Caption:ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 24: Elgin Cook #23 of the Oregon Ducks goes up for a shot against Luke Kennard #5 of the Duke Blue Devils in the second half in the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at the Honda Center on March 24, 2016 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
The No. 1-seed Oregon Ducks (31-6) defeated the No.4-seed Duke Blue Devils (25-11) 82-68 in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday, and the recruiting class of 2016 was right there to celebrate alongside current Oregon players and fans.
The Ducks’s new commits include four-star talents Payton Pritchard (West Linn; Oregon), small forward Keith Smith (Rainier Beach; Washington) and M.J. Cage (Mater Dei; California).
“They are showing everyone what I already knew,” Smith said, commenting on why he chose the Ducks. “I was already excited to be a Duck, but this is just icing on the cake.”
Pritchard recently clinched his fourth straight Oregon 6A state championship. Not only was he pleased to see his future team win, he also admitted to being intrigued by the Elite Eight matchup against Oklahoma.
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Pritchard committed to the Oklahoma Sooners as a junior, but later chose (and signed with) Oregon.
“Great win, especially against Duke,” he said. “And next game should be a great one. (I’m) very happy and proud to be a Duck.”
The Ducks’ recruiting class is currently ranked 12th in the country by Rivals.
The Oregon State Beavers, meanwhile, made the NCAA tournament as the No. 7 seed in the West for the first time since 1990 after defeating Arizona State 66-75, but then lost their following two games to California and VCU.
Caption: ANAHEIM, CA – MARCH 24: Elgin Cook #23 of the Oregon Ducks goes up for a shot against Luke Kennard #5 of the Duke Blue Devils in the second half in the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament West Regional at the Honda Center on March 24, 2016 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
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