Tag: nate bittle

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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Nate Bittle is recovering quickly, with small chance to return for Ducks this weekend

Nate Bittle is recovering quickly from his wrist injury, and could see his return happen as soon as this weekend.

After N’Faly Dante was injured in the Oregon Ducks’ first men’s basketball game of the season, it looked like Nate Bittle’s role with the Ducks would grow. But two games later, Bittle suffered a wrist injury and required surgery, leaving Oregon without a scholarship center for almost two months.

In Oregon’s last game against Cal, Dante made his return, although it was in a limited capacity. And now, it seems Bittle’s return may not be far off.

“He’s worked in practice the last couple of days. Not everything, but you know, he’s getting closer,” Ducks’ head coach Dana Altman said on Wednesday. “I know he’s meeting with some trainers today to see exactly what they think he can do moving forward. I wouldn’t anticipate him playing this weekend. He might play a little bit, depending on what they say today.”

Without Bittle and Dante, the Ducks have done well, going 9-3 overall and  4-0 in the Pac-12 in games without either player. But, Oregon is usually a team that dominates the glass and wins the rebound battle, something they haven’t been doing without their two best big men.

Like Dante, it seems Bittle will need a bit of an adjustment period on the court before he’s back to full form since he hasn’t been able to fully participate in practice for two months.

“He’s been out eight weeks, he and Dante both had their surgeries eight weeks ago, yesterday,” Altman said. “Nate’s a little bit different because he was able to run and do some things because it was a wrist injury rather than a knee, but you know, even with that, you’re out eight weeks and it’s pretty tough to bounce back right away.”

It will be interesting to see where Bittle fits into the lineup once he returns. He could serve as a backup center to Dante, or he could play alongside Dante as the Ducks power forward. True freshman Kwame Evans has already excelled at the power forward spot, so I find it unlikely that Altman would significantly cut back his minutes. For that reason, I think the backup center is the more likely role for Bittle, especially as he and Dante are still recovering and getting their bodies up to speed.

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MBB Recap: Ducks overcome 18-point deficit to beat Cal, stay undefeated in Pac-12 play

The Oregon Ducks won their sixth-straight game on Saturday night, overcoming an 18-point deficit in the first half to beat California.

The weather was cold outside, with freezing rain falling from the sky all day in Eugene. There were warnings coming from the county, encouraging people to stay home and off of the roads unless it was necessary to go out.

It appeared that the Oregon Ducks’ offense was heading that call early in this game, largely threatening to keep them out of this game in the first half thanks to poor shooting, and a lack of ball movement. However, they turned things around with a 16-2 run right before the half and found a way to pick up an impressive win at home over the California Golden Bears.

It marked Oregon’s 13th win of the season, and kept them a perfect 5-0 in conference play.

Here’s everything you need to know about the game:

N’Faly Dante, Nate Bittle undergo successful surgeries, to be reevaluated soon

The Oregon Ducks announced that both N’Faly Dante, Nate Bittle underwent successful surgeries this past week, and will be reevaluated soon.

The Oregon Ducks announced on Friday that both N’Faly Dante and Nate Bittle underwent successful surgeries this past week, and would be on the road to recovery going forward.

According to UO, Dante underwent a surgery on his knee and will be reevaluated in four weeks to see what his status is for returning to the court. Bittle, on the other hand, will be reevaluated in eight weeks after undergoing successful surgery on his left wrist.

For a team that has been struggling with injuries not just this season, but for the past few years, this is a tough blow early on, but there is some optimism that both will return to the court this season, likely in January or later. In the mean time, the Ducks hope to get back both freshmen Jackson Shelstad and Mookie Cook in the coming weeks,

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Dana Altman offers injury update on Nate Bittle, N’Faly Dante after Oregon win

Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman offered an injury update for C Nate Bittle, who hurt his wrist vs. Tennessee State.

One of the best players on the floor for the Oregon Ducks so far this season has been center Nate Bittle, who came into Friday night’s game averaging 15 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

That looked like it was going to continue in the win over Tennessee State, with Bittle putting up 9 points in the first half. However, he did not return to the bench with the team after the break, and later emerged with what appeared to be a cast or a heavy brace on his left wrist. Bittle did not play at all in the second half.

After the game, head coach Dana Altman offered an update on the injury for Bittle.

“He’s over getting checked out,” Altman said after the game. “We don’t know, but we’ll probably have an evaluation tonight. He’s with the doctor getting it all checked out right now.”

Altman was also asked if there was an update on the hamstring injury that has held N’Faly Dante out of the last two games for the Ducks, but he wasn’t able to provide anything specific, other than the fact that the center will see a specialist in Chicago on Monday to see if they can get to the bottom of his nagging injury.

Oregon has also been without a pair of their freshmen, with Jackson Shelstad and Mookie Cook yet to make their college debuts.

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