A&M (25-12) continued its effort to embarrass the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee with a combination of speed and defense. They were also stronger on the boards against a much taller Oregon (20-15) team, outrebounding the Ducks 38-34 and snatching 16 offensive rebounds in the process.

A&M took a 9-6 lead on a 3 by Jackson with 16:51 to go in the first half and never trailed after that. The fifth-year senior would score 13 of his 17 points in the first half, setting the tone for an Aggie offense would hit nearly 48% of its shots -- many at close range in spite of Oregon's significant height advantage.

The Aggies got hot from the floor in the later stages of the half, hitting seven straight shots from the field to extend their lead to 35-23. Oregon began to rely on their size late in the half to cut into the lead, but A&M still took a 37-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.

"We seemed to step slow that first half. We didn’t get any loose balls. They picked up every loose ball. They were quicker to the ball, quicker to the rebounds," Oregon coach Dana Altman said.

True freshman Manny Obaseki, who has picked up his play in the postseason, would key the offense in the second half as the Ducks tried to limit Jackson's touches. Obaskei scored 9 of his 11 points after halftime, including a 3-point play with 12:38 to go. That helped the Aggies cancel out an Oregon run and push their lead back to a comfortable 53-42 margin.

Obaskei said his role, and that of his teammates, is to play off of Jackson's abilities.

"You run (the offense) every time just to get Q a good look. You try to get him going because he is the engine to our team," he said.

Oregon continued to try to find looks near the basket, but with mixed results. 6-foot-11 center N'Faly Dante tied for a team lead in points with 13, but the Ducks were frequently frustrated by A&M's post defense. When the ball came out of the blocks, the Aggies used switches and double teams to limit the Ducks to just 25% shooting (6 of 24) from 3-point range.

With the Ducks struggling to score, the Aggies salted the game away with an offensive flurry. A 3-point play by Jackson, a short hook shot from forward Aaron Cash and another layup by Obaseki pushed the A&M lead out to 71-53 with 3:49 left.

"(The team's excitement) is through the roof but we can’t get too high, and we can’t get too low. We will celebrate it for a minute, but then we will lock back in because the work ain’t done," Jackson said.

The win not only moves the Aggies into the NIT quarterfinals, but was the 300th of coach Buzz Williams' career.

"He has done so much, and he has given so much to this game and it is great to see him rewarded," Jackson said.

Williams reflected on the milestone after the game, saying he never expected to reach such a feat as a head coach.

"I am humbled, I am excited, I am thankful. I did not think that it was going to turn into this," he said.