| Oregon Ducks | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| University | University of Oregon | ||||||||||||
| Athletic director | Rob Mullens | ||||||||||||
| Head coach | Dana Altman (16th season) | ||||||||||||
| Conference | Big Ten | ||||||||||||
| Location | Eugene, OR | ||||||||||||
| Arena | Matthew Knight Arena (capacity: 12,364) | ||||||||||||
| Nickname | Ducks | ||||||||||||
| Student section | Oregon Pit Crew | ||||||||||||
| Colors | Green and yellow[1] | ||||||||||||
| Uniforms | |||||||||||||
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| NCAA tournament champions | |||||||||||||
| 1939 | |||||||||||||
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| Conference tournament champions | |||||||||||||
| 2003, 2007, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2024 | |||||||||||||
| Conference regular-season champions | |||||||||||||
| 1919, 1939, 1945, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021 | |||||||||||||
TheOregon Ducks men's basketball team is anintercollegiate basketball program that competes in theNCAA Division I and is a member of theBig Ten Conference, representing theUniversity of Oregon. The Ducks play their home games atMatthew Knight Arena, which has a capacity of 12,364. Then coached byHoward Hobson, Oregon won the first NCAA men's basketball national championship in 1939.[2] They again reached the Final Four in 2017 under head coachDana Altman, marking the longest span between appearances in NCAA history (79 years). The Ducks have made the NCAA tournament 19 times, and have won eight conference championships.
The University of Oregon men's basketball team played its first season in 1902–03 with Charles Burden as the head coach. Only two games were played that season, both against Corvallis State Agricultural College, now known asOregon State. Oregon lost both games, losing the first one 32–2 on the road, and the second one 24–22 at home.[3] Oregon did not record a win until its fourth season in 1907 against Roseburg. That season ended with a winning record of 4–3, underHugo Bezdek, who also coached the football team.[3] Bezdek left after that season to coach at Arkansas until 1913 when he went back to Oregon to coach until 1917.[4]
During Bezdek's absence, the basketball team was coached largely byWilliam Hayward, Oregon's track coach.[3] In 1923,Bill Reinhart took over as the head coach and remained through the erection of McArthur Court until 1935. Coach Reinhart suffered only one losing season at Oregon.[3]
Howard Hobson, an alumnus of the university, became the head coach in 1935, following Reinhart's departure.[3] His ideas were considered cutting edge during his years at Oregon and he was well ahead of his time. He ran a fast break offense little used by anyone else in the country at the time and his defenses were an unorthodox hybrid defense. He lobbied for the installment of a shot clock and three-point field goal years before they were first introduced.[5]In 1939, the Oregon Ducks became the first team to win theNCAA Basketball Championship. Sports editorL. H. Gregory coined the phrase "Tall Firs" to describe the Oregon players due to their taller stature compared to other teams in the country.[5]The season started with a long trip to the east coast for a series of games, ending with a loss toStanford back west inSan Francisco. The Ducks went 6–3 during that trip but gained valuable experience for the remainder of the season.[6] Oregon went 14–2 to claim the North Division title in thePacific Coast Conference, which set off a best-of-three playoff against theCalifornia Golden Bears. The Ducks won two games straight to claim the conference title.[7]
The Ducks returned to San Francisco for the NCAA regional series where they defeated theTexas Longhorns in the first game 56–41 then theOklahoma Sooners 55–37.[6] TheOhio State Buckeyes had defeatedWake Forest andVillanova in their regional series to earn their right in the championship game.[5] On March 27, Oregon and Ohio State squared off to claim the national title. Oregon emerged victorious to claim the first NCAA national championship trophy, defeating Ohio State 46–33.[6]
Howard Hobson remained as the head coach until 1947 except for a one-year hiatus during the 1944–45 season, coached byJohn Warren.[3]
The six decades following the Tall Firs consisted of an eclectic mix of up and down years, with more down than up. From Hobson's departure in 1947 until 1970, Oregon made only two NCAA Tournament appearances, in 1960 and 1961 under head coachSteve Belko. Those were the days when only one team per conference (usually the conference champion) was guaranteed a bid to the NCAA Tournament. One of Belko's stars wasStan Love, a gifted shooter and rebounder, who led the Pac-8 in scoring for two straight seasons. He is the father of current NBA starKevin Love. In 1971, head coachDick Harter arrived at Oregon and achieved some consistency with the program.[3][8] Harter's teams were dubbed theKamikaze Kids and featured hard play, diving for loose balls, and swarming defense. They were also credited for inspiring the intimidating atmosphere atMcArthur Court. While they never earned any conference titles due to UCLA's dominance of the Pac-8 (their best finish was second in 1976–77), they were not without accomplishments. They assembled two 20 win seasons, appeared in three straightNITs, and upset #1 ranked UCLA in 1974.[8][9]
Harter's only losing season in Oregon was his first. He left in 1978 and the Ducks slid, suffering five consecutive losing seasons.[3] Oregon made an appearance in the NCAA tournament in 1995 under head coachJerry Green, but otherwise accrued largely mediocre records in the two decades after Harter's departure.[3]
In 1997,Ernie Kent was hired to fill the vacancy at head coach left by Jerry Green.[10] Kent had been one of Harter's Kamikaze Kids, and his teams were known for a similarly up-tempo style of play.[11] In his third season as head coach, he took the Ducks back to the NCAA tournament where they fell in the first round. In 2002, Kent led the Ducks to their first conference championship since 1945, going through the regular season undefeated at home.[3][11] They earned a number 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament that year and advanced to theElite Eight by defeatingMontana,Wake Forest andTexas.[12] They were eliminated byKansas and finished the season with a number 11 ranking in the AP Poll.[13] It was Oregon's deepest run in the tournament in 42 years.
Luke Ridnour was selected as thePac-10 Player of the Year in 2003 as the Ducks won the Pac-10 tournament, defeating theUSC Trojans in the conference championship game 74–66.[14] The Ducks entered the NCAA Tournament as an 8 seed and lost to Utah in the first round 60–58.[15]
Oregon made a Final Four appearance in theNIT in 2004 but otherwise made little impact until 2007.[3] Oregon swept its 12 intersectional games to start 2007 and upset #1 rankedUCLA in the third Pac-10 game. The Ducks finished the regular season with a 23–7 record and defeatedArizona,California, andUSC to win the 2007Pac-10 Tournament.[16] The Ducks earned a #3 seed[17] in theNCAA tournament and advanced to theElite Eight by defeatingMiami (Ohio) 58–56,Winthrop 75–61 andUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas 76–72. On March 25, played and lost to the eventual NCAA National Champions, theFlorida Gators, by a score of 85–77.[16]
Oregon was considered the favorite to land Class of 2007 high school starsKevin Love andKyle Singler, widely considered to be the greatest high school players to ever come out of Oregon. Love eventually chose to attendUCLA and Singler choseDuke.
The Ducks were selected as a No. 9 seed in the 2008NCAA tournament in the Southern Region. They lost to No. 8 seedMississippi State Bulldogs in first-round play on March 21, 2008, inLittle Rock, Arkansas.[18]
On March 15, 2010, the university announced that the decision had been made to fireErnie Kent as a result of poor performance in the previous two seasons, placing 9th and 10th in conference in the respective years. Kent departed as the longest tenured Pac-10 coach and winningest coach in school history with 235 wins.[19]
In April 2010,Dana Altman fromCreighton University was hired to replaceErnie Kent after a monthlong search.[20][21] Altman led the Ducks to a CBI championship in his first year at Oregon and led the Ducks to theSweet 16 during the 2012–13 season. Altman led the Ducks back to the NCAA Tournament in the 2013–14 season where they defeated BYU but fell to Wisconsin in the round of 32. It was their 12th NCAA tournament appearance and was the first time Oregon won tournament games in back to back seasons in program history. In 2014–15, Altman won his 2ndPac-12 Coach of the Year in three seasons, as he had won the award in 2013. Altman also broke another school record as he became the first coach in Oregon history to go to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments (2013, 2014, 2015). Altman's success continued into the following season asOregon won the 2015–16 regular season title, finishing 14–4 in league play. Altman also won the 2015–2016Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the third time in four years.Lute Olson had been the only other coach in Pac-12 history to win the award three times in a four-year span.
The 2015–16 season was very noteworthy, with the Ducks emerging victorious in the 2015–16 Pac-12 Conference Tournament. This led to the Ducks being the top seed in the West Regional of the 2015–2016 NCAA tournament, its first ever top seeding in the NCAA tournament. The Ducks defeatedHoly Cross andSaint Joseph's in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament to advance to the Sweet 16 in Anaheim, where they defeated the number four seed and defending national championDuke Blue Devils, 82–68, to advance to the Elite 8. The following year, the Ducks would go on to be Pac-12 conference co-champions with Arizona, whom they lost to in the championship game of the Pac-12 Tournament. In that year's NCAA Tournament the Ducks would advance all the way to the Final Four, losing toNorth Carolina by one point.
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McArthur Court was constructed in 1926 and the first Oregon basketball game was played in the arena on January 14, 1927, defeatingWillamette University 38–10. The arena is located across fromPioneer Cemetery and is named afterClifton McArthur, the first student body president.[22] Even during the Ducks' lean years, it was known as one of the most hostile arenas in the Pac-10. A group of students known as the "Pit Crew" has at times created environments so intimidating that the basket would shake as opponents attempted free throws.[23]
In early 2009, the university broke ground on a new $227 million basketball arena designed by TVA Architects to replace McArthur Court.[24][25] The new arena was namedMatthew Knight Arena, afterPhil Knight's son who drowned in a scuba diving accident in 2004.[23] The arena is considered to be the front door to the university due to its high-profile location from where the majority of vehicular traffic into the university stems. A primary goal was to create the best collegiate basketball venue in the country though many criticisms arose due to the funding and price tag associated with the design.[25][26] The hardwood court was named afterPatrick Kilkenny, a booster for the university and the former interimathletic director. It had been the subject of much debate upon its opening, due to its unconventional and artistic design. DesignerTinker Hatfield's idea was to pay tribute to the 1939 national championship team, nicknamed "The Tall Firs", by creating silhouetted firs around the edges of the court.[27] Matthew Knight Arena opened its doors for the first time on January 13, 2011, with the Ducks defeating theUniversity of Southern California 68–62.[23]
Players
Coaches
The following players were named first, second or third-team All-Americans by one of outlets used by the NCAA to determine consensus selections
The Ducks have appeared in 19NCAA tournaments. They won the inaugural NCAA tournament in 1939, winning the National Championship vs. Ohio State. Their combined record is 28–18, with one no–contest in 2021.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Elite Eight Final Four Championship | Texas Oklahoma Ohio State | W 56–41 W 55–37 W 46–33 | |
| 1945 | Elite Eight Regional 3rd Place | Arkansas Utah | L 76–79 W 69–66 | |
| 1960 | Round of 25 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | New Mexico State Utah California | W 68–60 W 65–54 L 49–70 | |
| 1961 | Round of 24 | USC | L 79–81 | |
| 1995 | 6 W | Round of 64 | (11) Texas | L 73–90 |
| 2000 | 7 E | Round of 64 | (10) Seton Hall | L 71–72OT |
| 2002 | 2 M | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | (15) Montana (7) Wake Forest (6) Texas (1) #2Kansas | W 81–62 W 92–87 W 72–70 L 86–104 |
| 2003 | 8 M | Round of 64 | (9) Utah | L 58–60 |
| 2007 | 3 M | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | (14) Miami (OH) (11) Winthrop (7) UNLV (1) #1Florida | W 58–56 W 75–61 W 76–72 L 77–85 |
| 2008 | 9 S | Round of 64 | (8) Mississippi State | L 69–76 |
| 2013 | 12 M | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen | (5) #17Oklahoma State (4) #13Saint Louis (1) #2Louisville | W 68–55 W 74–57 L 69–77 |
| 2014 | 7 W | Round of 64 Round of 32 | (10) BYU (2) #12Wisconsin | W 87–68 L 77–85 |
| 2015 | 8 W | Round of 64 Round of 32 | (9)Oklahoma State (1) #3Wisconsin | W 79–73 L 65–72 |
| 2016 | 1 W | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | (16)Holy Cross (8)Saint Joseph's (4) #19Duke (2) #7Oklahoma | W 91–52 W 69–64 W 82–68 L 68–80 |
| 2017 | 3 M | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | (14)Iona (11)Rhode Island (7) #23Michigan (1) #3Kansas (1) #5North Carolina | W 93–77 W 75–72 W 69–68 W 74–60 L 76–77 |
| 2019 | 12 S | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen | (5) #21Wisconsin (13)UC Irvine (1) #2Virginia | W 72–54 W 73–54 L 49–53 |
| 2021 | 7 W | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen | (10)VCU (2) #8Iowa (6) #23USC | No Contest[a] W 95–80 L 68–82 |
| 2024 | 11 M | Round of 64 Round of 32 | (6) #16South Carolina (3) #11Creighton | W 87–73 L 73–862OT |
| 2025 | 5E | Round of 64 Round of 32 | (12)Liberty (4) #21Arizona | W 81–52 L 83–87 |
| Round | Record | Most Recent Appearance |
|---|---|---|
| National Championship | 1–0 | 1939 |
| Final Four | 1–1 | 2017 |
| Elite Eight | 2–5 | 2017 |
| Sweet Sixteen | 5–3 | 2021 |
| Round of 32 | 7–4 | 2025 |
| Round of 64 | 11-4 | 2025 |
| Regional third place | 1–0 | 1945 |
| Round of 24 | 1–1 | 1961 |
TheNCAA began seeding the tournament with the1979 edition.
| Years → | '39 | '45 | '60 | '61 | '95 | '00 | '02 | '03 | '07 | '08 | '13 | '14 | '15 | '16 | '17 | '19 | '20 | '21 | '24 | '25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeds → | 6 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 5 |
| Season | Coach | Seed | Tournament Record | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Ernie Kent | 5 | 3-0 | USC | W 74-66 |
| 2007 | Ernie Kent | 4 | 3-0 | USC | W 81-57 |
| 2013 | Dana Altman | 3 | 3-0 | UCLA | W 78-69 |
| 2016 | Dana Altman | 1 | 3-0 | Utah | W 88-57 |
| 2019 | Dana Altman | 6 | 4-0 | Washington | W 68-48 |
| 2024 | Dana Altman | 4 | 3-0 | Colorado | W 75-68 |
Pac-10/12 Tournament Seeding
| Years → | '87 | '88 | '89 | '90 | '02 | '03 | '04 | '05 | '06 | '07 | '08 | '09 | '10 | '11 | '12 | '13 | '14 | '15 | '16 | '17 | '18 | '19 | '20 | '21 | '22 | '23 | '24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeds→ | 7 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 5 | N/A | 7 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
B1G Tournament Seeding
| Years → | '25 |
|---|---|
| Seeds→ | 8 |
The Ducks have appeared in 13National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 17–13.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Third Place Game | Saint Peter's Oral Roberts Princeton St. John's | W 85–79 W 68–59 L 57–58 W 80–76 |
| 1976 | Quarterfinals | Charlotte | L 72–79 |
| 1977 | First Round Quarterfinals | Oral Roberts St. Bonaventure | W 90–89 L 73–76 |
| 1984 | First Round | Santa Clara | L 53–66 |
| 1988 | First Round Second Round | Santa Clara New Mexico | W 81–65 L 59–78 |
| 1990 | First Round | New Mexico | L 78–89 |
| 1997 | First Round | Hawai'i | L 61–71 |
| 1999 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Third Place Game | Georgia Tech Wyoming TCU California Xavier | W 67–64 W 93–72 W 77–68 L 69–85 L 75–106 |
| 2004 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Colorado George Mason Notre Dame Michigan | W 77–72 W 68–54 W 65–61 L 53–78 |
| 2012 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | LSU Iowa Washington | W 96–74 W 108–97 L 86–90 |
| 2018 | First Round Second Round | Rider Marquette | W 99–86 L 92–101 |
| 2022 | First Round Second Round | Utah State Texas A&M | W 83–72 L 60–75 |
| 2023 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | UC Irvine UCF Wisconsin | W 84–58 W 68–54 L 58–61 |
The Ducks have appeared in oneCollege Basketball Invitational. Their record is 5–1 and were the 2011 champions.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals Game 1 Finals Game 2 Finals Game 3 | Weber State Duquesne Boise State Creighton Creighton Creighton | W 68–59 W 77–75 W 79–71 L 76–84 W 71–58 W 71–69 |
All-time series includes non-conference matchups and Pac-12 Tournament results.[28]
| Opponent | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 38 | 55 | (.409) | Arizona 1 |
| Arizona St. | 49 | 47 | (.510) | Oregon 2 |
| Cal | 69 | 86 | (.445) | Cal 1 |
| Colorado | 13 | 17 | (.433) | Oregon 1 |
| Oregon St. | 173 | 192 | (.474) | Oregon 8 |
| Stanford | 60 | 96 | (.385) | Oregon 3 |
| Utah | 31 | 11 | (.738) | Oregon 1 |
| Washington State | 176 | 126 | (.583) | Wash St 1 |
All-time series includes non-conference matchups.
| Opponent | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 2 | 5 | (.286) | Illinois 1 |
| Indiana | 2 | 3 | (.400) | Oregon 2 |
| Iowa | 3 | 6 | (.333) | Oregon 2 |
| Maryland | 1 | 0 | (1.000) | Oregon 1 |
| Michigan | 3 | 5 | (.375) | Michigan 1 |
| Michigan State | 2 | 3 | (.400) | Michigan State 3 |
| Minnesota | 3 | 7 | (.300) | Minnesota 1 |
| Nebraska | 6 | 8 | (.429) | Nebraska 1 |
| Northwestern | 3 | 0 | (1.000) | Oregon 3 |
| Ohio State | 2 | 2 | (.500) | Oregon 1 |
| Penn State | 2 | 0 | (1.000) | Oregon 2 |
| Purdue | 2 | 3 | (.400) | Purdue 1 |
| Rutgers | 2 | 1 | (.667) | Oregon 2 |
| UCLA | 42 | 96 | (.304) | UCLA 2 |
| USC | 66 | 69 | (.489) | Oregon 6 |
| Washington | 125 | 192 | (.394) | Oregon 4 |
| Wisconsin | 4 | 6 | (.333) | Oregon 1 |
Updated March 23, 2025
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