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Duck fans go bonkers after Oregon’s unbelievable Pac-12 Championship victory

The Ducks may have the greatest postseason story so far with their transformation into Bid Thieves after their upset over No. 6 Arizona. Oregon is once again the Pac-12 champion and this time, it’s forever.

By Sam Fariss

Oregon v Colorado
Oregon v Colorado / David Becker/GettyImages
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In the last Pac-12 basketball game, the Oregon Ducks and Colorado Buffaloes fought tooth and nail for the eternal title. Both teams entered the tournament unranked nationally and were vying for their ticket to the Big Dance with a conference tournament win.

At the end of 40 minutes, Oregon is heading home with the forever Pac-12 Tournament title and a bid at the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon starting slow and N’Faly Dante having to sit out with two early fouls allowed Colorado to build a lead over the first 20 minutes.

Head coach Dana Altman quickly abandoned the idea of leaving Dante on the bench and when the star Duck center returned to the court, the momentum shifted in Oregon’s direction.

The Ducks eked out a three-point advantage at the buzzer after a highly physical first half. As the Buffs and Ducks went their separate ways to the locker rooms, Oregon was ahead 33-30.

Throughout the entirety of the game, Altman was visibly upset with how the referees were calling the game. There were repeated fouls called on the Ducks when there was seemingly no contact and repeated no-calls when Oregon players were getting pummeled.

While I’m biased toward the Ducks, despite the bad reffing (a classic for a Pac-12 matchup), Oregon was led by Jermaine Couisnard, Jackson Shelstad, and Dante to an impressive second half.

Couisnard finished the game with 14 points, 2 steals, and 8 assists.

"I'm gonna do whatever I need to win tonight," Couisnard told reporters he said to his teammate before the game. "I got y'all, man."

Shelstad added to Couisnard’s total with his own 17 and 5 rebounds.

Not to mention, Dante finished the game at 100 percent from the field, contributing 25 points and 9 total rebounds for the Ducks.

Dante was named the Most Outstanding player at the end of the game.

"When Dante's healthy and we're getting him the ball, he's just unbelievable," Altman said. "It's been a pleasure to work with him."

In a game that just meant more, the Ducks walked away with a 75-68 victory over the Buffaloes.

This is Oregon’s sixth conference tournament title. Oregon won the very first Pac-12 Tournament as well as the first-ever NCAA Tournament championship.

Selection Sunday will start at 3 p.m. PT on March 17. The First Four round of the NCAA Tournament is set for March 19 and 20. Fans can catch all of the action on CBS Sports.

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