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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Saturday / December 21.
  • By AMAN KIDWAI

    The Rhode Island Rams’ 2016-17 season came to an end in a tight battle against No. 3 Oregon in a 75-72 loss Sunday night in Sacramento, Calif.

    Though Dan Hurley’s scrappy squad led at halftime and for most of the second half, the Ducks closed in late and a three by sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey with 38 seconds left gave them the win.

    The game had all the trappings of another chapter in Rhode Island’s Cinderella story. URI was on the bubble late in the season, but seemed to be getting hot at the right time. Adding to the brewing magic, a backup guard scored 19 points as the Rams built a late lead for their upset bid.

    Unfortunately, Dorsey (27 points on 9-of-10 FG, 5 rebounds) and junior forward Dillon Brooks (19 points, 7 rebounds) were too much to handle down the stretch. Oregon advances to the Sweet 16 where it will face No. 7 Michigan. The Wolverines are coming off a 73-69 upset win over No. 2 Louisville on Sunday in Indianapolis.

    Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski took a moment to share a final thought with his team following their stunning 88-81 loss to South Carolina in the East Regional in Greenville, S.C.

    Following their ACC Tournament championship last week in Brooklyn, where they won four games in four days, Duke looked like a hot pick to cut down the nets next month in Glendale, Az.

    But that won’t happen now. The season is over for the Blue Devils, and their roster will likely look drastically different when the 2017-18 season tips off.

    “Before you were able to come in there, I told them I love these guys,” Coach K said. “I’m proud of them. I’m disappointed that we didn’t win tonight. But at the end of the season I want my guys to either be crying because we’ve lost or crying because we’ve just won.”

    It turns out Jim Boeheim isn’t going anywhere after all.

    Syracuse announced Sunday that the 72-year-old Boeheim and Syracuse have agreed on a new contract that will lengthen his head-coaching tenure beyond the 2017-18 season. The school did not announce how long the extension will go for.

    The school also announced the promotion of Adrian Autry to associate head coach.

    The extension of the Boeheim’s contract came about as head-coach-in-waiting Mike Hopkins was hired to lead the program at Washington.

    Syracuse said it “moved promptly to maintain stability in its program by negotiating the new deal with Boeheim, who had planned to step down following the conclusion of the next season.”

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