LOUISVILLE, Ky. — They all grieved differently.
Oregon assistant coach Tony Stubblefield wandered out of the locker room and around the hallway for awhile before re-entering. Kenny Wooten got choked up while answering a question from the media. Freshman Louis King used some expletives before laying on the ground, refusing to answer questions from the media until swayed otherwise.
Oregon’s improbable run in the NCAA Tournament had just come to end. The No. 12 Ducks took No. 1 Virginia to the wire, but the Cinderella-esque run didn’t make the loss any easier.
“We did all the right things, just got the wrong result, and that’s how it went,” Wooten said.
Oregon’s two flaws in an otherwise impressive game kept them from defeating No. 1 Virginia and advancing to the Elite Eight. Virginia pummeled the Ducks on the offensive glass in the first half, and when the game was close in the second half, Oregon’s offense faltered and the Ducks fell 53-49.
“We put ourselves in a position to win,” head coach Dana Altman said. “Some bad turnovers, late shot clock, we just didn’t have the possessions that we needed. Feel really bad that we didn’t get it done, but I am really proud of them for fighting their tails off the last month.”
Oregon knew Virginia would attack the glass entering the game, but the Ducks fell behind on rebounds late in the first half. The Cavaliers grabbed four of their seven first-half offensive rebounds in the final ten minutes. Virginia capitalized with six second chance points in the first half to lead Oregon 30-22.
“That killed us at the beginning of the game,” Oregon center Francis Okoro said. “I still feel like those rebounds really hurt us.”
Oregon climbed back into the game in the second half. The Ducks’ defense was on par with Virginia’s. The Cavaliers boasted the No. 2 offensive efficiency rating in the country, but the Ducks held them to 35.7 percent from the field in the game.
“I thought we were playing hard,” Altman said. “I thought we had them out of rhythm. … I thought we were in pretty good shape.”
And the Ducks were. Oregon cut the lead to one with 14 minutes, 47 seconds left with a Paul White corner 3-pointer. Afterwards he turned to the Oregon section and roared. The once 15-12 Ducks were close with one of the top teams in the country.
Virginia answered and went up by five, but Oregon made another run. Freshman forward Louis King hit two 3-pointers to put Oregon up 42-40 with 8:32 left.
Virginia clamped down on defense. The nation’s No. 2 defense brought it when the Cavaliers needed it, and Oregon’s offense was full of bad possessions.
The Ducks had four turnovers over the next five minutes. The Ducks were stripped twice while driving to the basket and Virginia forced a shot-clock violation. Oregon also went ice cold. The Ducks couldn’t get anything to fall, and they were also taking rushed shots. Oregon went 0-for-7 from the field after retaking the lead.
“We just took a few possessions off, and when you’re playing a team of that skill, of that talent, you can’t take any possessions off,” guard Will Richardson said. “They made us pay for them, and it cost us down the stretch.”
After an impressive run from mediocrity to Pac-12 Tournament champions and Sweet 16 participants, Oregon’s season ending with a loss to a No. 1 seed doesn’t look so bad.
“I’m happy I went to war with my brothers,” King said.
