They left the door open for Dana Altman's Ducks
Not the most useful tip considering the circumstances, but here’s something the rest of the Pac-12 can use for future reference: Don’t let the Oregon coach get his foot in the door.
Not the most useful tip considering the circumstances, but here’s something the rest of the Pac-12 can use for future reference: Don’t leave the door open for Dana Altman.
The number of scholarship players his Oregon men’s basketball team rolled into Vegas with could have comfortably fit in a 15 passenger van.
The point guard he started the season with? Out since December.
The star freshman from Portland who played LeBron James in that movie? That premiere got pushed back a year.
One five-star center (N’Faly Dante) missed the first two months due to injury. Another five-star center (Nate Bittle) has missed the last two months due to illness.
Depth? The Ducks have enough talent on the injury report (Keeshawn Barthelemy, Bittle, Jesse Zarzuela, Mookie Cook) to field a competitive starting lineup of its own at the Pac-12 Tournament.
These Ducks were supposed to be cooked.
They’ve looked it at times over the last two months against the Wildcats, the Buffaloes, the Cougars, the Bears and even the Bruins they faced Thursday night in the tournament’s quarterfinals. UCLA thumped Oregon pretty good the last time these two teams met, and for most of the game on Thursday it seemed that Mick Cronin would dodge his own questions about underperformance in favor of dumping them on the doorstep of the 65-year-old Altman.