Ducks hopeful to have C Nate Bittle back for home stand vs. Washington schools

The Oregon Ducks are hopeful that center Nate Bittle will be able to return to action on Thursday against the Washington Huskies.

The Oregon Ducks have been dealing with injuries pretty much non-stop since the start of the 2023 season, and two of the biggest blows came last week when it was announced that both Keeshawn Barthelemy and Mookie Cook would likely be out for the remainder of the season.

On top of that, veteran center Nate Bittle was forced to miss the Ducks’ pivotal road swing against the Los Angeles schools over the weekend due to an illness. Oregon managed to beat the USC Trojans on Thursday, but lost in frustrating fashion to the UCLA Bruins on Saturday night, dealing a big blow to their NCAA Tournament hopes.

Fortunately, head coach Dana Altman seems hopeful that Bittle will be able to return this week for the Ducks’ home stand against the Washington schools after practicing earlier this week.

“We had tests run today; I’m not sure what the results were but he felt good enough to practice,” Altman said on Monday afternoon. “Went about half the time and seemed to be moving OK.”

Bittle is averaging 10 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this season, though he has only played in five games this year after missing nine weeks with a broken wrist that required surgery.

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