With injuries piling up, the Ducks look to forge ahead for final push

The Oregon Ducks have been dealing with more poor injury luck, but they look to push ahead in to the final stretch regardless.

Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks were dealt another significant blow over the weekend with guard Keeshawn Barthelemy exiting the game on Saturday against the Arizona Wildcats with what looked like a serious leg injury.

On Tuesday after practice, Altman confirmed to media members that Barthelemy’s status for the rest of the season was up in the air, but a return didn’t look very likely.

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“A lot of the tests came out okay, and we’ve still got some more to run, but he’s resting comfortably,” Altman said.

That wasn’t the only gut punch that was delivered on the injury front. Altman soon announced that true freshman Mookie Cook was also unlikely to return this season as he continues to deal with a foot injury that has plagued him for almost 9 months now.

“He’s going to see a specialist when we’re in LA,” Altman said. “It doesn’t look good.”

While the Ducks have been fortunate with the return of both N’Faly Dante and Nate Bittle over the past few weeks, losing two guards at this point in the season when every game becomes more and more important is not an easy thing to deal with. While Cook has only played in 5 games this year, Barthelemy acted as an offensive spark off of the bench, averaging 8 points in 23 minutes with 38.5% shooting from deep.

It’s not just the loss of someone like Barthelemy, but the gruesome way in which they lost in that is difficult to deal with.

“Injuries are bound to happen,” veteran forward Jadrian Tracey said on Tuesday. “Something like his, you can’t really avoid that. It was God. So we’re all going to step up and try to win it for him and play for him. We can’t really focus on the injuries right now.”

The Ducks have an important road trip coming up this week, with a game against the USC Trojans on Thursday, followed by a trip to face the resurgent UCLA Bruins on Saturday down in Los Angeles. While a sweep would certainly be nice, beating the Bruins is a win that would look the most impressive on the schedule.

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Dana Altman offers injury update on Keeshawn Barthelemy, Mookie Cook

Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman offered an injury update on Keeshawn Barthelemy and Mookie Cook.

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but Dana Altman delivered the unfortunate news on Tuesday afternoon that Oregon Ducks guard Keeshawn Barthelemy is likely to miss the remainder of the season with the lower leg injury that he suffered on Saturday afternoon against the Arizona Wildcats.

Barthelemy went down awkwardly on a driving layup attempt in the second half on Saturday, and it was immediately obvious that his injury was serious, with his right shoe popping off and his foot looking to be out of place. Teammates around him reacted viscerally, while Altman consoled Barthelemy on the court while a stretcher came onto the court.

Barthelemy has been a valuable piece for the Ducks this year, averaging 8 points in 23 minutes per game off of the bench. He has also been one of Oregon’s better three-point shooters, with a 38.5 percent clip from deep.

In other injury-related news, Altman added freshman Mookie Cook could also miss the rest of the season with a foot ailment. Cook missed the first chunk of the season after recovering from an offseason foot injury, but he reaggrivated it earlier this month in a game against Utah.

Altman said that they are continuing to do tests, but it is unlikely that there freshman will return this year.

Going forward, the Ducks will need to rely on their other guards to step up more in the absence of Barthelemy. Look for players like Brennan Rigsby and Kario Oquendo to have bigger roles in the future.

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Dana Altman offers injury update on Keeshawn Barthelemy after scary fall

Dana Altman offers injury update on Keeshawn Barthelemy after scary fall

You never want to see anyone go down in any game, but especially in a game like this when you need all hands on deck.

Unfortunately, that happened to Oregon in a tough matchup with Arizona as point guard Keeshawn Barthelemy went down with an apparent foot injury. Barthelemy went up for a layup and came down awkwardly, causing his right shoe to fall off.

“It wasn’t good, that’s all I can say,” Altman said after the game.

It was apparent very quickly that the situation was serious, as medical personnel rushed onto the court to help Barthelemy, who was clearly in distress. A stretcher and air cast were brought to the court, but the guard ended up being carried to the locker room.

Oregon head coach Dana Altman was asked if he had any kind of update on Barthelemy in the postgame press conference.

“He’s at the hospital right now,” Altman said. “Hopefully getting x-rays and getting checked out. We’ll have a report later today.”

It’ll be a big loss for the Ducks if Barthelemy misses any length of time. Oregon will prepare for a big road trip to the Los Angeles schools next week. The Ducks play USC Feb. 1.

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In a season full of peaks and valleys, Dana Altman’s Ducks made a statement vs. Arizona State

The Oregon Ducks made a statement with their blowout win over the Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday night.

This season has been one of peaks and valleys for the Oregon Ducks, and Thursday night’s game against the Arizona State Sun Devils was no exception.

It started with a peak: Center Nate Bittle — who had been sidelined with a wrist injury that required surgery in late November — was officially making his return to the court after nine weeks, and entering the starting lineup to some surprise.

Bittle’s first shot back on the court, and Oregon’s first shot of the game, was a drained three-pointer. The 7-foot center gestured towards his shooting arm with braggadocious style before quickly tugging on his jersey and asking to be pulled from the game just 67 seconds after the opening tip.

Bittle ran to the bench and continued up into the tunnel — a valley.

The valley continued for the Ducks, who went on to miss 14 of their first 17 shots from the floor, eventually falling behind by 10 points early in the game, a margin that felt gracious at the time for anyone watching.

Fortunately for Dana Altman, that would be the lowest point of the night. Another inspired timeout speech on the Oregon bench sparked the team a bit, and they ended the first half on a nice run, going into the half only trailing by 5.

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The second half offered a return to the peak. A quick 8-3 run to tie the game; a drained three from freshman Kwame Evans to take the lead; and a drained transition three from Keeshawn Barthelemy to put the Ducks up by 5, their biggest lead of the game.

From 15:57 to 3:20 in the second half — a 12-minute and 37-second stretch — the Ducks went without missing a field goal, hitting 13 straight and ballooning their lead up to 22 at some points. They ultimately won 80-61, beating one of the two teams who entered the night tied with them for first place in the Pac-12 Conference.

I’m not going to lie, I walked out of the arena, into the concourse, and down to the media room feeling impressed. A win over a team like Arizona State — who smoked the Ducks in this same building a year ago — was notable, and doing it in the way that Oregon did meant something more than just a check in the win column.

Was it a statement win? From my perspective in the press row, it certainly felt like one. Ultimately, I think that depends on who you ask.

“Oh, I don’t know,” head coach Dana Altman uttered after the game, lifting his hands to the air and letting them loudly clap down on his thighs. “Every game is important, you know?”

Yes, at this point in a season where Oregon is sitting on the right side of the bubble in ESPN’s bracketology midway through the year, every game is important for the Ducks to win, especially at home. This one, though, carried with it a bit more weight.

“We needed to win the game, I know that,” Altman admitted.

Winning the game would be one thing. Dominating another top-ranked team in the conference in the way that they did, though… That’s where the statement was made.

I had more success getting someone to agree with me when asking Barthelemy his thoughts after scoring 12 points off of the bench on 5-for-6 shooting.

“It was definitely a statement win for us,” Barthelemy said. “Like I said, ASU was tied with us and we needed this one at home, especially coming off two L’s in a row. We just had to come out with a different type of energy, and we did that.”

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Though Altman may have hesitated to admit it, this win mattered more than most so far this season. After two straight years of missing out on the NCAA Tournament, it’s felt like the 2023-24 group has been walking a tightrope of pushing into a new era or succumbing to old habits. Injuries have been an issue; free throw shooting has been an issue; three-point shooting has been an issue, and defensive intensity has been brought up more than a few times from Altman after practice.

Following the mountain road trip sweep, it felt like these Ducks might have been bluffing with their six-game winning streak earlier in the year, and that No. 1 ranking in the Pac-12 might quickly be exposed. Midway through that first half, I was pretty convinced this was the case.

But the Ducks found a way to climb out of the valley and turn things around rather quickly, which is something we’ve seen on multiple occasions this season. The night ended with them standing on as high of a peak as we’ve seen all season, sitting alone at the top of the conference once again.

“I’m really proud of our guys and the coaching staff for a great game plan,” Barthelemy said. “We did what we had to do.”

In a season that has seen several peaks and valleys, more opportunities for both will continue to come. The next may be the biggest of the season, with No. 9 Arizona traveling to Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday afternoon.

A lot of eyeballs will be turned to Eugene to see what Dana Altman and his Ducks can do.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they made another statement.


Ducks Wire’s Ethan Landa was taking photos at Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday night. Here are some of his best images from the contest:

MBB recap: Ducks win and clinch first round bye in Pac-12 tourney

Oregon clinches fourth place with a 73-68 win over Stanford and receives a first round bye in the Pac-12 tournament.

N’Faly Dante has the knack of seemingly coming out of nowhere to block a shot.

The Oregon 7-foot center had two huge blocks in the last minute of the game to help the Ducks preserve a huge 73-68 victory over Stanford. With the win, the Ducks finish the regular season 18-13 and 12-8 in conference play.

But more importantly, the Ducks finish in fourth place in the Pac-12 and that gives Oregon a first-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament and will open up post-season play next Thursday down in Las Vegas.

After falling down 18-9 early, Oregon rallied and held the lead for the last 30 minutes of action, but the Cardinal wouldn’t go away. They were 9-of-21 from long range, but just 2-of-9 in the second half.

Dante led the way with 15 points and 12 rebounds and Keeshawn Barthelemy added 14 points off the bench. In his last game regular season game at Matthew Knight Arena, guard Will Richardson scored 10 points with six assists.

Oregon’s first foray into Canada is a successful one

The Oregon men’s basketball team began a five-game Canadian tour with a 102-48 win over McGill University.

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team ventured up north into Canada for the start of a five-game exhibition tour and the Ducks managed to get the trip off to a nice start.

In the first contest, Oregon overcame a slow start but eventually found its footing in a 102-48 win over McGill University in Quebec.

Center Nate Bittle led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds and freshman forward Kel-El Ware made his unofficial debut with 17 points.

Keeshawn Barthelemy, a transfer from Colorado and a native of Montreal, added 14 points. Quincy Guerrier, who is back for a fifth season, poured in 11 points and brought down nine rebounds. Gabe Reichle also managed to score in double figures with 10 points.

Everyone on the Oregon roster played except for N’Faly Dante.

Haris Elezovic led the way for McGill with 15 points.

This is a quick tour as the Ducks will play all five games in a week, which is probably why Will Richardson just played just a few minutes and Dante rested.

Tours such as these give the coaching staff an idea of what to expect out of the upcoming season, how much improvement certain individuals make, and which on-the-floor combinations work best.

Oregon will play next on Monday when they face the University of Ottawa.

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Keeshawn Barthelemy lands with the Ducks

Keeshawn Barthelemy is heading over to Pac-12 rival Oregon

The Colorado Buffaloes just keep losing players in the transfer portal. The latest loss for Tad Boyle and the Buffs hoops squad is Keeshawn Barthelemy, who was set to visit with Oregon and has now officially made the decision to join the Ducks, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

Barthelemy wasted no time confirming this to be true by posting a picture on his Twitter feed with him in a Ducks uniform, a sight that will be strange to see for Buffs fans.

Not only do the Buffs lose a high-quality player, but they have to face him at least twice during Pac-12 play next season as he heads to Eugene to join Dana Altman’s group.

The sophomore guard finished the year averaging 11 PPG with 2.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists across 33 games.

Barthelemy was a surprise in the transfer portal, but it appears that Oregon’s style of play was a key factor in his decision (h/t Shane Hoffman of The Daily Emerald).

 “[The Ducks’] style of play was very interesting to me when we played them… the way they play with their guards. They play fast. They play free.”

That isn’t the only thing, either. Barthelemy played AAU ball with Oregon forward and fellow Canadian Quincy Guerrier.

Barthelemy’s time in Boulder ends, but the Buffs don’t have to wait too long before seeing him again.

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Breaking: Former Colorado PG Keeshawn Barthelemy commits to Oregon Ducks

Big addition to the back-court for Oregon in 2022. Former CU Buffs point guard Keeshawn Barthelemy announced his transfer to the Ducks.

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The backcourt for the Oregon Ducks got some much-needed experience in 2022 on Monday.

Former Colorado Buffaloes point guard Keeshawn Barthelemy announced that he would be committing to the Ducks for the 2022 season. Barthelemy will now join players like De’Vion Harmon, Dior Johnson, Tyrone Williams, and Brennan Rigsby going into the season.

There’s also a chance that Oregon has more guards to work with, as we await word from Will Richardson and Rivaldo Soares as they ponder a return to Eugene next season.

Barthelemy recently entered the transfer portal and took a trip to Eugene over the weekend. The 6-foot-2 guard, who was rated as a four-star recruit coming out of high school, had a breakout season in 2021-22 as he averaged 11 points a game and shot nearly 35 percent from the three-point line. The improvement from his freshman season to this past year was noticeable. Barthelemy played in every game as a freshman and averaged just below four points a contest.

Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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Colorado Buffaloes transfer Keeshawn Barthelemy planning on an Oregon visit

Colorado guard Keeshawn Barthlelemy is currently looking for a new place to play and is visiting Oregon soon.

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Canadians, transfers, and Canadian transfers have worked well for Dana Altman before. It looks like he may be looking to go that route once again.

Former Colorado Buffalo guard, Keeshawn Barthelemy, a Toronto native, has told Jon Rothstein that he plans on visiting Oregon and Ohio State.

The 6-foot-2 Barthelemy, who was rated as a four-star recruit coming out of high school, had a breakout season in 2021-22 as he averaged 11 points a game and shot nearly 35 percent from the three-point line. The improvement from his freshman season to this past year was noticeable. Barthelemy played in every game as a freshman and averaged just below four points a contest.

Oregon is actively trying to find scorers to fill in for the production it loses with Jacob Young and Qunicy Guerrier graduating and Eric Williams, Jr. transferring. The Ducks will also be looking for a post player or two with Franck Kepnang and Isaac Johnson also transferring out of the program.

Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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5 players in the transfer portal Oregon could pursue to replace Eric Williams

A look at five players currently in the transfer portal who Dana Altman and the Ducks could pursue to help replace the minutes vacated by Eric Williams.

The 2021-2022 college basketball season is wrapping up, with the Final Four taking place over the weekend among Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Villanova.

The Oregon Ducks are already on vacation, but coach Dana Altman and his staff have plenty of work to do to reshape the roster heading into next season. They are coming off a year in which a late-season collapse cost them a chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament.

While there are plenty of players who could depart, either via the transfer portal or the professional ranks, so far the only rotation player to hit the road is wing Eric Williams, who entered the transfer portal earlier in the week.

Williams is a 6-foot-6 combo guard who averaged 27 minutes per night for Oregon this past season, scoring 8.4 points and grabbing 4.6 rebounds while shooting 35.1% from the 3-point line.

Replacing his production is no easy task, although the Ducks have plenty of talent joining the team in their outstanding recruiting class of 2022.

Still, a veteran wing who can score, play solid defense and shoot from the 3-point line would be a really nice addition to this team via the transfer portal, in part to replace Williams and in part to add experience to a team that is losing Williams as well as Jacob Young.

The portal isn’t lacking options that fit those parameters. Below is a list of five candidates currently available that Altman and his staff should pursue if they want to help supplement the young talent on the roster with some experience and shooting.