Oregon basketball vs. Liberty: Instant reactions to Ducks' March Madness blowout

[ASFN Admin]

As it turns out, this game was relatively over by the first media timeout.

Oregon began the game hot from the field and never cooled down as the Ducks defeated Liberty 81-52 in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Seattle. The Ducks will now face former Pac-12 foe Arizona on Sunday with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

Coming into the game, the Ducks had to be worried about Liberty's three-point shooting prowess as the Flames are one of the best teams in the country in this category. In all honesty, the Flames had to be good from the outside in order to keep up with the Ducks and on this night, they weren't.

Liberty averaged over 10 threes a game and shot nearly 40 percent for the season, but in Seattle, the Ducks' size and length clearly bothered the Flames' shooters. For the game, Liberty was just 8-for-37 from long range and a lot of those made threes came late when the game was well in hand.

The Ducks did almost what they wanted to do on offense, and it was a welcome sight to see Jackson Shelstad shoot productively. He led the team with 17 points. Nate Bittle added 14 points and 10 rebounds. A total of 11 Oregon players scored points.

Oregon vs Liberty Keys to the Game​

• Oregon opened the game on an 18-2 run thanks to some hot shooting from Jackson Shelstad's three triples and Nate Bittle doing work on the inside.
• Liberty came into the game in the Top 20 nationally in three-point shooting and threes made, but in the first half, the Ducks' stifling defense held the Flames to just 2-of-15 from long range before halftime and 8-of-37 for the game.
• Nine different Ducks played in the first half and nine Ducks scored as Oregon held a commanding 44-20 halftime advantage.
• While Oregon wasn't quite as dominating in the second half, the Ducks didn't need to be. All Oregon had to do was to play even and not let Liberty rally and have any hope of getting back into the game.
• The Ducks played one of their best defensive games of the season. Oregon was on point with switches and made it difficult for the Flames to have an open shot. When Liberty did get an open look, the Flames didn't hit it.
• Oregon held Liberty scoreless for nearly six minutes in the second half. The Ducks outrebounded the Flames 43-27.
• Due to the score, the Ducks were able to get some bench players some much-needed minutes and experience in the NCAA tournament. It also allowed them to limit the minutes to the regulars and rest them for a huge game against Arizona on Sunday.

Oregon vs Liberty Stats of the Game​

• Oregon was 31-of-57 from the field (54.4 percent), while Liberty was just 20-of-61 shooting (32.8 percent).
• Liberty needed to have a hit night shooting from the outside and they just missed the mark for much of the night. The Flames were 8-of-37 from three-point range. Oregon, however, was 10-of-21 from three-point land.
• Oregon outrebounded Liberty 43-27.
• Points in the Paint: Oregon 30, Liberty 22

Oregon vs Liberty Players of the Game​

Jackson Shelstad: 14 points

Nate Bittle: 14 points, 10 rebounds

Keeshawn Barthelemy: 10 points

Kwame Evans, Jr.: 6 points, 7 rebounds

Zach Cleveland (Lib): 10 points

What's Next for Oregon?​

The 5th-seeded Ducks will face the 4-seed Arizona Wildcats in the Second Round of the NCAA tournament in Seattle with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. Game time and television details will be announced on Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon basketball vs. Liberty: Instant reactions to Ducks' blowout

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