Tag: nate bittle

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 at Oregon State: Instant reactions as Ducks rally past Beavers

Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad led the second half rally to propel the Ducks past the Beavers 78-75 in Corvallis.

It took a couple of Oregon natives to dispatch the Beavers on this Thursday night in Corvallis.

Nate Bittle led all scorers with 23 points and 14 rebounds and Jackson Shelstad added 15 points as Oregon went up to OSU and captured a 78-75 non-conference win to go to 5-0 on the season.

If the Ducks were honest with themselves, they would have to say the Beavers outplayed them for most of the contest. Bittle was the catalyst for a 20-5 second half run that gave the Ducks their first lead after halftime with less than three minutes to go. Shelstad also hit a trio of threes and a leaping leaner from the baseline with 29 seconds left for the 76-73 lead.

Jadrian Tracey hit a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left to ice the game.

Oregon vs. Oregon State Keys to the Game

  • The Beavers killed the Ducks on the boards in the first half to the tune of a 20-13 advantage.
  • Points in the paint were going the Beavers’ way also in the early going. They had a 28-16 lead inside the key at halftime.
  • Partly because they were down and partly because the Ducks needed to speed the game up, Oregon started to press in the backcourt and it worked somewhat in the first half.
  • Everything changed after halftime. Oregon ran the offense through Bittle and he came up big with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the second half alone.
  • Oregon also ratched up the defense effort, allowing the Beavers just 28 points after the break.
  • The Ducks also shut down Oregon State’s Micheal Rataj in the second half. He had 15 points at halftime and finished with 20 for the night.

Oregon vs. Oregon State Players of the Game

  • Nate Bittle: 23 points, 14 rebounds
  • Jackson Shelstad: 15 points, 6 assists
  • Keeshawn Barthelemy: 10 points
  • Jadrian Tracey: 10 poitns, 4 assists
  • Michael Rataj (OSU): 20 points

Oregon vs. Oregon State Notable Stats

  • Oregon: 30-of-61 FG (49 percent), OSU 25-of-62 FG (40 percent)
  • Points in the paint: Oregon 34, OSU 30
  • Assists: Oregon 21, OSU 12

What’s Next for Oregon Ducks

  • 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
  • Dec. 8 — UCLA

Oregon will now get a nice break before heading down to Las Vegas to open the Player’s Era Festival with Texas A&M. It will be a good test for the Ducks as Big Ten play is right around the corner, a road game at USC Dec. 8.

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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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Mookie Cook and Nate Bittle cleared for all basketball activities

Oregon Ducks men’s basketball players Mookie Cook and Nate Bittle have been cleared for all basketball activities.

In the middle of the Oregon Ducks appearance on Big Ten football’s media days, Oregon Ducks men’s basketball received some good news: senior center Nate Bittle and freshman wing Mookie Cook have been cleared for all basketball activities, according to a report from Jon Rothstein.

Last season, Bittle was kept out for most of the first half of the season with a wrist injury, and shortly after his return, he contracted an illness that hindered him for months and kept him off the court for the rest of the year. Cook needed surgery at the start of the 2023 season and then was reinjured four games after his debut.

Both players were expected to return by the start of the season in November, but receiving clean bills of health in July will help them tremendously come November.

Cook and Bittle could both be major impact players for Oregon this season. With N’Faly Dante’s eligibility waiver request being denied, Bittle is the Ducks’ most talented and experienced center. Oregon head coach Dana Altman likes to run his offense through his big men, so Bittle could be touching the ball a lot.

Cook’s role is harder to predict since he has just four games of college experience. But with Jermaine Couisnard not returning in the fall, the Ducks will need a strong two-way wing, whether he comes off the bench or starts. This year, I don’t see Cook cracking the starting five, but I think he’ll be a valuable member of the second unit.

Nate Bittle gives update on his sickness and says he’s coming back to Oregon in the fall

Nate Bittle shines light on the nature of his illness and announces his return to Oregon next year.

This was supposed to be a big year for Nate Bittle. Entering his third season at Oregon, the former 5-star recruit was set to have a key role on this season’s Ducks team, playing next to N’Faly Dante in the post.

But then in the third game of the season, Bittle took a fall in the paint and injured his wrist, which kept him out until late January. Then, as Bittle was making his return against Arizona State, he got sick. Bittle played a bit in the Ducks’ next game against Arizona, but since then, that sickness — which is still unknown — has kept Bittle off the court.

Now, almost two months later, the Oregon Ducks are about to tip off their first NCAA tournament game in three years. On Wednesday before the Ducks practice in Pittsburgh, Bittle spoke to the media, shining light on what the last seven weeks have been like for him.

“I lost 15 pounds,” Bittle said during Wednesday’s media availability, per The Oregonian’s James Crepea. “I was about 230-232. Then I dropped all the way down to 214.6 I remember was I think the lowest. Now I’m working my way back up, but it’s been difficult.”

Oregon certainly wishes Bittle was available, as they prepare for their most important game in the last three seasons, with just eight healthy scholarship players. While tethered to the sideline, Bittle has still found a way to make impact, often being the most vocal and encouraging member of the Ducks bench.

After this season, Bittle will likely have two remaining seasons of eligibility, since he is pursuing a medical redshirt according to Crepea. In his talk with the media, Bittle declared his intention to return to Oregon in the fall.

“This is my place. I can’t leave.”

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Dana Altman unsure about Nate Bittle’s avalibility for the rest of the season.

Nate Bittle may be kept of the court for the remainder of the season due to a lingering illness.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman is unsure whether Nate Bittle will return to the court for the Ducks this season, despite him being questionable to play in Oregon’s last few games.

After missing most of the first half of the season, Bittle looked primed for a healthy return to the court in late January. His injury was to his wrist, so he was able to maintain his conditioning through his absence. But after returning for limited minutes in two games last month, Bittle was forced off the court by an illness. Initially, the illness was just expected to keep him sidelined for a game or two, but now it appears he may be out for an extended period.

On Tuesday, Altman spoke on the Oregon basketball in-house radio show about Bittle and the shrinking pool of available players for Oregon.

“We kept anticipating Nate was going to be back and I’m not sure he’s going to,” Altman said. “Then with Keeshawn (Barthelemy) out we’ve got to do a better job of delegating and distributing those minutes, keeping our guys fresh so we can finish games a little stronger.”

Oregon has seven games left on its schedule, but unfortunately, an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament is likely already out of the Ducks’ reach. But if Oregon can start finishing games stronger as Altman suggested, they’ll finish the regular season with a high seed for the Pac-12 tournament, improving their chances at a conference championship and automatic bid for March Madness.

“Right now we’ve got these eight guys, and then we’ve got Gabe (Richle) and (James Cooper) I can put it, so we’ve got those 10 guys ready to go,” Altman said. “It’s kind of what we’ve got the rest of the season. We kind of know that. As a coaching staff, we got to make adjustments now.”

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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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Oregon’s Nate Bittle expected to return this week vs. Arizona State

According to Dana Altman, Nate Bittle could return to the floor for the Oregon Ducks as soon as Thursday.

For most of the season, the Oregon Ducks have been without starting forward/center Nate Bittle. Bittle injured his wrist against Tennessee State on November 17th and hasn’t returned since, although Ducks’ head coach Dana Altman said last week that a return for Bittle is close.

This week, on Wednesday, Altman provided another update on Bittle’s progress and whether or not he could return this week in one of Oregon’s home games against Arizona State or Arizona.

“I think so. He didn’t feel comfortable last Sunday, but he practiced hard today,” Altman said. “So we’ll see how it feels tomorrow. And I won’t make any promises, but if he gets through tomorrow and gets through shoot around and he feels okay. I’d sure like to play him.”

And Ducks fans would sure like to see him play. In 2022, Bittle averaged 7.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while also playing strong defense — something Oregon needs. The re-addition of Bittle into the starting lineup would also make the opposing teams less likely to double-team N’Faly Dante, because it would leave a wide-open Bittle under the basket for a free bucket.

Regardless of when Bittle returns, he, like Dante, will be gradually reintroduced to the lineup. Altman did point out last week, that Bittle’s conditioning hasn’t taken as much of a hit as Dante’s because Bittle had an upper-body injury and could run during his recovery, while Dante had a leg injury and couldn’t.

In his first few games back, I expect Bittle to come off the bench and give the Ducks good minutes on both ends of the floor. After that, it will all depend on who is producing the most. Dante has the starting center spot secured, and Bittle will have competition at power forward with freshman Kwame Evans Jr., who has had a strong start to his Oregon career.

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