SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It may not have looked historic, but the Oregon men’s basketball team did something Thursday it hadn’t done in 42 years.
The second-seeded Ducks beat 15th-seed Montana, 81-62, at Arco Arena to mark the Oregon program’s first NCAA Tournament victory since a win against Utah on March 11, 1960.
Since that victory, the Ducks had lost four straight NCAA Tournament games, including first round exits in 1961, 1995 and 2000.
“It’s extremely gratifying because it’s another one of those firsts,” said Oregon head coach Ernie Kent, noting all of the records his team has set this year.
Oregon (24-8) moves on into a second round matchup Saturday against Wake Forest, which beat Pepperdine. The Ducks expect to play much better against the Demon Deacons after getting all of their nervousness and early-game jitters out against the Grizzlies.
“Sometimes that happens,” Oregon forward Luke Jackson said. “The important thing is we got the ‘W’ and now we can look forward to the next game.”
Jackson was one of four Ducks in double figures with a game-high 18 points. Luke Ridnour also chipped in 18, with Freddie Jones scoring 16 and Robert Johnson adding a career-high 15.