Oregon's Paul White, left, joins teammates Louis King and Ehab Amin at midcourt after their win over USC in an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019, in Eugene, Ore.
Wondering how Pac-12 men’s basketball went sideways this season?
Oregon might be Exhibit A.
Picked to win the conference, the Ducks have been without key players all season, including the potential Pac-12 Player of the Year: Superbly skilled freshman center Bol Bol was lost with what became a season-ending foot injury last month.
They have only one win over a top 100 NET team (Syracuse in New York), a really bad home loss (Texas Southern) and a complete meltdown (blowing a nine-point lead in the final minute against UCLA, then losing in overtime).
Oregon also lost its home Pac-12 opener to Oregon State, which had won only twice in 25 previous games at Eugene, and along the way, lost a transfer (Abu Kigab) to Boise State.
But there’s also reason to believe the Ducks, even with a 1-2 start, can still make a run for the title and help bring respectability back to the conference.
“They’ve really been hit as hard as a team can get hit with injuries, so it’s hard to judge them,†UA coach Sean Miller said. “But what I will say is that (Oregon’s) Dana Altman is one of college basketball’s best coaches and I could see it last weekend. I know they dropped one against UCLA but they played a great game against USC.
“He has his team playing as hard as any team in our conference.â€
Altman told reporters in Eugene on Tuesday that the Ducks simply need to go to Arizona and “swing away,†needing to get better before they can even think about the big picture.
Here are three reasons why they might do just that:
