Dana Altman – Syndication Server

Oregon basketball moves up into the Top 10 in latest coaches poll

The Oregon men’s basketball team is now a Top 10 team in the USA TODAY coaches poll.

We’re all used to seeing Dana Altman’s teams get off to a slow start, steadily improve over the course of the season and then be a dangerous team when February and March rolls around.

There hasn’t been a slow start this time.

Oregon is off to a 10-1 start with wins over ranked teams such as Texas A&M and Alabama. The Ducks have been rewarded with a Top 10 ranking in the latest coaches poll. Oregon is No. 10 in the nation as they moved up two spots from last week’s poll.

The Ducks had just one game last week, a 79-61 win over Stephen F. Austin at Matthew Knight Arena. It was a good bounce-back game after Oregon suffered its first loss of the year to UCLA.

Alabama is No. 7 in the poll while Texas A&M is right behind the Ducks at No. 11. Tennessee is the top-ranked team in the country with its 10-0 record.

Oregon is the top-ranked team in the Big Ten with Purdue coming in at No. 17 and the Bruins at No. 18. Michigan State is No. 19 and Michigan is No. 21.

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Ducks vs Lumberjacks Instant Reactions: Oregon runs away from SFA

In a choppy game full of turnovers, Oregon’s talent and depth wins out with an 18-point win over Stephen F. Austin.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Ducks will certainly take it.

In a somewhat choppy game that saw a combined 41 turnovers, Oregon was able to defeat Stephen F. Austin 79-61 inside Matthew Knight Arena.

For the first time this season, the Ducks were coming off of a loss and Oregon didn’t play up to its standards, but its depth and talent won over what was an inferior Lumberjack team that fell to 5-6 on the season. SFA shot just 15 percent from the three-point line, going 3-of-20 from long range.

The No. 12-ranked Ducks moved to 10-1 overall on the season and won’t see action for another six days as they are scheduled to go to San Jose, Calif. next Saturday to face former Pac-12 foe Stanford.

Beyond the win, Oregon’s focus is going to be on the health of forward Kwame Evans, Jr., who went down with an apparent knee injury in the second half.

Ducks vs. Lumberjacks Keys to the Game

Oregon got off to a hot start, or, more accurately, Stephen F. Austin got off to an extremely slow start. The Ducks were up 18-4 in the game’s first eight minutes.
SFA wasn’t exactly on target with most of their shots. The Lumberjacks were just 10-of-39 shooting in the first half and just 3-of-16 from long range. Oregon was a little better as the Ducks 11-of-23 from the field and 4-of-10 from three-point range.
Oregon had trouble rebounding the ball in the first half against the more physical Lumberjack team. The two teams were equal on the boards in the first 20 minutes, but SFA had a 14-6 advantage in the offensive rebound category.
It was a little better in the second half offensively for the Ducks as they scored 42 points after halftime, but Dana Altman won’t be happy giving up 38 second-half points.
Oregon shot the ball well for the night, at a 51 percent clip, but the 19 turnovers will keep the coaching staff up at night.
Towards the end of the game with about five minutes remaining, Oregon forward Kwame Evans, Jr. went down with a knee injury, but it didn’t look good. The sophomore couldn’t put any pressure on his left knee. It’s not known yet how serious the injury was.

Ducks vs. Lumberjacks Players of the Game

Brandon Angel: 15 points, 6 rebounds
Supreme Cook: 14 points
Jadrian Tracey: 14 points, 7 rebounds
Nate Bittle: 13 points
Matt Hayman (SFA): 17 points

Ducks vs. Lumberjacks Notable Stats

Offensive Rebounds: SFA 19, Oregon 13
Turnovers: SFA 22, Oregon 19
Points Off Turnovers: Oregon 26, SFA 11

What’s Next for Oregon Ducks?

Dec. 21 — at Stanford Cardinal (San Jose, Calif.)
Dec. 29 — vs. Weber State Wildcats
Jan. 2 — vs. No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini
Jan. 5 — vs. Maryland Terrapins
Jan. 9 — at Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ducks will now go into familiar territory as they go down to San Jose, Calif. to face an 8-2 Stanford team next weekend. After that, just one more non-conference game left with Weber State before the Big Ten season gets into full swing.

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Oregon vs UCLA Instant Reactions: Bruins give Ducks first loss

Dylan Andrews’ three-pointer with 0.4 seconds left gave UCLA a 73-71 win over Oregon, which was the Ducks’ first loss of the season.

Oregon’s second-half rally finally fell short.

The Ducks have been known for a number of rallies in the last 10 minutes of games this season, but UCLA kept making shots and Oregon couldn’t recover in a 73-71 loss at home.

It was the first defeat for the Ducks on the season as they fell to 9-1 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten action.

Oregon did rally back and take a 71-70 lead on Jackson Shelstad’s three-pointer with 10 seconds left, but Dylan Andrews’ three-pointer that went off the glass with 0.4 seconds on the clock was the game-winner.

Winning with a three-pointer was fitting for the Bruins as they were hot all night long from the outside. They came into the game averaging 6.4 made threes, but tonight at MKA, UCLA knocked down 12 treys and they needed every single one.

Oregon vs. UCLA Keys to the Game

UCLA started out hot from the floor and per usual, the Ducks did not. The Bruins made five three-pointers early and held a 21-12 lead.
The referees were really looking at players taunting the opposing bench and each team had a player get a technical foul. UCLA’s Eric Dailey and Oregon’s Keeshawn Barthelemy were teed up.
After the Ducks found themselves down by nine, they increased the defensive pressure that got them back into the game.
Nate Bittle, who is has been off with his three-point, hit a couple of deep ones to give the Ducks their first lead at 27-26.
Oregon took a one-point lead at halftime at 33-32, but UCLA came out shooting well in the second half and eventually had a 53-47 lead.
But a Barthelemy three and a Jadrian Tracey three-point play and the game was tied once again at 53-53 with 10:27 left.
Before the furious last seconds, Oregon looked as if it tied the game on a goaltend, but after further review, they determined Shelstad’s shot was not coming down before Tyler Bilodeau blocked it. The video looked to show otherwise, but the three officials saw it differently.
UCLA held a lead for most of the latter half of the second half, but the Ducks hit a three-pointer, Shelstad’s only points in that half to give them a 71-70 lead with 10.6 seconds left.
After Oregon fouled with 6.4 seconds left for its sixth team foul, the Bruins found Andrews on the left wing and his three was just over Bittle’s fingers and went off the glass and in the hoop to win what was a crazy game inside Matthew Knight Arena.

Oregon vs. UCLA Players of the Game

Nate Bittle: 22 points, 10 rebounds
Keeshawn Barthelemy: 13 points
Jackson Shelstad: 11 points
Jadrian Tracey: 10 points
Eric Dailey, Jr. (UCLA): 19 points

Oregon vs. UCLA Notable Stats

Bench Points: Oregon 29, UCLA 22
Rebounds: Oregon 33, UCLA 23
3-pointers: Oregon 9-of-21, UCLA 12-of-23

What’s Next for Oregon Ducks?

Dec. 15 — vs. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
Dec. 21 — at Stanford Cardinal (San Jose, Calif.)
Dec. 29 — vs. Weber State Wildcats
Jan. 2 — vs. No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini
Jan. 5 — vs. Maryland Terrapins

Oregon will go back to non-conference play in a week with Stephen F. Austin and Weber State, but the Ducks travel down to San Jose to play a familiar team in the Stanford Cardinal. After the New Year will be two more conference games before they venture out on the road.

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Eric Musselman offers blunt assessment of USC’s season outlook

Eric Musselman knows he does not have a full plate of options at USC in his first season. The Trojans are fighting an uphill battle all the way.

It has not been the best start to the season for Eric Musselman and the USC men’s basketball team.

On Wednesday night, the Trojans fell 68-60 at home to Oregon in the first Big Ten game for both programs. With the loss, USC fell to 5-4 on the season. With only three more nonconference buy games left before conference play gets into full swing, things are not looking great for the Trojans in Year 1 under Musselman.

Following the loss, Musselman was asked by Luca Evans of the Orange County Register about his outlook for this year’s team, and he gave an extremely honest assessment.

“I don’t know how many Big Ten games we’re gonna win,” Musselman said. “What I do know is, if you put forth that effort—from a culture standpoint, you know—I don’t think any, you walk out of the building, you think the team played hard, you think the team played hard, you think the team gave great effort, and you think the team didn’t close the game. Which we didn’t.

“We were right there. And like I said, if you lead for 30 minutes, it’s the last 10 minutes of play that we’re not used to winning as a unit.

“There’s probably going to be other nights that we play really well, and whether we can walk away with the win or not, I don’t know in year one. But the effort was there, other than defensively, down the stretch.”

Given Musselman’s prior success at Arkansas and Nevada, the Trojans’ program should be in good hands long term. But if early results are any indication, USC fans might need to wait a year or two before the victories start to come in.

Perfect 8-0 record leads to Oregon Ducks landing in AP Top 25

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team cracked the AP Top 25 at No. 12 after three big wins in Las Vegas.

December just started and the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team is already making some waves.

The Ducks ended their Vegas trip with three straight wins to take the Players Era Festival championship with victories over Texas A&M, San Diego State State, and finally No. 9 Alabama.

Oregon is 8-0 as it heads to Big Ten play this week. That record, with the wins already on its tournament resume, led the AP Top 25 to include the Ducks in its rankings as they come in at No. 12.

Las Vegas has been kind to the Ducks, as they have won multiple Pac-12 tournaments in Sin City. This year has proven to be no different. Oregon had to rally from a double-digit deficit in both the Texas A&M and San Diego State games, but against Alabama, the higher-ranked team at the time of the game, it was a back-and-forth game. Nate Bittle’s putback dunk with 4.4 seconds left gave the Ducks their biggest win of the season.

Oregon won’t have much time to celebrate their recent exploits as the Ducks go to Los Angeles to open Big Ten competition at USC.

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Oregon vs Alabama Instant Reactions: Ducks win Players’ Era Festival

Nate Bittle’s rebound dunk with 4.4 seconds left secured Oregon’s 83-81 win over Alabama to take the Players Era Festival Championship.

Football is eating up all the headlines and for good reasons, but the Oregon Ducks basketball team is making some noise of its own.

Dana Altman’s team is 8-0 and will be highly ranked after the Ducks defeated No. 9 Alabama 83-81 to win the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. Oregon also beat Texas A&M and San Diego State in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

This one against the Crimson Tide was a close one throughout. It was a one or two-possession game for most of the second half as the two teams traded baskets. But in the end, it was Nate Bittle’s rebound dunk with 4.4 seconds remaining that proved to be the difference.

Ducks vs. Crimson Tide Keys to the Game

Alabama came into the game as one of the better-scoring teams in the country and since the Ducks don’t mind an up-and-down game, one knew this was going to be a high-scoring affair.
The Crimson Tide was threatening to pull away early in the second half, but guard Latrell Wrightsell went down with a severe ankle injury, which hampered Alabama and allowed the Ducks to shoot their way back into the game quickly.
Despite the pace, in some ways, it was a battle of the bigs with Nate Bittle and Alabama’s own 7-footer Clifford Omoruyi Fortunately for the Ducks, Bittle was on his game and outplayed Omoruyi. Bittle wound up with 16 points to Omoruyi’s seven.
Oregon was up six with less than a minute left, but thanks to a three-pointer, free throws, a turnover and an offensive rebound, the Crimson Tide tied the game at 81-81 with 19.6 left.
On the Ducks final offensive possession, Keeshawn Barthelemy held the ball before driving the lane. His shot was off the mark, but Bittle was able to come in behind the Alabama’s defense for the put-back dunk with 4.4 seconds remaining.
Those four seconds are an eternity, but it was just enough time for Oregon. But the Crimson Tide’s attempt at a tie was just after the buzzer and ruled no good for the Duck victory.

Ducks vs. Crimson Tide Players of the Game

Keeshawn Barthelemy: 22 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds
Nate Bittle: 19 points, 9 rebounds
TJ Bamba: 12 points
Supreme Cook: 11 points

Ducks vs. Aztecs Notable Stats

Oregon: 29-of-66 FG (44 percent), Alabama: 27-of-64 FG (42 percent)
3-point FG: Oregon 5-of-17 (29 percent), Alabama 12-of-38 (32 percent)
Bench Points: Oregon 38, Alabama 31

What’s Next for Oregon Ducks

Dec. 4 — at USC
Dec. 8 — UCLA
Dec. 15 — Stephen F. Austin
Dec. 21 — Stanford (San Jose, Calif.)
Dec. 29 — Weber State

The Ducks will enter Big Ten play undefeated and highly ranked. Oregon will get a little taste of Big Ten action with some familiar faces in USC and UCLA. Non-conference action rules the rest of December before the Big Ten really ramps up after the New Year.

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Oregon vs Texas A&M Instant Reactions: Ducks rally again for a big win

Oregon rallies from 10 points down in the second half to stun No. 20 Texas A&M 80-70 in the Player’s Era Festival.

The Oregon Ducks are quickly gaining the reputation of being a second-half team. The Ducks were down 13 against Portland and won and down 12 against the Beavers and won. But this was against No. 20 Texas A&M and Oregon was down 10 with 10 minutes to go.

Next came a 16-0 run to regain the lead and the Ducks held on in the end to defeat the Aggies 80-70 in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. Oregon outscored Texas A&M 40-20 down the stretch to improve to 6-0 on the season.

Oregon vs. Texas A&M Keys to the Game

The first half wasn’t the prettiest half in Oregon history. The Ducks shot just 31 percent (9-of-29) from the field in the first half and just 4-of-18 from long distance.
Not only were the Ducks not shooting the ball well, the Aggies pounded them on the board to the tune of a 22-19 advantage, but at one point, it was a 21-12 lead for Texas A&M where rebounding was concerned.
Texas A&M got out to an early 8-2 lead and threatened to run away from the Ducks early. But Oregon was able to lock it down on defense and eventually be down one possession at the break at 32-29.
Supreme Cook was hit with a technical with 12 minutes to go and the Aggies had their biggest lead of the game.
After the technical foul, Oregon woke up on both ends of the floor and went on a huge 16-0 run to take a 64-58 lead with 6:29 remaining.

Oregon vs. Texas A&M Players of the Game

TJ Bamba: 18 points, 10-of-12 free throws
Jackson Shelstad: 16 points, 4 assists
Brandon Angel: 16 points
Jadrian Tracey: 11 points, 6 rebounds
Zhuric Phelps (TAMU) 20 points

Oregon vs. Texas A&M Notable Stats

Oregon: 25-of-55 FG (46 percent), TAMU: 22-of-68 FG (32 percent)
Offensive rebounds: TAMU 21, Oregon 11
Points in the paint: Oregon 34, TAMU 22

What’s Next for Oregon Ducks

Nov. 27 — vs. San Diego State (Las Vegas, Player’s Era Festival)
Nov. 30 — TBD (Las Vegas, Player’s Era Festival)
Dec. 4 — at USC
Dec. 8 — UCLA
Dec. 15 — Stephen F. Austin

The schedule doesn’t really let up in the next two weeks as the Ducks play NCAA tournament caliber teams such as San Diego State before Big Ten play begins next week with a quick road trip to Los Angeles and the USC Trojans.

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Oregon makes the field in ESPN’s first Bracketology report of the season

See where the Oregon Ducks land in ESPN’s first Bracketology report of the 2024 college basketball season.

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball program is off to a hot start this season with a 4-0 record in November. Many national college basketball pundits were skeptical about a Ducks’ team without N’Faly Dante and Jermaine Couisnard, but through four games, Oregon looks like a quality team with March Madness potential.

Throughout the season, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi releases his “Bracketology” report, which details his current predictions for the field of 68 in the upcoming NCAA tournament. And although the Ducks were left out of the preseason AP Poll, Lunardi has them in the round of 64 in his first Bracketology report of the season.

In the initial report, Oregon is predicted to play in the West region as a nine-seed. The Ducks’ eight-seed counterpart is the Texas Longhorns who are 3-1 to start the season. The one-seed at the top of the region is Oregon’s Pacific Northwest neighbor: Gonzaga.

Oregon’s 4-0 record is impressive, but they have yet to match up with any quality teams this year, and they almost lost to Portland. The Ducks have plenty of potential to see their predicted seed (and real seed) go up before March, but the Ducks have their toughest games ahead of them.

Oregon’s not-so-distant future begins with a Thursday game in Corvallis against Oregon State. Next week, the Ducks are headed to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival before kicking off conference play in December.

Oregon vs. Troy: Instant reactions to Ducks win over Trojans

The Ducks improved on almost everything from the previous game and easily handed the Troy Trojans an 82-61 loss Sunday afternoon.

Whatever message head coach Dana Altman gave to his team after the Portland victory and before today’s game with Troy obviously sank in and it was understood.

The Ducks played a lot better as they easily dispatched the Troy Trojans 82-61 inside Matthew Knight Arena Sunday afternoon. Oregon might have used the Oregon football team’s defensive effort as an inspiration because the basketball team played a full 40 minutes of defense. They held the Trojans to just 23 first points and held a 20-point lead throughout the second half. Troy could never muster up a rally to challenge the Ducks.

Oregon is now 4-0 on the season and they will now prepare for a Thursday night affair in Corvallis to face the Beavers for the first road game of the season.

Oregon vs. Troy Keys to the Game

The Ducks got defensive in the first half, a nice change from their previous game where it seemed as if everything Portland shot went in the hoop. Troy didn’t have the same luck as the Trojans shot just 26 percent (9-of-35) from the field in the first half.
Keeshawn Barthelemy was hot from the field at the end of the previous game and hit sharp shooting continued. He nailed a trio of threes in the first half for 13 points and 15 points for the game to lead the Ducks.
Oregon obviously worked on crashing the boards in between games as the Ducks outrebounded Troy 38-31.
The Ducks got their first look at Supreme Cook, the Georgetown transfer who will back up Nate Bittle at center. He didn’t disappoint with 11 points and five rebounds in just 13 minutes of action.

Oregon vs. Troy Players of the Game

Keeshawn Barthelemy: 15 points
TJ Bamba: 13 points, 3 assists
Nate Bittle: 12 points, 8 rebounds
Supreme Cook: 11 points, 5 rebounds
Myles Rigsby (Troy): 15 points

Oregon vs. Troy Notable Stats

Oregon: 29-of-56 FG (52 percent), Troy: 25-of-67 FG (37 percent)
Oregon: 17-of-19 free throws
Turnovers: Oregon 17, Troy 17

What’s Next for Oregon Ducks

Nov. 21 — at Oregon State Beavers
Nov. 26 — vs. Texas A&M Aggies (Las Vegas, Player’s Era Festival)
Nov. 27 — vs. San Diego State (Las Vegas, Player’s Era Festival)
Nov. 28 — TBD (Las Vegas, Player’s Era Festival)
Dec. 5 — at USC

The schedule is about to get a lot tougher, but first the Ducks have to travel up to Corvallis to play the Beavers. After that, Oregon better be ready as it goes down to Vegas to play two teams, at least, that are likely bound for the NCAA tournament. Then league play gets underway with a quick road trip to face USC.

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Oregon vs. Montana: Instant Reactions to Ducks’ easy win over the Grizzlies

Oregon locked down on the defensive end of the court and cruised past Montana 79-48 at Matthew Knight Arena.

It’s only two games into the season and the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team has already shown it can win in multiple ways. In the season opener, the Ducks offense was rolling where they just outscored UC-Riverside 91-76.

But here in their most recent game against Montana, the Ducks locked down the Grizzlies on the defensive end to roll 79-48. The Grizzlies were held to just 34 percent shooting from the field and 3-of-19 from long range.

Thanks to the large margin of victory, head coach Dana Altman was able to see a number of new Ducks play and see how they fit in the system. True freshman Jamari Carter played for much of the second half where he contributed seven points including his first three-pointer.

Oregon vs. Montana Keys to the Game

After the game was delayed due to clock issues, the two teams finally got going. The game was knotted at seven apiece, the ducks went on a 15-0 run over the next eight minutes to blow the contest open.
The Ducks concentrated on the defensive end and shut down the Montana shooters. Money Williams, who opened his season with 27 points against Hawaii-Hilo, washed to just eight points for the game.
Nate Bittle showed his versatility in this game as he was difficult to guard on the inside and the outside. The big center hit on a trio of three-pointers.
Oregon was able to stay out of foul trouble and subbed in when the Ducks wanted to instead of being forced to take players out, giving Altman a chance to see a variety of lineups.

Oregon vs. Montana Players of the Game

Nate Bittle: 17 points, 9 rebounds
TJ Bamba: 14 points, 18 minutes
Jadrian Tracey: 12 points
Joe Pridgen (Montana): 14 points, 6-of-7 FG

Oregon vs. Montana Notable Stats

Oregon: 27-of-60 FG (45 percent), Montana 17-of-50 FG (34 percent)
Oregon: 9-of-25 (36 percent) on 3-pt FG, Montana: 3-of-19 (16 percent)
Turnovers: Oregon 8, Montana 14
Fast break points: Oregon 14, Montana 0

What’s Next for Oregon Ducks

Nov. 12 — vs. Portland Pilots
Nov. 17 — vs. Troy Trojans
Nov. 22 — at Oregon State Beavers
Nov. 26 — vs. Texas A&M Aggies (Las Vegas, Player’s Era Festival)
Nov. 27 — vs. San Diego State (Las Vegas, Player’s Era Festival)

Oregon doesn’t get much time off as the Ducks host Portland on Tuesday as they continue a tough non-conference schedule before entering Big Ten competition. We’ll learn a lot about Oregon when they go to Sin City and play Texas A&M and San Diego State.

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