The last time Oregon advanced to the Final Four, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in the White House and Pearl Harbor was two years away.
That was 1939.
Now, 78 years later the Ducks are going back to the Final Four.
Tyler Dorsey went for 27 points and five rebounds, including a huge 3-pointer with less than two minutes remaining, and Jordan Bell added 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks as No. 3 Oregon stunned No. 1 Kansas, 74-60, to advance out of the Midwest Region to Glendale, Ariz. Bell was named MVP of the Regional.
Dillon Brooks added 17 points, five rebounds and four assists and Dylan Ennis had 12 points for Oregon.
“We’ve been the underdogs all three games,” Dorsey, who shot 6-of-10 from deep, said on TBS. “That’s the mentality we take. We sent all the Kansas fans home and I know they’re upset because it was a home game.”
Oregon (33-5) only has one Final Four banner in its gym, and now Dorsey and the Ducks want to add another.
“We never been there, but we’re not done,” he said. “We wanna put that banner up. There’s only one banner up.”
Everybody celebrate. We’re going to the Final 4. #GoDucks (via @MarchMadness) pic.twitter.com/Y56FKsmEzy
— GoDucks (@GoDucks) March 26, 2017
For Kansas, the loss was a stunning defeat for a team many projected not only to make the Final Four but to cut down the nets on April 3.
It also marked the end of the line for senior guard Frank Mason III (21 points), a contender for National Player of the Year, and for freshman Josh Jackson (10 points), a projected top-3 pick in the NBA Draft.
Kansas’ 60 points was the fewest it has scored all season.
Coach Bill Self, a nominee for the Naismith Hall of Fame this season who has won 13 straight Big 12 regular-season championships, dropped to 2-7 in Elite Eight games, the second-most losses all-time behind Adolph Rupp’s eight.
Bill Self is now 2-7 in Elite Eight games. Still should make the Hall of Fame this year. pic.twitter.com/hQmiE4NJ8N
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 26, 2017
