Oregon routs Liberty in March Madness opener

SEATTLE (ASSOCIATED PRESS) — Jackson Shelstad scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half, and fifth-seeded Oregon routed No. 12 seed Liberty 81-52 on Friday night to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon (25-9) goes on to face Arizona in the East Region on Sunday. Arizona routed Akron 93-65 in an earlier game, setting up the second-round meeting between the two former Pac-12 schools.

Nate Bittle had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Oregon, which led by 32 points. The Ducks pulled their remaining starters with about 3:44 left.

Zach Cleveland had 10 points and was Liberty’s lone player in double figures. The Flames made just eight of 37 3-point attempts (22%).

With its distinct size advantage, the Ducks jumped out to a n18-2 lead after TJ Bamba’s fast-break layup. Shelstad had 15 points and the Ducks had a 44-20 lead at the break.

Oregon was an at-large selection after losing 74-64 to Michigan State in the quarterfinals of Oregon’s first Big Ten tournament after realignment.

Liberty (28-7) won the the Conference USA tournament and regular-season title in just its second year in the league. But Kaden Metheny, who averaged 20.3 points across the three games and was voted tournament MVP, had just nine points Friday.

Oregon coach Dana Altman has led his team to the NCAA Tournament nine times in 15 years, advancing out of the first round each time.. Oregon has made five Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights and the 2017 Final Four in that span.

The Flames were in the NCAAs for the third time in six tournaments under Ritchie McKay, which included pulling a 12-vs.-5 upset against Mississippi State in the 2019 first round.

Experience

The Ducks have four players with a combined eight games in the NCAA Tournament: Shelstad, Keeshawn Barthelemy, Kwame Evans Jr. and Jadrian Tracey.

Road Warriors

The Ducks traveled further for the Big Ten Tournament than they did for the NCAA Tournament. From Eugene to Seattle it’s about 230 miles, while the trip to Indianapolis was some 2,250 miles.