Just a day after falling to Arizona in the Pac-12 championship, the Oregon men’s basketball team earned a No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region of the upcoming 2017 NCAA Tournament. It’s the fifth-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for the Ducks.
The Midwest Region #SelectionSunday pic.twitter.com/o1lYukeITh
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 12, 2017
The Ducks, who earned a No. 1 seed last year, will begin NCAA Tournament play Friday in Sacramento, California, against No. 14 seed Iona. If Oregon wins, the Ducks will play the winner of the Rhode Island vs. Creighton game. That means head coach Dana Altman could square off against Creighton, his former team. Kansas sits atop the Midwest region, followed by No. 2 Louisville.
There were high expectations for the Ducks heading into the Pac-12 Tournament, where Oregon finished second to Arizona, 83-80. The Ducks shared the Pac-12 regular season title with Arizona, and many thought a Pac-12 Tournament win against the Wildcats would seal a No. 1 seed for the Ducks. Arizona’s win garnered the Wildcats a spot as a No. 2 seed in the West.
The Ducks’ long-term NCAA Tournament hopes took a hit on Saturday afternoon when Oregon announced Chris Boucher tore his ACL. Losing Boucher hurts the Ducks where they were strongest: depth. Boucher has been the sixth man off the bench; now junior Kavell Bigby-Williams will have a chance to play more minutes for the Ducks.
Last year, the Ducks advanced to the Elite Eight after defeating Duke in the Sweet 16.
Here are the complete seedings:
From 1 to 68. #SelectionSunday pic.twitter.com/UJVnFAEYLb
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 12, 2017
Follow Kylee O’Connor on Twitter @kyleethemightee
