Oregon vs. Arizona score, highlights: Ducks blow 15-point lead in loss to Wildcats

The Oregon Ducks and Arizona Wildcats are no strangers to high-stakes games against each other, but it usually came in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament rather than the NCAA Tournament.

For the first time ever, Oregon and Arizona will meet in March Madness on Sunday night. The winner will advance to the Sweet 16 and face the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils. It would be the sixth time that an Altman-coached team would reach the second weekend of the tournament, while Arizona's Tommy Lloyd would be looking to make the Sweet 16 for the third time in his four years as the head coach of the Wildcats.

Both teams are coming off of blowout wins in the first round, and are likely feeling pretty good going into this matchup. The Ducks dismantled the Liberty Flames, 81-52, in the first round on Friday night, led by strong games from both Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad. In a game that was expected to see Oregon use their size to dominate in the paint, the Ducks came out and shot the lights out, hitting 48% from beyond the arc.

Similarly, Arizona looked flawless in its first-round game against the Akron Zips, winning 93-65. The last time the Ducks and Wildcats met was in the semifinal of last year's Pac-12 Championship. Arizona was a Top-10 team in the country and a shoo-in for March Madness, while Oregon's only road to the NCAA Tournament was as an automatic qualifier. The Wildcats had destroyed the Ducks twice already that season, but in the conference tournament, Oregon came out on top and booked their ticket to the tournament the next day with a win over Colorado.

Sunday's game will be the 61st meeting between these two teams, and that history should make for a great game.

Relive Oregon's crushing NCAA Tournament loss with our in-game updates below.

Final Stats - Oregon vs. Arizona

Oregon: 47% FG (32/68), 35% 3PT (7/20), 55% FT (12/22), 37 rebounds, 8 assists, 9 turnovers

• Jackson Shelstad: 25 points (9/14, 3/6 3FG) 2 assists
• TJ Bamba: 17 points (6/13) 3 rebounds, 3 assists
• Nate Bittle: 16 points (7/13) 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 turnovers

Arizona: 45% FG (30/66), 50% 3PT (10/20), 44 rebounds, 13 assists, 9 turnovers

• Jaden Bradley: 12 points (5/12) 4 rebounds, 4 assists
• Caleb Love: 29 points (10/18, 5/7 3FG) 9 rebounds, 4 assists
• KJ Lewis: 12 points (4/12) 6 rebounds
• Tobe Awaka: 12 points (6/8) 14 rebounds

Final Score — Arizona 87, Oregon 83

It will be Arizona vs. Duke in the Sweet 16.

Arizona holds on and advances to the Sweet 16 - Arizona 87, Oregon 83 (0:00, 2H)

Jackson Shelstad tried to miss his second free throw with 3 seconds on the clock, but Arizona got the rebound and iced the game.

Oregon cuts the lead to 1 with a Jackson Shelstad layup - Arizona 81, Oregon 80 (0:10.6, 2H)

Oregon turned over Arizona with a well-executed trap on the inbounds. They were unable to get a bucket from TJ Bamba's drive, though. On the other end, Arizona hit 1/2 FTs, and Jackson Shelstad got a layup with 10 seconds to go, making it 81-81.

A hook shot from Nate Bittle makes it a game - Arizona 80, Oregon 78 (0:47, 2H)

After Arizona missed a pair of free throws, Oregon came down to the other end and Bittle got a hook shot over his left shoulder to fall, making it a one-score game.

More Arizona mistakes keep Oregon in the game - Arizona 80, Oregon 76 (1:21, 2H)

After the Ducks threw away an inbounds pass, the Wildcats completely botched an alley-oop attempt at the other end. Then a 3-pointer from Keeshawn Barthelemy cut the lead to 4.

Caleb Love is sending the Ducks home - Arizona 77, Oregon 70 (2:27, 2H)

Caleb Love and Jackson Shelstad battled back and forth for a couple of possessions, matching points, but a 3-pointer followed by a dagger dunk from Love put the Wildcats up three possessions with just over two minutes to play. It's going to take a huge effort from Oregon here to stay in this one.

Ducks with a chance to make it a one-possession game coming out of the timeout - Arizona 68, Oregon 64 (7:38, 2H)

Despite being 6-for-13 from the free throw line, Oregon is staying close in this game. Nate Bittle is starting to heat up a little bit. He has four points and two rebounds in the last few possessions. After the timeout, Kwame Evans will head to the line with a 1-and-1, looking to make it a two-point game.

Pair of mental errors from Arizona keep Ducks within striking distance - Arizona 63, Oregon 57 (11:03, 2H)

After an Oregon turnover, Arizona had a chance for a wide open dunk, but KJ Lewis missed it, and then hung on the rim while trying to get the rebound, leading to a technical foul and a free throw for the Ducks. A couple of possessions later, Arizona was called for goaltending on a shot that was nowhere near going into the basket, bailing out the Ducks yet again. At some point, Oregon has to take advantage of these opportunities.

Oregon responds despite some atrocious free throw shooting - Arizona 56, Oregon 52 (14:10, 2H)

Despite going 2-for-8 from the free throw line, the Ducks are remaining within striking distance thanks to some solid play from Keeshawn Barthelemy, TJ Bamba, and Jackson Shelstad. Meanwhile, Nate Bittle continues to have one of the worst games of his season.

Arizona opens the half on a run, and Oregon is close to letting this one blow wide open - Arizona 54, Oregon 43 (16:43, 2H)

After some back-and-forth play to open the half, Arizona turned it up a notch and went on a quick 8-0 run that was fueled by a couple of Oregon turnovers. The Ducks are in danger of this game getting away from them.

First Half Stats

Oregon: 43% FG (16/37), 42% 3PT (5/12), 19 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 turnovers

• Jackson Shelstad: 12 points (5/8, 2/3 3FG) 1 assists
• TJ Bamba: 8 points (3/7) 2 rebounds
• Nate Bittle: 5 points (2/6) 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers

Arizona: 46% FG (16/35), 57% 3PT (4/7), 23 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 turnovers

• Jaden Bradley: 11 points (5/8) 3 rebounds, 2 assists
• Caleb Love: 9 points (4/11) 3 rebounds, 2 assists
• KJ Lewis: 7 points (2/5) 5 rebounds

After leading by 15, Oregon goes into the half trailing - Arizona 42, Oregon 38 (Half)

The Ducks were on fire early in this game, but turnovers and poor rebounding ended up doing them in over the final 12 minutes of the half, with the Wildcats taking all of the momentum into the break.

Nate Bittle's struggles are really hurting the Ducks - Arizona 41, Oregon 35 (1:37, 1H)

Dana Altman just pulled Bittle from the game after his early struggles. Bittle is just 2-for-6 from the field with 5 rebounds and 3 turnovers. Meanwhile, Arizona has hit five of its last seven shots.

Arizona dominates the glass, briefly takes the lead - Oregon 32, Arizona 31 (4:17, 1H)

The Wildcats briefly took a 32-31 lead in the game after trailing by 15 in the first half. They are dominating the offensive glass, 8-4, with six second-chance points.

Arizona goes on a run - Oregon 26, Arizona 20 (9:35, 1H)

With Jackson Shelstad on the bench, the Wildcats went on a 6-0 run and forced Dana Altman to call a quick timeout. The Ducks are getting beat on the glass, 12-9 early in the game.

Jackson Shelstad stays hot, Arizona gets in foul trouble - Oregon 26, Arizona 14 (11:35, 1H)

A development for Arizona, forward Henri Veesar picked up his second foul with over 12 minutes in the first half and had to leave the game. Meanwhile, Shelstad is 4-for-6 from the floor, and 2-for-3 from deep.

The Ducks are looking dominant - Oregon 17, Arizona 4 (15:11, 1H)

Oregon's dominant play has carried over from the first round against Liberty into Sunday night. The Ducks got off to a blazing hot start against Arizona, knocking down shots and wreaking havoc on the defensive end with steals. Jackson Shelstad and Brandon Angel have 5 points each, while Nate Bittle has three, and Kwame Evans heads to the line with a chance to finish off a three-point play.

Brandon Angel, Jackson Shelstad get the Ducks off to a hot start - Oregon 8, Arizona 2 (17:44 1H)

Brandon Angel hit his first two shots of the game, a wide-open dunk and a 3-pointer, and Jackson Shelstad drilled a 3-pointer to get the Ducks out to an early lead.

What channel is Oregon vs Arizona on today? Where to watch, stream live

• TV channel: TBS
• Stream: NCAA March Madness Live app | Sling TV

Oregon will tip off vs. Arizona on TBS. Streaming options include the NCAA March Madness Live app and Sling TV. Announcers for the game are Lisa Byington, Robbie Hummel, Jalen Rose, and Andy Katz.

Oregon vs. Arizona start time, TV Channel, and Location

TV Channel: TBS

Start time: 9:40 p.m. ET, 6:40 p.m. PT

Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle (WA)

Oregon vs Arizona preview

Oregon: The Ducks are going to need to rely on their shooting and defense in this one, with big games needed from Jackson Shelstad, Nate Bittle, and TJ Bamba, in particular. While Oregon dominated Liberty with its size, they won't have the same luxury against an Arizona team that is equally as big and skilled. If the Ducks can make their shots, they've got a chance at moving on to the Sweet 16. However, this season has featured many cold streaks for Oregon, so it's a real question as to which offensive team shows up.

Arizona: Led by Caleb Love and Jaden Bradley, the Wildcats are a team that can put up points in a hurry with elite guard play. They also have the ability to dump it inside to Henry Veesar and pound in the paint as well. As with many games in March, this one seemingly is going to come down to who can shoot better, and if Love, who is every experienced in the tournament, can get hot, then Arizona has a great chance to move on to the Sweet 16.

Oregon vs Arizona odds, betting line, spread

Odds according to BetMGM.

Moneyline: Arizona -175 // Oregon +145

Spread: Arizona -3.5 // Oregon +3.5

Over/under: 151.5

Keys to the Game

Oregon

• Control the tempo, especially on defense. Arizona likes to play with pace which helps them score a lot of points.
• Force Caleb Love to take bad shots.
• Force Arizona to take threes. As a team, they shoot over 20 per game but make less than a third.

Arizona

• Get Caleb Love hot early.
• Force Bittle into switches on pick-and-rolls to open up the paint. The Wildcats are one of the most efficient interior offenses in the country.
• Protect the defensive glass. Arizona has been bad at preventing offensive rebounds and second-chance points all year.

Oregon vs. Arizona Predictions, Game Picks

Arizona 77, Oregon 71: It's not easy to pick against Dana Altman and the Ducks in March, but when going up against an experienced tournament team like Arizona, who can score in bunches, it's the gut feeling that I have. When the Ducks play their best, they can compete with almost anyone in the nation, but we've seen then subvert expectations many times this year, with long stretches of games passing by without shots falling. I like Oregon's ability to keep this one close, thanks to their perimeter defense, but in the end, I think Caleb Love and the Wildcats prove to be too much to handle.

Oregon vs. Arizona Stats

Oregon

• PPG: 76.4
• PPG Allowed: 70.4
• FG Percentage: 45.9
• 3FG Percentage: 34.4

Arizona

• PPG: 82.1
• PPG Allowed: 72.2
• FG Percentage: 47.6
• 3FG Percentage: 32.9

Oregon vs Arizona championship odds

Odds according to BetMGM:

Oregon Ducks: +15000

Arizona Wildcats: +5000

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Arizona Wildcats basketball schedule 2023-24

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