INDIANAPOLIS — For the first time in over a year, Oregon played in an arena with fans. In front of a sparsely packed Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the Ducks silenced groups of Iowa fans over and over on their way to a 95-80 steamrolling of the No. 2 seeded Hawkeyes on Monday.  

After their round of 64 game against VCU was canceled just hours before tip-off, the Ducks showed no sign of nerves in the early moments of Monday’s matchup. Oregon dictated the pace early and rode hot three-point shooting and stout perimeter defense to the win and a trip to the Sweet 16.

Just 14 seconds in the game, Oregon struck first as a Will Richardson and-one gave the Ducks a 3-0 lead. 

Then, Iowa’s Naismith Player of The Year candidate Luka Garza went to work on the block. As the Ducks frantically fronted Garza in the post, he used his significant height advantage, scoring early and often over Oregon’s 6-foot-6 front line. 
“We knew that we couldn’t stop [Garza],” head coach Dana Altman said. “He averages 24 a night, on a bad night he gets 18. Without a physical presence inside we knew we were going to have a hard time containing him.” 

Garza, who finished with a team-high 36 points and nine rebounds, scored 12 of the Hawkeyes first 15 points. He scored inside, finishing a handful of and-one’s, and out, hitting baseline jumpers and a triple. 

On the other end, the Ducks penetrated the paint with ease, finding easy baskets off of cuts and kicking it out to shooters on the wings. Just under nine minutes into the game, all five Ducks starters — four of whom finished the game with 17 or more points — had scored. The Ducks held a 19-15 lead. 

Nursing a slim lead with 11 minutes to go, Chris Duarte — the Pac-12 Player of the Year — scored 10-straight for the Ducks in a two-minute stretch. First cam an off-balance euro-step in transition, then a pull-up jumper on the right baseline. He added a leaning and-one jumper off glass and capped it off with a step-back three just moments later. The senior finished with a team-high 23 points and tied a career-high with seven assists. 
Each time Iowa took a lead, the crowd roared. And each time the crowd got to their feet, they were hastily silenced by Oregon three-pointers. 
The lead changed 10 times in the first 15 minutes.

Trailing 42-38 with four minutes left in the half, Oregon took the lead once more and this time, never looked back. The Ducks finished the half on a tear, outscoring Iowa 18-4 and 10-0 in the final two minutes. 
LJ Figueroa, who finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and five triples, hit a trio of threes over the stretch as the Ducks entered halftime with a 56-46 lead — despite a 22-point first half from Garza. 

“We knew we were quicker than them,” Duarte said. “We said we had to take advantage of that and we did.” 

In the second half, the Ducks continued their offensive track meet, adding to their season-high 56 first-half points. 

With point guard Will Richardson — who played every minute of the game for the third time in the last five contests — running a well-oiled machine offensively, the Ducks got anything they pleased, slicing through Iowa’s feeble defense with ease. Oregon used their speed and athleticism on the perimeter and earned easy buckets off high-flying dunks in transition.

“We felt like our advantage was on the perimeter,” Altman said. “Our advantage was driving the ball at them and making plays… I thought the ball movement again was the key to our offense.”

Oregon slowed Garza and took control of the paint, outscoring the Hawkeyes 46-38 down low. The Ducks flung the ball around the perimeter, finishing with 25 assists on 38 made baskets, shooting over 56% from the field and 44% from deep. 

After Iowa guard Joe Weiskamp brought the Hawkeyes within 10, the Ducks responded with back-to-back threes. Then Richardson, who had 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds on the game, corralled a rebound and tossed it ahead to Eugene Omoruyi for a tomahawk slam. Oregon’s bench erupted.  

Omoruyi was Oregon’s Swiss Army knife. The forward stuffed the stat sheet, scoring 17 to go along with six rebounds, five assists and a pair of blocks and steals.
With 12 minutes to go, Oregon held a commanding 18-point lead.

“We had a lot of fun out there,” Duarte said. “Every timeout we just tried to keep our focus because Iowa is a good offensive team. We just wanted to keep our foot on the gas, and we did.”

A fastbreak kick-ahead led to Oregon’s first bench points on the day as Chandler Lawson slammed it home. In response, a batch of Iowa fans begrudgingly left their seats and trickled towards the exit signs. 

Up 80-62 with nine minutes to go, Oregon was in full control. Iowa never pulled within 14. 

Freshman Franck Kepnang provided key minutes, blocking a pair of shots at the rim to go along with a dunk and tough finish over Garza. But perhaps his most valuable minutes were spent on the bench where the center stood, screaming encouragement for nearly the entirety of the game. 

“We just want to keep it going,” Altman said. “Lots of fun. I enjoyed working with these guys and I sure hope they’re having a good time.” 

Behind a season-high 95 points, the Ducks advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in the last five tournaments. They now await their next opponent, the winner of Kansas vs. USC, which tips off at 6:40 p.m. on CBS. 

Follow Shane on Twitter @shane_hoffmann as he continues coverage of Oregon throughout the NCAA Tournament.