Tyler Dorsey Has Been the Biggest Winner of the NCAA Tournament

The thing is, we shouldn’t be surprised this is happening

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Going into March Madness the casual basketball fan did not know the name Tyler Dorsey. In fact, Dorsey wasn’t even mentioned on a list of 50 players to watch going into the tournament. Four games later and the sophomore is averaging 24.5 points per game while leading his Oregon Ducks to their first Final Four in school history.

As an NBA writer I admit I haven’t seen much of the Oregon Ducks this year. I’ve watched Dorsey and the Ducks play prior to the tournament, just never too intently. But after opening weekend I was immediately drawn to the 21-year old. Specifically the second-round matchup against Rhode Island.

Dorsey went off for 27–5–3–3 in that game. He hit 9 of his 10 shots from the field and 4 of 5 from deep, including two threes in the final two minutes of the game. Oh and this one to win it for the Ducks.

It was the emotion he played the game with that sparked my interest though. In fact I left that game believing Dorsey was the elder statesmen playing in his final Big Dance. Dorsey wanted the ball in the clutch even though he’s teammates with a second-team All-American — that takes guts.

The sophomore has been there all tournament too. He hit the eventual game-winner against Michigan. His 27 points on 13 shots was a major reason why Kansas didn’t stand a chance in the Elite Eight.

The beauty with Dorsey’s game is he can beat you in a myriad of ways. In the Rhode Island game he scored driving both right and left, off a backdoor cut, coming off a screen, through contact and with a pull-up jumper.

Simply put, the kid is a gamer. The Duck guard had never scored 20 points in back-to-back games in his entire career, but that’s because a balanced Oregon attack didn’t require that of him. But as postseason play began and rotations started shrinking, he coincidentally upped his play.

Dorsey is currently on a seven-game streak of 20+ points dating back to the PAC-12 tournament. Statistically this hot streak doesn’t make sense, but I have 100% faith it is going to continue.

Photo tweeted by Emerald Sports

Dorsey has had a chip on his shoulder his life. The 38th-ranked recruit coming out of high school wasn’t on the radar of Team USA so he switched citizenship to compete internationally. He was considered by some the biggest snub from the 2015 McDonalds All-American game. Now at 6'4 with a 6'3 wingspan he is getting looked over by NBA scouts.

Heart is the single most important factor in a basketball player. It’s what makes Michael Jordan the GOAT. Tyler Dorsey has the skill, but it’s his energy and emotion that has set him apart from his peers this March Madness.

Dorsey isn’t going to leave college after this year; one tournament won’t change a unanimous undrafted player’s stock that much. But considering he is only a sophomore, Dorsey could use this spotlight to springboard into next season as he potentially takes over the reigns for Brooks.

Either way, at least Dorsey has ensured he’ll never be left off a “March Madness Top 50 Players to Watch” list ever again.