Chris Duarte scored 23 points and Oregon showed no signs of rust after a long layoff, beating No. 2 seed Iowa 95-80 on Monday to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the past five NCAA Tournaments.
The seventh-seed Ducks (21-6) were put in an unprecedented spot, advancing to the West Region's second round without playing a game. Virginia Commonwealth's multiple positive COVID-19 tests took care of that, leaving Oregon with a nine-day break since losing in the Pac-12 Tournament title game.
Oregon's offense hummed like it was fresh off the line once the ball went up, kicking off the NCAA Tournament's first Monday of second-round games with a masterpiece.
Oregon guard Chris Duarte (5) drives on Iowa forward Keegan Murray (15) during the second half of a men's college basketball game in the second round of the NCAA tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Monday, March 22, 2021.
Paul Sancya / AP
The Ducks flowed on the floor and glowed on the scoresheet, shooting 56% and hitting 11 3-pointers. LJ Figueroa hit five 3s while scoring 21 points and Will Richardson added 19 points in offensive domination.
Their sweet offensive movements left the Hawkeyes (22-9) flailing, one game short of the Sweet 16 for the fourth time under Fran McCaffrey.
Luka Garza played like a two-time All-American, bulling in for three-point plays, hitting mid-range jumpers and dropping in the occasional 3. He capped his stellar college career with 36 points and nine rebounds before receiving a nice ovation from the limited crowd allowed in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Joe Wieskamp added 17 points, but the rest of the Hawkeyes weren't of much help to the big fella, sending them out of the bracket early with other top seeds Illinois, Ohio State and Texas.
Oregon moves on to face either Kansas or Southern Cal in the Sweet 16.
The Ducks managed to navigate a difficult pandemic season full of pauses and injuries to win their second straight Pac-12 regular-season title.
Oregon earned a No. 7 seed in Indianapolis and faced what was expected to be a difficult opener against VCU and its Havoc defense. But the Ducks learned during their pregame meal that they would advance without playing a game, leaving them with a huge break before facing the No. 2 team in the region.
Oregon guard LJ Figueroa (12) passes around Iowa center Luka Garza (55) during the second half of a men's college basketball game in the second round of the NCAA tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Monday, March 22, 2021.
Paul Sancya / AP
Nerves? Rusty? Nope.
The Ducks went on the attack from Richardson's opening layup and used quick ball movement to set up open looks throughout the first half.
Oregon hit seven 3s, made 22 of 37 shots and used a 10-0 run to lead 56-46 at halftime.
The biggest problem was stopping Iowa's best player.
Garza had 12 points in the first seven minutes, even with Oregon shading a defender toward him in the post, and 20 by halftime. He shook off the smaller Ducks bouncing off him as he hit 8 of 10 shots and the lone 3 he attempted.
The Ducks kept soaring on offense and swarmed Garza with double teams in the second half, stretching the lead to 76-57 to all but put it out of reach.
Oregon forward Eric Williams Jr. (50) dunks against Iowa during the first half of a men's college basketball game in the second round of the NCAA tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Monday, March 22, 2021.
Paul Sancya / AP
Big picture
Oregon was considered one of the bracket's most dangerous middle seeds and sure showed why against Iowa. The Ducks will be tough to oust the rest of the tournament if they keep playing like this.
Iowa had one of the best players in college basketball but still found itself short of the Sweet 16. Garza will have his No. 55 retired after the season, but he will be missing a 16 on his resume.
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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and updated bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket