After being ranked 21st in the AP preseason poll, the 2022-23 Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team seemed primed to be a single-digit seed in the 2023 NCAA tournament. But after Oregon suffered several upset losses early in the season and failed to string together wins later on, they were unable to make the tournament altogether.
We are 6 months away from when Oregon will hit the court again which means we can begin to make predictions about how the 2023-24 Ducks will fare. With the level of talent on the Ducks roster, there is reason to be optimistic about Oregon’s tournament chances.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his first bracketology report for 2024. In the report, he predicts to be a No. 9 seed in 2024, which would pit them against No. 8 seed Miami in the first round next March.
Oregon is one of five Pac-12 teams picked by Lunardi to make it to the round of 64. Arizona is the front-runner of the five schools and is projected to be a five-seed as the champion of the Pac-12. USC and UCLA are both picked to be six-seeds and Colorado joins Oregon as a nine.
The Ducks’ lineup will look a lot different next season. In the 2023 recruiting class, the Ducks have letters of intent from SF Mookie Cook, PG Jackson Shelstad, and PF Kwame Evans Jr. — all of whom are five-star recruits. Additionally, star center N’faly Dante, two-way wing Jermaine Couisnard, and sharpshooting guard Keeshawn Barthelemy are all returning for another year in Eugene.
Oregon did see some notable losses this offseason including five-year veteran PG, Will Richardson, and former five-star big man, Kel’el Ware. Hopefully, with pickups in the transfer portal and the 2023 class, those holes can be filled.
In the 2022-2023 season, the Ducks were often plagued by injuries, but even when key players were healthy, they struggled to put the pieces together. If Oregon is to make it to the NCAA tournament in 2024, they will need to play much more cohesively than last year’s team did. The talent of the Ducks’ roster is undeniable and if they can capitalize on that talent, the ceiling for the Ducks could be much higher than a No. 9 seed.
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