ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Oregon Ducks took a double-digit lead early in the second half against the defending national champions, and they never flinched down the stretch.

After taking down mighty Duke with remarkably little drama, these high-flying Ducks are on the brink of the Final Four.

Dillon Brooks scored 22 points and Oregon advanced with an 82-68 victory over the Blue Devils on Thursday night in the West Region semifinal of the NCAA Tournament.

Elgin Cook had 16 points and nine rebounds for the top-seeded Ducks (31-6), who will meet Oklahoma on Saturday. The second-seeded Sooners routed Texas A&M 77-63.

After a season-long rise in the Pacific Northwest, the Pac-12 champion Ducks emphatically arrived on the national stage with a strong second-half rally to beat the Blue Devils (25-11) for the first time in school history.

“I think we don’t have a history of being a basketball school, but I think we did some great things this year to prove we deserve it,” said Jordan Bell, who had 13 points and seven rebounds. “I think we played one of our best games this year. Everybody, not just including me. I think we showed everybody we’re a good team.”

The win is a landmark for a football school making its basketball mark. But it was also remarkable for what the Ducks didn’t allow in the second half.

No nerves, no panic — and no rallies by Duke.

The Ducks didn’t take the enormity of their accomplishment for granted, even though they can’t spend much time thinking about it right now.

“Duke is a household name,” coach Dana Altman said. “Coach K, I have a great deal of respect. So yeah, our guys knew the significance of playing Duke, defending national title, all the Final Fours, all the national championships that their program has been able to win. It was a different feel to it.”