Oregon Ducks | ||||
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University | University of Oregon | |||
Athletic director | Rob Mullens | |||
Head coach | Dana Altman (14th season) | |||
Conference | Pac-12 | |||
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 | ||||
NCAA tournament Final Four | ||||
1939, 2017 | ||||
NCAA tournament Elite Eight | ||||
1939, 1945, 1960, 2002, 2007, 2016, 2017 | ||||
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | ||||
1960, 2002, 2007, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021 | ||||
NCAA tournament round of 32 | ||||
2002, 2007, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2024 | ||||
NCAA tournament appearances | ||||
1939, 1945, 1960, 1961, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2024 | ||||
Conference tournament champions | ||||
2003, 2007, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2024 | ||||
Conference regular season champions | ||||
1919, 1939, 1945, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021 |
The Oregon Ducks men's basketball team is an intercollegiate basketball program that competes in the NCAA Division I and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference, representing the University of Oregon. The Ducks play their home games at Matthew Knight Arena, which has a capacity of 12,364. Then coached by Howard Hobson, Oregon won the first NCAA men's basketball national championship in 1939. [2] They again reached the Final Four in 2017 under head coach Dana Altman, marking the longest span between appearances in NCAA history (78 years). The Ducks have made the NCAA tournament 18 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 with Oregon losing both games. [3] Oregon did not record a win until its fourth season in 1907 against Roseburg. The season ended with a winning record of 4–3, under Hugo 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 by William Hayward, Oregon's track coach. [3] In 1923, William 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 the NCAA Basketball Championship. Sports editor L. 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 to Stanford back west in San 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 the Pacific Coast Conference, which set off a best-of-three playoff against the California 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 the Texas Longhorns in the first game 56–41 then the Oklahoma Sooners 55–37. [6] The Ohio State Buckeyes had defeated Wake Forest and Villanova 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 by John 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 coach Steve 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 was Stan Love, a gifted shooter and rebounder, who led the Pac-8 in scoring for two straight seasons. He is the father of current NBA star Kevin Love. In 1971, head coach Dick Harter arrived at Oregon and achieved some consistency with the program. [3] [8] Harter's teams were dubbed the Kamikaze Kids and featured hard play, diving for loose balls, and swarming defense. They were also credited for inspiring the intimidating atmosphere at McArthur 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 straight NITs, 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 coach Jerry 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 the Elite Eight by defeating Montana, Wake Forest and Texas. [12] They were eliminated by Kansas and finished the season with a number 11 ranking in the AP Poll. [13] [14] It was Oregon's deepest run in the tournament in 42 years.
Luke Ridnour was selected as the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2003 as the Ducks won the Pac-10 tournament, defeating the USC Trojans in the conference championship game 74–66. [15] The Ducks entered the NCAA Tournament as an 8 seed and lost to Utah in the first round 58–60. [16]
Oregon made a Final Four appearance in the NIT in 2004 but otherwise made little impact until 2007. [3] Oregon swept its 12 intersectional games to start 2007 and upset #1 ranked UCLA in the third Pac-10 game. The Ducks finished the regular season with a 23–7 record and defeated Arizona, California, and USC to win the 2007 Pac-10 Tournament. [17] The Ducks earned a #3 seed [18] in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight by defeating Miami (Ohio) 58–56, Winthrop 75–61 and University of Nevada, Las Vegas 76–72. On March 25, played and lost to the eventual NCAA National Champions, the Florida Gators, by a score of 77–85. [17]
Oregon was considered the favorite to land Class of 2007 high school stars Kevin Love and Kyle Singler, widely considered to be the greatest high school players to ever come out of Oregon. In the summer of 2005, Love and Singler dropped Oregon from their list because of the turmoil inside the Oregon team, centering on the moral allegations concerning coach Ernie Kent. Love eventually chose to attend UCLA and Singler chose Duke.
The Ducks were selected as a No. 9 seed in the 2008 NCAA tournament in the Southern Region. They lost to No. 8 seed Mississippi State Bulldogs in first-round play on March 21, 2008, in Little Rock, Arkansas. [19]
On March 15, 2010, the university announced that the decision had been made to fire Ernie 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. [20]
In April 2010, Dana Altman from Creighton University was hired to replace Ernie Kent after a monthlong search. [21] [22] Altman led the Ducks to a CBI championship in his first year at Oregon and led the Ducks to the Sweet 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 2nd Pac-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 as Oregon won the 2015–16 regular season title, finishing 14–4 in league play. Altman also won the 2015–2016 Pac-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 defeated Holy Cross and Saint 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 champion Duke 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 to North Carolina by one point.
McArthur Court was constructed in 1926 and the first Oregon basketball game was played in the arena on January 14, 1927, defeating Willamette University 38–10. The arena is located across from Pioneer Cemetery and is named after Clifton McArthur, the first student body president. [23] 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. [24]
In early 2009, the university broke ground on a new $227 million basketball arena designed by TVA Architects to replace McArthur Court. [25] [26] The new arena was named Matthew Knight Arena, after Phil Knight's son who drowned in a scuba diving accident in 2004. [24] 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. [26] [27] The hardwood court was named after Patrick Kilkenny, a booster for the university and the former interim athletic director. It had been the subject of much debate upon its opening, due to its unconventional and artistic design. Designer Tinker 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. [28] Matthew Knight Arena opened its doors for the first time on January 13, 2011, with the Ducks defeating the University of Southern California 68–62. [24]
Players
Coaches
Individual Conference Award Winners
All-AmericansThe following players were named first, second or third-team All-Americans by one of outlets used by the NCAA to determine consensus selections
PostseasonNCAA tournament resultsThe Ducks have appeared in 18 NCAA tournaments. They won the inaugural NCAA tournament in 1939, winning the National Championship vs. Ohio State. Their combined record is 27–17, with one no–contest in 2021.
NCAA Tournament round history
Historical NCAA Tournament SeedingThe NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.
Conference Tournament Championships
Pac-10/12 Tournament Seeding
NIT resultsThe Ducks have appeared in 13 National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 17–13.
CBI resultsThe Ducks have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational. Their record is 5–1 and were the 2011 champions.
Record vs. former Pac-12 opponentsAll-time series includes non-conference matchups and Pac-12 Tournament results. [29]
Record vs. Big Ten OpponentsAll-time series includes non-conference matchups.
Updated April 4, 2024 Oregon men's basketball players in professional teamsRelated Research ArticlesThe Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Big Ten. With eighteen varsity teams, Oregon is best known for its American football team and track and field program, which has helped Eugene gain a reputation as "Track Town, USA". Oregon's main rivalries are with the Oregon State Beavers and the Washington Huskies. Howard Andrew "Hobby" Hobson was an American basketball player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head basketball coach at Southern Oregon Normal School—now Southern Oregon University—from 1932 to 1935, at the University of Oregon from 1935 to 1944 and again from 1945 to 1947, and at Yale University from 1947 to 1956, compiling a career college basketball record of 401–257. Hobson's 1938–39 Oregon basketball team won the inaugural NCAA basketball tournament. Hobson authored numerous books on the subject of basketball. He was also the head football coach at Southern Oregon for 1932 to 1934, tallying a mark of 12–7–1, and the head baseball coach at Oregon from 1936 to 1947, amassing a record of 167–75–1. Hobson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 1965. Ernest Kent is an American college basketball coach. He is the former head men's basketball coach at Washington State University. Prior to Washington State, he served as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Oregon and at Saint Mary's (CA). Kent was previously an assistant at Stanford University and also coached abroad in Saudi Arabia. Kent is a college basketball commentator with the Pac-12 Network. Dana Dean Altman is an American college basketball coach of the Oregon Ducks men's team. Previously he was head coach at Creighton, Kansas State and Marshall. He has been awarded a Coach of the Year Award for each team that he has coached in the NCAA to go with ten conference tournament championships and seven regular season titles while reaching the NCAA tournament sixteen times; he led the Ducks to the Final Four in 2017, which was their first as a program since 1939. Kelly Lee Graves is the current head women's basketball coach at the University of Oregon. Previously, Graves was the head women's basketball coach at St. Mary's from 1997 to 2000, as well as Gonzaga University from 2000 to 2014. He was formerly an assistant coach for the Portland Pilots (1994–1997) and St. Mary Gaels, where he later got his first head coaching stint with the Gaels from 1997 to 2000. From the 2004–2005 season to the 2013–2014 season, he guided Gonzaga to ten consecutive West Coast Conference regular season titles. The 2007 team went 13–1 in conference play, and later won the WCC conference tournament. The school also received its first ever NCAA tournament appearance. He was named WCC co-coach of the year for his accomplishments. In 2005, 2010, and 2011, Gonzaga went undefeated in WCC regular season play. The 1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team was a college basketball team that represented the University of Oregon. The Webfoots, coached by Howard Hobson, played in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) and compiled a 29–5 win–loss record in regular and postseason competition. After winning the PCC title, they became the champions of the inaugural NCAA basketball tournament. The 2010–11 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ducks, led by first year head coach Dana Altman, played the first part of their home games at McArthur Court until the completion of their new stadium, Matthew Knight Arena, in January. They are members of the Pacific-10 Conference. They finished the season 21–18, 7–11 in Pac-10 play and lost in the semifinals of the 2011 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament to Washington. They were invited to and were champions of the 2011 College Basketball Invitational, defeating Creighton in the best-of-three games finals 2–1. The Ducks were the second team from the Pac-10 to enter the CBI with a losing record and win the tournament. The 2011–12 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ducks, led by their 2nd year head coach Dana Altman, are members of the Pac-12 Conference and played their first full season in Matthew Knight Arena, which opened in the middle of the previous season. They finished the season 24–10, 13–5 in Pac-12 play to finish in a tie for second place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Basketball tournament to Colorado. They were invited to the 2012 National Invitation Tournament where they defeated LSU in the first round and Iowa in the second round before falling in the quarterfinals to fellow Pac-12 member and rival Washington. The 2012–13 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ducks, led by their third year head coach Dana Altman, were members of the Pac-12 Conference and played their home games at Matthew Knight Arena. They finished with a record of 28–9 overall, 12–6 in Pac-12 play to finish in a three-way tie for second place. They were champions of the Pac-12 tournament, defeating UCLA in the championship game, to earn an automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA tournament where they defeated Oklahoma State in the second round and Saint Louis in the third round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to Louisville. The 2014–15 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ducks were led by their fifth year head coach Dana Altman. They played their home games at Matthew Knight Arena and were members of the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 26–10, 13–5 in Pac-12 play to finish in a tie for second place. They advanced to the championship game of the Pac-12 tournament where they lost to Arizona. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Oklahoma State in the second round before losing in the third round to Wisconsin. The 2015–16 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ducks were led by sixth year head coach Dana Altman. They played their home games at Matthew Knight Arena and were members of the Pac–12 Conference. They finished the season 31–7, 14–4 in Pac-12 play to win the Pac-12 regular season championship. They defeated Washington, Arizona and Utah to be champions of the Pac-12 tournament. They received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Holy Cross, Saint Joseph's, and Duke to advance to the Elite Eight where they lost to Oklahoma. The 2016–17 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ducks were led by seventh year head coach Dana Altman. They played their home games at Matthew Knight Arena as members of the Pac–12 Conference. They finished the season 33–6, 16–2 in Pac-12 play to win a share of the regular season Pac-12 championship. They defeated Arizona State and California in the Pac-12 tournament before losing in the final to Arizona. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Iona, Rhode Island, Michigan, and Kansas to advance to the Final Four, marking the longest span between appearances in NCAA history, where they lost to the eventual champions North Carolina. The 2017–18 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ducks, led by eighth-year head coach Dana Altman, played their home games at Matthew Knight Arena as members of the Pac–12 Conference. They finished the season 23–13, 10–8 in Pac-12 play to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 6 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, they defeated Washington State in the first round and Utah in the quarterfinals before being defeated by USC in the semifinals. They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated Rider in the first round before losing to Marquette in the second round. The 2018–19 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ducks, led by ninth-year head coach Dana Altman, played their home games at Matthew Knight Arena as members of the Pac–12 Conference. They finished the season with a 25–13 record, 10–8 in conference play, and finished tied for 4th in the Pac-12. Oregon won the Pac-12 tournament, upsetting the No. 1 seed Washington and receiving the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Oregon entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 seed and upset the No. 5 seed Wisconsin in the first round, beat UC Irvine in the Second Round before losing in the Sweet Sixteen to Virginia. The 2019–20 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ducks, led by 10th-year head coach Dana Altman, played their home games at Matthew Knight Arena as members of the Pac–12 Conference. They finished the season 24–7, 13–5 in Pac-12 play to win the regular season Pac-12 championship. They were set to take on rival Oregon State in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament. However, the Pac-12 Tournament, along with all postseason tournaments, was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020–21 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ducks, led by 11th-year head coach Dana Altman, played their home games at Matthew Knight Arena as members of the Pac–12 Conference. They finished the season 21-7, 14-4 in Pac-12 Play to finish as regular season champions. They defeated Arizona State in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament before losing in the semifinals to Oregon State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they advanced to the Second Round due to a positive COVID-19 test from VCU. They defeated Iowa in the second round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to USC. The 2020–21 Oregon Ducks women's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Ducks, led by seventh-year head coach Kelly Graves, played home games at the Matthew Knight Arena as members of the Pac-12 Conference. The 2021–22 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ducks, led by 12th-year head coach Dana Altman, played their home games at Matthew Knight Arena as members of the Pac–12 Conference. The 2022–23 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ducks, led by 13th-year head coach Dana Altman, played their home games at Matthew Knight Arena as members of the Pac–12 Conference. They finished the season 18–13, 12–8 in Pac-12 play to finish in fourth place. As the No. 4 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, they defeated Washington State in the quarterfinals before losing to UCLA in the semifinal round. They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated UC Irvine in the first round and UCF in the second round, before losing to Wisconsin in the quarterfinals. The 2023–24 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team represented the University of Oregon during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ducks, led by 14th-year head coach Dana Altman, played their home games at Matthew Knight Arena as members of the Pac–12 Conference. They were competing in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, clinching a spot after beating Colorado 75–68 in the Pac-12 Tournament final. References
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