Oregon vs. Michigan: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2017

The Oregon Ducks officially put an end to one of the biggest storylines this March, halting the Michigan Wolverines' tournament run Thursday in Kansas City, Missouri, with a 69-68 win that punched their ticket to the Elite Eight. 

The win marks the Ducks' second straight trip to the Elite Eight, but they had to earn this one.

In a close game, it came down to the stars as Tyler Dorsey and Jordan Bell outdueled Derrick Walton Jr. down the stretch. 

Walton's three-point attempt to take the Cinderella run one step further clanged off the rim with just over a second to play. Bleacher Report posted video of the final shot:

But it was Bell's ability to hit the boards in putting up 16 points and 13 rebounds combined with Dorsey's 20 points on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc that made the difference. 

Bell's incredible defense also made a huge impact, as Campus Insiders' Seth Davis noted:

Oregon appeared to be the better team throughout, but if the Wolverines have proved anything this March, it's that they don't go away. Sam Vecenie of Sporting News commented on Michigan's ability to find a way to stay in games:

Although it was in a losing effort, Walton dominated in spurts. His combination of clutch shooting and great distributing led to another stat-sheet-stuffing night. He had 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds. 

CBS Sports provided a look at Walton's jumper with 4:15 to play that gave the Wolverines a one-point lead:

While Walton was Michigan's man throughout, Zak Irvin came alongside him in the second half to pace the team. After scoring just five points in the first frame, he caught fire with 14 points in the second. 

Early into the second it was clear that neither team would concede momentum for long. After a first half with plenty of lead changes and nearly identical play, the foes struggled to separate from one another. 

The Washington Post's Chuck Culpepper summed up the action early the second half:

For Michigan, the lack of separation came from poor performances from forwards D.J. Wilson and Moritz Wagner, per Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated:

Meanwhile, Oregon was missing easy looks as the offense was inconsistent throughout, as RTC Midwest noted:

Although Michigan (fourth in offensive efficiency, per KenPom.com) and Oregon (17th) were known for their offensive explosiveness coming in, this game had much more of a defensive-slugfest feel in the first half. 

The Wolverines ended the half shooting just 39.4 percent from the floor, while the Ducks were able to find easier looks, such as this dunk from Bell, as NCAA March Madness relayed:

Despite the sloppiness on offense, the stage was set for a competitive game with eight lead changes in the first half. The Wolverines got a special effort from Walton, who scored 11 points and had seven assists in the first 20 minutes, as Davis relayed:

ESPN's Dick Vitale noted the importance of Michigan's getting production from players whose names are not Walton in order to have success in the second half:

Although the Wolverines got a little more help in the second frame, Oregon turned out to have a bit more depth and staved off the upset down the stretch.  

Postgame Reaction

In the wake of a game as close as this one, it's easy to forget just how much these contests mean to the athletes involved. Michigan Basketball tweeted out a nice reminder:

Dorsey talked about how excited he was to be back in the Elite Eight, as March Madness TV relayed. Oregon will try to get to its first Final Four when it takes on the winner of Purdue-Kansas:

Oregon head coach Dana Altman didn't have much of a scouting report on either potential Final Four matchup, per Hamilton:

Walton left it all on the floor, and although he came up short on the last shot, he sounded at peace with the look that he got, per Brendan F. Quinn of MLive.com:

Even though it ended Thursday, this is a run that the Michigan program can be proud of.