Never has there been a sport where a team’s future can change so quickly year after year after year. Just 12 months ago, the addition of Payton Pritchard seemed like a great get for Coach Dana Altman and his Oregon staff. After all, they had Dylan Ennis, Casey Benson, and Tyler Dorsey, who could all play the point. And even …
With at least five key players gone from this year’s team, the Ducks will reload with a bunch of highly touted freshmen and transfers and one ‘Glue Guy’ who may emerge as a star. Keith Smith, the guy who scored the final two points of Oregon’s 2017 season will likely have a huge impact on next year. Smith showed up …
While the Oregon men’s basketball team fell just short of the pinnacle of college basketball this year, there is still a lot to be said of what this destined group did. I seemed to be the only person I knew who had them winning it all in my bracket, and I thought for sure that they would shock the world (and I would …
Just as it did last year, the next few months will determine a lot about how far Oregon’s roster can take the Duck basketball team in 2017-18. Here’s a guide to what we know, rumors we’ve heard and what’s likely to happen. What We Know The departures of Chris Boucher and Dylan Ennis will open up two scholarships. Three more …
Processing what just happened in Arizona may take a little while, but Oregon’s coaches are undoubtedly ready to turn the page and get on with continuing to build the program. With a little luck like they had last year, the 2017-18 Ducks could have even more depth, experience and talent. It’s incredible but true. We’ll take the stance that everyone …
With so many physical disadvantages, Oregon’s chances to beat North Carolina come down to a few things. Do Oregon’s guards rebound? Does the team play its tempo? And do the players take it to the basket when they can, draw fouls or hit open shooters? Then, do they knock down those shots? Matchups and Mismatches Mean Everything The Tar Heels have …
A Ducks run at the NCAA men’s basketball national championship lies ahead. How the team performs and its final place in the tournament will be destined by its overall balance. Depth and balance have been the defining characteristics of the 2016-2017 team throughout the regular season and so far in the tournament. Balance is a key to how deep the …
Yes, Oregon is playing Michigan for a spot in the Elite 8. But for a couple moments let’s look at the trajectory of Oregon’s program under Dana Altman. Altman is on his way to being a Hall-of-Fame coach. One Final Four or one national title and he’s almost assured of it. At the pace he’s on, if he coaches another …
The 2016-2017 men’s basketball season has been a remarkable run. One for the ages and one to remember, indeed. But will the Ducks finish strong and as the best they can be, or will they hit the wall, unable to put the finishing touches on the season? Will they re-write more of the record books and finish as champions — of …
2016 has played out like an episode of The Twighlight Zone. The Chicago Cubs just won the World Series for the first time in more than 100 years, the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA finals for the first time ever, and now the country is calling Donald Trump its president-elect. The year for Duck fans has been even …
Tonight the most anticipated Oregon Ducks basketball season in recent memory will begin, and the 5th-ranked Oregon Ducks will charge onto the hardwood at Matthew Knight Arena. Their goal in simple terms will be to start the season 1-0, but by winning tonight the Ducks will also extend their home game win streak to 25. It has been more than 500 days since Oregon …
The 2014-15 Duck basketball team surprised everyone (me included) with its round of 32 tournament run this past season. The Ducks overcame substantial adversity after losing key starters and role players from the 2013-14 season in Jonathan Lloyd, Mike Moser, and Jason Calliste via graduation and sophomores Dominic Artis and Damyean Dotson via dismissal from the program. What Coach Altman …