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Well, it’s certainly not where the Oregon Ducks foresaw themselves playing this postseason, but it will have to do.
Dana Altman and his team are headed to the National Invitational Tournament for the first time since 2018. After spending the second half of the season on the tournament bubble, the Ducks lost seven of their last 10 games and lost any chance at making it into the NCAA Tournament.
So now firmly in the NIT, Oregon — a No. 5 seed — will be set with a matchup against No. 4seeded Utah State. That round one game will come on Wednesday and be played at Utah State.
One of the biggest questions for Oregon going forward is whether or not senior point guard Will Richardson will be available for the Ducks. After falling into a massive slump at the end of the regular season, Richardson was ruled out for the final game of the year and did not play in the Pac-12 tournament for reportedly “not feeling well.” It was officially reported that Richardson was under the weather with a “non-COVID-related illness.”
Whether or not Richardson is available to play, the Ducks will be in for a tough matchup against Utah State. It will be interesting to see what type of fire they play with, as it is sometimes common for a team who had such high aspirations for March Madness to be relegated to the NIT and put up a dud.
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