The Surprising Rise of Oregon Basketball in 1944-1945!

Jim Maloney History

Entering the 1944-1945 basketball season, the Webfoots—as the Ducks were then known—were expected to field an inexperienced team that would dwell in the cellar of the Pacific Coast Conference’s Northern Division. Late 1944 was a momentous time. Not only was World War II raging in Europe and Asia, but here in the United States we had a presidential election pending. Locally, …

Sophomores Lead Oregon to the Big Dance

Jim Maloney History

The Oregon men’s basketball team is currently in a dogfight for the PAC-12 title and, barring a total meltdown, will almost certainly reach the NCAA tournament in March.  How far into the tournament can this team go?  That same question was being asked in 1960. The 1958-1959 version of the Ducks basketball team had not fared well, finishing with a 9-16 record.  The …