Hot-shooting Ducks dust Liberty, 81-52

In a way it was a rerun of the 2024 Liberty Bowl. Oregon jumped out to an 18-2 lead and dominated throughout with Jackson Shelstad, Keeshawn Barthelemy and Bradon Angel hitting early threes to set the rout in motion.

Shelstad scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half, while Nate Bittle took over in the second to keep the game out of reach as the Ducks beat the Flames in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, 81-52. They'll play four-seed Arizona Sunday at 6:40 p.m. PDT in the same building for the right to make the Sweet 16.

With the field reduced to 32 teams, the Big Ten is 8-0 in tournament play while the SEC is 8-6, the two power conferences comprising half the remaining teams. The winner of Oregon vs. Arizona will likely face East Regional favorite and one-seed Duke in Birmingham, Ala. Thursday.

Bittle turned in a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Ducks shot 54 percent from the field and 47.6 percent from three-point range while holding Liberty well below their season marks, the Flames turned down to 33% shooting, a frigid 21.6 percent from three. Zach Cleveland was their only player in double figures with 10.

With the game well out of reach in the second half Altman was able to rest starters and empty the bench. Eleven different players scored and 14 entered the game. Kwame Evans, Supreme Cook, Mookie Cook all chipped in six points each, while Jadarian Tracey, who announced this week he's returning next season, added seven. Ra'Heim Moss had four rebounds, an assist and made two free throws in his short stint.

Altman is now nine for nine in the first round of the tournament. On Sunday he'll try for his seventh Sweet 16.