Payton Pritchard, No. 10 Oregon hand No. 5 Michigan third loss in four games
For a college basketball season without a clear dominant team, there’s certainly no shortage of must-see players.
Near the top of that list is Oregon guard Payton Pritchard, who’s establishing himself among the game’s most clutch scorers — and who No. 5 Michigan was unable to tame in a marquee non-conference matchup on Saturday.
A nail-biting affair ended with the Wolverines falling for the third time in four games, 71-70 to the No. 10 Ducks, in large part due to Pritchard and his 23 points (11-for-19 from the field), four assists, three rebounds and three steals.
What seemed like a commanding 31-23 Ducks lead at halftime quickly evaporated after the break. A discombobulated Michigan team woke up and stormed right back into contention, putting pressure on Oregon in its first true road game after it had been able to hold the Wolverines to 24 percent shooting in the first half.
Michigan guard Franz Wagner dropped 21 points while David DeJulius added 14 points off the bench to assist the comeback and tie things up at 48 with 8:40 to play in the second half.
A back-and-forth end to regulation found things knotted at 63 after a would-be buzzer -eater from Anthony Mathis (19 points) was waived off.
This Oregon - Michigan game has been fun as hell.
Oregon hit a game winner only to have it taken off the board after review. Game is in OT now.pic.twitter.com/jIEuzmDw5l— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 14, 2019
That just allowed more time for Pritchard to continue his brilliant play. The senior scored 13 straight points for the Ducks before Francis Okoro’s running layup put Oregon ahead for good at 69-68 with just under three minutes left in overtime.
A lengthy review with 10.8 seconds remaining gave Michigan a final chance for a game-winner, but despite the Wolverines getting a clean look for a final shot, Zavier Simpson’s jumper wouldn’t fall and attempts at a put-back came up empty.
Following triumphant victories over then-No. 6 North Carolina and No. 8 Gonzaga in the Battle 4 Atlantis, Michigan has regressed a bit too much to just brush off. Losses to No. 1 Louisville and unranked Illinois on the road might not cause too much concern, but Saturday afternoon’s home defeat against the Ducks will test first-year coach Juwan Howard — especially with just two games separating Michigan from a road trip to East Lansing and rival No. 16 Michigan State.
Considering Oregon previously lost to the same Gonzaga and UNC teams that Michigan knocked off before picking up a victory in Ann Arbor, the Ducks’ win should only make it a bit harder for voters to figure out the rankings next week. Regardless, Oregon (8-2) now adds another impressive victory to its non-conference resume after already taking down Memphis and Seton Hall — both of which were ranked No. 13 at the time.
Up next for the Ducks is a home matchup with Montana (4-5) on Wednesday and a chance for another epic performance from Pritchard.
Rarely does he disappoint these days.
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Blake Schuster is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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