In ESPN’s most recent Bracketology update, the Oregon Ducks are feeling the repercussions of Saturday’s loss to Arizona. Before Tuesday’s update, Joe Lunardi, the author of ESPN Bracketology, had the Ducks ranked as an 11-seed, but they’ve now fallen out of the field of 68, to the wrong side of the bubble.
Now, Oregon is ranked in the “next four out” category, and they would be 5th best team to not make March Madness if the season were to end today. In the Pac-12 standings, Oregon has the same record as Arizona but is in second place since the Wildcats have the head-to-head victory over the Ducks.
After the loss on Saturday, Ducks coach Dana Altman highlighted the need to “bounce back,” after the tough loss. He also pointed out that basketball seasons are full of highs and lows, but that Oregon is at a very low point right now.
Ahead of them, the Ducks have a road trip to Los Angeles with games against USC and UCLA. Oregon has lost three of their last four games, so coming back to Eugene with two road wins would be very impactful for their tournament resume.
With 11 games to go in the regular season, the Ducks are at a defining moment in their season. If they want to avoid making the NIT for the third year in a row, they’ll either need to win a large portion of their remaining games or run the table in the Pac-12 tournament to automatically qualify for the NCAA tournament.
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