Live blog: Oregon ends Michigan's magical ride
The Ducks had possession and a one-point lead when D.J. Wilson threw up a badly missed 3-point attempt. After Dillon Brooks missed a layup attempt, Jordan Bell corralled the rebound. Tyler Ennis missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Michigan had one more chance to win the game, but Derrick Walton Jr.'s pull-up 3-point attempt came up short and the clock hit all zeros as the ball fell to the floor and Oregon escaped with a 69-68 win.
Walton finished with 20 points and eight assists, and Zak Irvin put in 19.
Tyler Dorsey, who put the Ducks ahead with a minute remaining, finished with 20, while Bell had 16.
It's a tough loss for a Michigan team that had been riding a wave a momentum coming into this game and just didn't put together a solid enough offensive performance to pull off the victory. They went 11-for-31 from 3-point range and shot just 35 percent from the field.
Michigan takes the lead in game's final minutes
Michigan and Oregon are going back and forth right now, making big buckets after big buckets, as Zak Irvin has started to carry the load for the Wolverines.
Down the stretch, Michigan has made six consecutive field goal attempts, the last coming on a Derrick Walton Jr. pull-up jumper.
With 1:54 remaining, the Wolverines lead 68-65.
Wolverines strikes back
D.J. Wilson and Derrick Walton Jr. both stepped up and made huge shots from beyond the arc to help Michigan seize the lead, 61-60, with 4:15 remaining.
Walton Jr. has a game-high 18 points and seven assists.
Irvin atones for mistake
One play after clanking the ball off the side of the backboard, Zak Irvin got underneath the bucket and collected a perfect dime from D.J. Wilson for an easy two points.
With 6:34 left to play, the Ducks lead 56-53.
The Wolverines absolutely have to get to the rim. They are throwing up terrible shots from beyond the arc way too regularly.
Oregon answers Michigan's run
Duncan Robinson hit a 3-pointer and Zak Irvin pulled up from mid-range as the Wolverines started a 7-0 lead to take the lead after the Ducks went up by six.
Casey Benson answered with a shot from long range as the shot clock wound down, and after another Robinson 3-point attempt rimmed out, Dylan Ennis got a 3-point play to push the Ducks lead back to five.
That's where things stand with 7:53 remaining: Oregon leads 56-51.
Michigan entering "The Danger Zone"
The Wolverines could be at a crucial point in this game as they are falling in love with their jump shot and it just isn't going down. Michigan is 2-for-8 from beyond the arc in the second half's first seven minutes and are having trouble getting into their offense since Oregon switched to a zone defense.
Dillon Brooks has hit twice from 3-point land in the second half and has scored eight points since the break as the Ducks are out to a 50-46 lead with 12:48 left on the clock.
Michigan, Oregon come out in a rhythm
It was obvious going into halftime that the Wolverines needed to start moving the ball more on offense. So when their first two shots from the floor out of the break were rushed 3-pointers, John Beilein couldn't have been happy.
D.J. Wilson was able to knock one down from beyond the arc on the next possession, but that came within the frame of the offense. In total, Michigan's first four attempts from the floor in the second half were 3-pointers, and they made just one.
Moritz Wagner finally got to the hole and cut a 4-point deficit to one with a bucket and a free throw, and that's something the Wolverines will have to do more of, as Oregon has come out in an offensive rhythm and leads 45-44 with 15:29 remaining in the game.
Michigan trails Oregon at halftime
Well, that wasn't pretty.
After a sloppy first half on the offensive end, Oregon leads Michigan 35-33.
Turnovers were a problem for Michigan in the first half. They committed seven despite solid overall play from point guard Derrick Walton Jr., who has a team-high 11 points and seven assists.
As a team, the Wolverines are shooting just 39 percent.
Oregon hasn't been much better at 41 percent. The Ducks haven't made Michigan pay from the charity stripe, going just 8-for-13 from the free throw line. Though the numbers don't show it, Michigan has to pick it up on defense. Oregon has missed A LOT of open looks.
Tyler Dorsey leads the Ducks with 12 points.
Ducks show off in transition
With 3:43 left to play before the half, Michigan and Oregon are tied 24-24.
Dylan Ennis and Jordan Bell had themselves a showtime moment in transition when Ennis hit Bell for a one-handed ally-oop to give the Ducks a 22-21 lead.
The Wolverines came into this game fearful of the Ducks in transition, and this was a great visual as to why. Michigan had been getting back in transition pretty well tonight, something they'll have to continue to do.
Michigan was able to grab back the lead by forcing a sloppy Oregon possession that led to a turnover and a 3-point play for Zak Irvin on the other end.
Shooting woes continue for Michigan, Oregon
Michigan is shooting just 31 percent from the field right now and really struggling to find a rhythm on offense. Derrick Walton Jr. has a game-high eight points, but the Wolverines offense has turned the ball over five times in the first half.
At the 7:02 mark of the first half, Michigan leads 18-16.
Oregon is shooting just 29 percent, including a missed dunk by Jordan Bell that led to an easy transition layup from Moritz Wagner on the other end.
Wolverines hitting from beyond the arc
The Ducks are doing Michigan a favor by missing a lot of good looks in the early going. The Wolverines are now 3-for-5 from beyond the arc after Derrick Walton Jr. was able to knock one down, but they'll need to pick up the effort on the defensive side of the ball because Oregon isn't going to miss these open looks all night long.
At the 11:57 mark of the first half, it's tied 11-11.
Wilson answers Ducks with a pair of 3s
Oregon scored the game's first five points but Michigan answered its 0-for-3 start from the field with a pair of 3-pointers from D.J. Wilson.
The Ducks are getting good looks at the basket, but the Wolverine defense have forced two early turnovers.
With 15:50 to play in the first half, the game is tied 6-6.
Wolverines step up to the big stage
In a spot no one could have imagined just two months ago, the Michigan basketball team will look to continue it's magical run tonight against Oregon in the Sweet 16.
After already unseating a 2 seed in Louisville, the Wolverines, a 7 seed, are actually a slight favorite against the third-seeded Ducks tonight, who are playing without senior center Chris Boucher, who is out for the season after tearing an ACL in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Though Oregon has survived dates with Iona and Rhode Island, they face their biggest test without one of their leaders when they take on the red-hot Wolverines tonight. in Kansas City.
Swingmen Dillon Brooks (16.4 pointer per game) and Tyler Dorsey (14.0) will have to carry the load tonight for Oregon, and it will be up to Michigan guards Derrick Walton Jr. and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman to make sure they dial it in on the defensive end against the pair.
Michigan has shown off its versatility over the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, hitting 16 from long range against Oklahoma State in the opening round, and then getting huge performances from big men Moritz Wagner and D.J. Wilson in their upset of the Cardinals.
If the Wolverines can put together a solid defensive effort against the tough duo in the Oregon backcourt, while staying hot on the offensive end, whether it be from long range or the post, they will move one win away from a berth in the Final Four.
MICHIGAN VS. OREGON
What: Michigan vs. Oregon in a semifinal of the Midwest Region
When: 7:09, Thursday
Where: Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo.
TV/radio: CBS/WWJ 950
Seedings/records: No. 7 Michigan 26-11, No. 3 Oregon 31-5
At stake: Spot in Midwest Region final against Kansas-Purdue winner
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