How Did Current Hawks Fare in March Madness?
By Dallin Duffy
Tyler Dorsey – Oregon
Rookie guard Tyler Dorsey has one of the most impressive March Madness resumes on the entire Hawks roster. His freshman season ended with the Ducks winning the Pac-12 tournament and being awarded a 1 seed in the West.
With the help of Dorsey and fellow current NBA players Dillon Brooks and Jordan Bell, they smoked Holy Cross in the first round then advanced to the Sweet Sixteen after beating current teammate DeAndre’ Bembry’s St. Joseph’s team.
Oregon moved on to the Elite Eight after they handily beat a powerhouse Duke team 82-68. They eventually lost to the Buddy Hield-led Oklahoma team. Dorsey didn’t make much noise in his games, never scoring more than 14 points in a game.
That would change in his second and final season as a Duck. Oregon dropped to a 3 seed, but they were arguably more talented. Dorsey bounced back early after his disappointing 2016 showing, scoring 24 in their first win and 27 in their second round matchup with a feisty Rhode Island team.
Oregon reached the Final Four by riding the scoring of Dorsey, who scored at least 20 points in each game and was his team’s leading scorer in each game of the Tournament. His collegiate career then ended in a one-point, heartbreaking loss to eventual champion North Carolina.
Dorsey ended the 2017 Tournament as the leading scorer and made the All-Region Team.