Caleb Love leads Arizona past Oregon 87-83 to set up a showdown with Duke in March Madness
SEATTLE (AP) — Caleb Love had 29 points and nine rebounds, and fourth-seeded Arizona advanced to the Sweet 16, surviving a ragged finish to beat former Pac-12 rival Oregon 87-83 on Sunday night in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats (24-12) will face top-seeded Duke in the East Region semifinals in Newark, New Jersey. Three years ago, Love starred for North Carolina in a Final Four victory over the Blue Devils that sent Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski into retirement.
Tobe Awaka added 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Wildcats, who had never faced the Ducks in the tournament. Arizona also made the Sweet 16 last year, losing to Clemson.
Jackson Shelstad led fifth-seeded Oregon (25-10) with 25 points and TJ Bamba had 17.
Love's emphatic dunk with 2:37 left put Arizona in front 77-70. Oregon narrowed the gap on Keeshawn Barthelemy's 3-pointer before Nate Bittle's hook shot got the Ducks within 80-78 with 49.2 seconds left.
After an Arizona turnover, TJ Bamba missed a jumper for the Ducks. Jaden Bradley missed his second free throw on the other end, and Shelstad's driving layup got the Ducks within 81-80 with 10 seconds left.
Anthony Dell'Orso and Shelstad traded free throws, keeping the Ducks within a point. Dell'Orso hit another pair, but Shelstad missed one of his in the waning seconds and the Wildcats held on.
Oregon jumped out to a 19-4 lead just over five minutes in. The Wildcats went on a 13-2 run to close the gap to 26-23 midway through the first half.
The Wildcats took a 32-31 lead on Jaden Bradley's layup with 4:45 left in the half and went into the break up 42-38.
After Dell'Orso hit a 3-pointer that made it 54-43, he turned to the Wildcats' fans and yanked at the 'Arizona' on the front of his jersey in celebration.
Shelstad's 3-pointer pulled Oregon within 56-52, but Love answered for the Wildcats with a 3 of his own and it was tight the rest of the way.
The Ducks have advanced to the second round in each of their nine March Madness appearances in 15 years under coach Dana Altman, but they haven't reached the Sweet 16 since 2021.
Pac-12 demise
Just three former Pac-12 teams made this year's tournament field, and Oregon is the only one left. UCLA lost to Tennessee in the second round.
The Pac-12 collapsed in the summer of 2023, when Oregon and Washington bolted for the Big Ten, joining USC and UCLA, and Arizona went to the Big 12 with Colorado, Arizona State and Utah.
The remaining Pac-12 members, Washington State and Oregon State, are rebuilding the conference, which is set to launch in the 2026-27 season. The retooled Pac-12 will include Gonzaga and Colorado State, which both made the field this year.
The last time
Arizona won the national title in 1997 under Lute Olson, defeating defending champion Kentucky with a roster that included Mike Bibby and Jason Terry. The Wildcats were runners-up to Duke in 2001.
Oregon won the championship once, back in 1939. That team was known as the Tall Firs — a nod to the Oregon landscape and the fact that the players loomed taller than most of their opponents.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press
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