Oregon Ducks coach Dana Altman knows Saturday’s NCAA Tournament matchup will be bittersweet against his former Creighton Bluejays.
The 11-seed Oregon Ducks surprised some people on Thursday afternoon when they rode a 40-point game from guard Jermaine Couisnard to “upset” 6-seed South Carolina, 87-73 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Those who follow the Ducks closely know this wasn’t really an upset, though. For starters, Oregon was favored by 2.5 points to win the game, and on top of that, head coach Dana Altman entered the game with a 7-0 record in the first round of the March Madness tournament.
If you know Altman, you had a pretty good sense that the Ducks would win on Thursday. Of course, if you know Altman, then you also know how meaningful this upcoming round of 32 game will be for the long-time coach.
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Oregon will tip off against the 3-seed Creighton Bluejays on Saturday night at 6:40 p.m. PT. This matchup will pit the Oregon coach of 14 years up against his old team, where Altman spent 16 years coaching before he came to Eugene.
It’s not just an entertaining storyline that has been drummed up over the past week, but something that holds real meaning for Altman, the winningest coach in both Oregon and Creighton history.
“Oh, you know, you spend 16 years at a place…” Altman trailed off on Thursday after being asked about the matchup on Saturday. “I’ve got great feelings about Creighton. As I said yesterday, you can leave a place, but that doesn’t mean you still don’t love the place.”
Altman coached in Omaha from 1995-2010, where he took Creighton to a total of seven NCAA Tournaments, having won six Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles, and three conference championships. Currently, Altman is the winningest coach in Creighton men’s basketball history, though he could lose that title this month if the Bluejays are to make a deep tournament run. Greg McDermott is only three wins off of his pace.
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Seeing a new name on top of that list is likely something that would please Altman, though.
“I’m so happy for Greg and Creighton and all their fans and the people that I know there,” Altman said. “Greg’s done a tremendous job. They’ve got a tremendous program. I’m so happy for him.”
On the court, Saturday’s matchup is going to be grueling for both teams. The Bluejays are currently favored, and many have them as a real contender to make a deep run and potentially get into the Final Four later this month. However, anyone who has watched the Ducks over the past few weeks, and saw their game against South Carolina in the first round knows that Altman’s team is far from an easy out.
“It’s bittersweet because only one of us is going to move on. But we’ll battle our tails off,” Altman said. “We’re going to have to play as good as we’ve ever played to get ’em. We’re going to have to be so sharp defensively, on the boards. We’re going to have to shoot it good again.”
If the Ducks find a way to pull off the upset, Altman will continue this magical run in 2024 and strengthen his already robust legacy as one of the best coaches in the history of the sport.
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If Oregon loses, at least the 65-year-old coach can take pride in watching one of his favorite teams battle on into the second weekend of March Madness.
“I’ve had 14 great years at Oregon, and I love this place,” Altman said. “And when I’m done, I’ll feel the same way about Oregon as I do about Creighton.
“Oregon is 1, but I think Creighton is 1A. There’s not much separation. I still love the school.”
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