has the ball stripped away from him in the post, but Arizona is unable to capitalize. Wildcats guard KJ Lewis gets called for a technical foul for rebounding the ball while hanging onto the rim.

Oregon 52, Arizona 59: Keeshawn Barthelemy gets caught in the corner and calls Oregon's third timeout of the game with 13:05 remaining. The Ducks have one timeout left.

Oregon 52, Arizona 59: Arizona's Caleb Love responds with a made three-pointer of his own.

Oregon 52, Arizona 56: Another defensive stop for the Ducks followed by a made three-pointer by Shelstad. Arizona calls timeout with 14:10 left in the second half.

Oregon 49, Arizona 56: Bittle misses the free throw, but the Ducks get a stop on the defensive end. Keeshawn Barthelemy drills the mid-range jump shot to cut the deficit to seven points.

Oregon 47, Arizona 56: Awaka scores again, followed by a made hook shot by Nate Bittle. Bittle was fouled by Awaka, his third personal of the game. Bittle will shoot one free throw after the TV timeout. 15:43 remaining.

Oregon 45, Arizona 54: Bamba scores in the paint but commits a foul on defense on Arizona's next possession.

Oregon 43, Arizona 54: After a turnover by the Ducks, Dell'Orso makes a three-pointer after an offensive rebound by Arizona. Dana Altman calls a timeout with 16:43 to go in the second half.

Oregon 43, Arizona 51: Brandon Angel misses a three-pointer, and Arizona's Anthony Dell'Orso spins past Bamba for the easy layup.

Oregon 43, Arizona 49: Shelstad scores his 14th point with a layup, followed by a three-pointer from Wildcats guard Caleb Love.

Oregon 41, Arizona 46: Awaka scores again to extend the lead, and Barthelemy misses the short jump shot on the other end.

Oregon 41, Arizona 44: TJ Bamba gets the steal and makes the layup on the other end.

Oregon 39, Arizona 44: Trey Townsend fouls Nate Bittle, and Bittle makes the first free throw but misses the second.

Oregon 38, Arizona 44: The Wildcats open the second half with an easy layup by Tobe Awaka.

First Half:

Oregon 38, Arizona 42: Jackson Shelstad has the ball stolen in the final seconds of the half. Arizona's Jaden Bradley makes a half-court shot at the buzzer, but he did not get it off before the buzzer. The Ducks enter halftime down four points.

Oregon 38, Arizona 42: Oregon forward Mookie Cook blocks the shot from Caleb Love. Arizona forces a jump ball, but the possession arrow is in the Ducks favor.

Oregon 38, Arizona 42: TIMEOUT Arizona with 33.5 seconds to go in the first half.

Oregon 38, Arizona 42: TJ Bamba drives in the lane and draws a foul on Arizona's Jaden Bradley. Bamba misses the first free throw but makes the second.

Oregon 37, Arizona 42: Brandon Angel commits his second foul, and Arizona's Henri Veesaar makes one of two free throws.

Oregon 37, Arizona 41: The Wildcats are called for a goaltending on a layup by Oregon guard Jadrian Tracey.

Oregon 35, Arizona 41: Wildcats guard KJ Lewis makes both free throws after a foul on Nate Bittle. With two fouls, Altman subs Bittle out of the game with 1:37 to go in the half.

Oregon 35, Arizona 39: Arizona's Jaden Bradley makes a 15-footer, and then lays it in on the fast break after blocking a shot by TJ Bamba.

Oregon 35, Arizona 35: The Ducks tie it up with a put back from Bittle

Oregon 33, Arizona 35: Oregon center Nate Bittle draws the offensive foul on Awaka, his second of the game. TV timeout with 3:43 remaining in the first half.

Oregon 33, Arizona 35: The Wildcats reclaim the lead with a three-pointer from Arizona guard Anthony Dell'orso.

Oregon 33, Arizona 32: TJ Bamba responds and makes the bucket from the paint.

Oregon 31, Arizona 32: After TJ Bamba misses a three-pointer, the Wildcats take their first lead of the game on layup by Jaden Bradley.

Oregon 31, Arizona 30: Arizona gets three offensive rebounds on one possession and eventually makes the put back.

Oregon 31, Arizona 28: Foul on Kwame Evans Jr., and Arizona's KJ lewis makes one of two free throws.

Oregon 31, Arizona 27: After a missed jumper from Jackson Shelstad, Tobe Awaka dunks it on the other end.

Oregon 31, Arizona 25: Arizona's Jaden Bradley responds and makes a mid-range shot.

Oregon 31, Arizona 23: Oregon guard TJ Bamba drills the three-pointer late in the shot clock and ends a 9-0 run for Arizona.

Oregon 28, Arizona 23: Arizona commits a foul with 7:46 remaining in the half. TV timeout.

Oregon 28, Arizona 23: Jackson Shelstad responds for the Ducks with a long two-point shot.

Oregon 26, Arizona 23: Arizona's defense forces another turnover, but Arizona misses the three-point shot.

Oregon 26, Arizona 23: Oregon commits two consecutive turnovers out of the break, and Arizona is able to capitalize with a three-pointer from Caleb Love.

Oregon 26, Arizona 20: Caleb Love scores another basket, leading Oregon coach Dana Altman to call his first timeout of the game with 9:36 remaining in the first half.

Oregon 26, Arizona 18: Tobe Awaka grabs the offensive rebound and makes the put back. Arizona is on an 8-2 run.

Oregon 26, Arizona 16: The Wildcats force a jump ball in the paint. Arizona gains possession as a result.

Oregon 26, Arizona 16: Arizona's Tobe Awaka fights through contact and banks in the shot to cut Oregon's lead to 10 points.

Oregon 26, Arizona 14: TV timeout with 11:35 remaining in the half. Arizona guard Caleb Love makes another mid-range jumper, and Oregon's Keeshawn Barthelemy responds with a layup.

Oregon 24, Arizona 12: Shelstad makes another three-point shot followed by a layup from Arizona's KJ Lewis.

Oregon 21, Arizona 10: Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka misses both free throws after a foul on Bittle.

Oregon 21, Arizona 10: Arizona's Carter Bryant makes a three-pointer followed by a turnover on Bittle.

Oregon 21, Arizona 7: After Arizona guard Jaden Bradley makes a three-pointer, Shelstad hits the floater on the other end to keep Oregon's lead at 14 points.

Oregon 19, Arizona 4: Evans Jr. backs down his defender for the lay-in.

Oregon 17, Arizona 4: Out of the timeout, Kwame Evans Jr. misses the free throw, but Jackson Shelstad steals a possession on the offensive boards.

Oregon 17, Arizona 4: After another turnover on Arizona, the Ducks score again in transition. Oregon forward Kwame Evans Jr. grabs the offensive rebound and was fouled as he made the put back. Evans Jr. will shoot one free throw after the TV timeout. 15:11 remaining in the first half.

Oregon 15, Arizona 4: Shelstad gets the steal and lays it in on the fast break.

Oregon 13, Arizona 4: After a few scoreless possessions from both teams, Oregon center Nate Bittle drains a three-pointer.

Oregon 10, Arizona 4: Oregon guard TJ Bamba drives through the lane and finishes strong with a dunk.

Oregon 8, Arizona 4: Foul on Brandon Angel. Arizona forward Trey Townsend makes both free throws.

Oregon 8, Arizona 2: Another three-pointer from the Ducks, made by Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad.

Oregon 5, Arizona 2: After a travel on Arizona, Angel drains a three-pointer on the other end, followed by a midrange jump shot from Wildcats guard Caleb Love.

Oregon 2, Arizona 0: The Ducks start the game with a dunk from Oregon forward Brandon Angel.

Pregame:

In the first round, Oregon Ducks coach Dana Altman led his team to another March victory over the Liberty Flames. The Ducks won by a convincing 29 points, led by guard Jackson Shelstad's 17 points. Oregon center Nate Bittle finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

After the win, Altman praised the energy that his team brought to the game.

"I thought the fellas came out with a lot of energy. The early threes kind of got us going, but I thought our defensive activity was really, really good. We moved the ball. We made some plays for each other there. Jackson (Shelstad) and (guard Keeshawn Barthelemy), Nate (Bittle) hit some threes," Altman said.

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With a large lead, Altman was able to give some of his starters some rest while allowing other Ducks a chance to see the floor in the NCAA Tournament. Will Oregon's first-round blowout help them at all against Arizona?

"When we had the game in hand there, I didn’t want to play anybody too many minutes. We got a game on Sunday, and the transition that Arizona exhibited today, you know, we’re going to have a lot of running," said Altman. "I mean, they were pushing the tempo. We’ve played them a number of times over the last 14 years, so we know the pressure they’re going to put on in transition. And so we’re a little fortunate there that we didn’t have to play guys 35 minutes."

The Wildcats' matchup with Akron in the first round resembled Oregon's win over Liberty. Arizona won by 28 points, and 15 Wildcats earned playing time. Guard Jaden Bradley led all scorers with 19 points in the first-round matchup. Arizona also saw valuable contributions from forward Trey Townsend and guard Caleb Love. Off of the bench, Wildcats forward Carter Bryant finished with 12 points and five rebounds.

Arizona Wildcats forward Carter Bryant (9) dribbles the ball against Akron Zips guard Shammah Scott (1)
Mar 21, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Carter Bryant (9) dribbles the ball against Akron Zips guard Shammah Scott (1) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena. / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Oregon and Arizona's meeting in the NCAA Tournament resembles the numerous battles between the Ducks and the Wildcats when both teams were part of the Pac-12. Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd spoke about the history between the two programs before Sunday night's matchup.

"It is a little weird playing them in the second round of the tournament because it's a team that you're used to being a conference rival, and usually you wouldn't see that until later in the NCAA Tournament," said Lloyd.

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Charlie Viehl
CHARLIE VIEHL

Charlie Viehl is a 23-year old Boston College graduate and is an Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans beat reporter for On SI. A native of Pasadena, California, he covered sports across Los Angeles while at Loyola High School and edited the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program’s magazine at BC. While pursuing a career in sports journalism, he is also a lifelong musician. He is excited to bring his passion for storytelling and sports to fans of college athletics.

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