Oregon Ducks men's basketball
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 Big Ten 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. They again reached the Final Four in 2017 under head coach Dana Altman, marking the longest span between appearances in NCAA history. The Ducks have made the NCAA tournament 19 times, and have won eight conference championships.
History
Early years
The University of Oregon men's basketball team played its first season in 1902β03 with Charles Burden as the head coach. Only two games were played that season, both against Corvallis State Agricultural College, now known as Oregon State. Oregon lost both games, losing the first one 32β2 on the road, and the second one 24β22 at home. Oregon did not record a win until its fourth season in 1907 against Roseburg. That season ended with a winning record of 4β3, under Hugo Bezdek, who also coached the football team. Bezdek left after that season to coach at Arkansas until 1913 when he went back to Oregon to coach until 1917.During Bezdek's absence, the basketball team was coached largely by William Hayward, Oregon's track coach. 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.
The Tall Firs
Howard Hobson, an alumnus of the university, became the head coach in 1935, following Reinhart's departure. 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.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.
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 6β3 during that trip but gained valuable experience for the remainder of the season. Oregon went 14β2 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.
The Ducks returned to San Francisco for the NCAA regional series where they defeated the Texas Longhorns in the first game 56β41 then the Oklahoma Sooners 55β37. The Ohio State Buckeyes had defeated Wake Forest and Villanova in their regional series to earn their right in the championship game. 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 46β33.
Howard Hobson remained as the head coach until 1947 except for a one-year hiatus during the 1944β45 season, coached by John Warren.
Kamikaze Kids
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 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. 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, they were not without accomplishments. They assembled two 20 win seasons, appeared in three straight NITs, and upset #1 ranked UCLA in 1974.Harter's only losing season in Oregon was his first. He left in 1978 and the Ducks slid, suffering five consecutive losing seasons. 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.
Ernie Kent era
In 1997, Ernie Kent was hired to fill the vacancy at head coach left by Jerry Green. Kent had been one of Harter's Kamikaze Kids, and his teams were known for a similarly up-tempo style of play. 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. 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. They were eliminated by Kansas and finished the season with a number 11 ranking in the AP Poll. 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 74β66. The Ducks entered the NCAA Tournament as an 8 seed and lost to Utah in the first round 60β58.
Oregon made a Final Four appearance in the NIT in 2004 but otherwise made little impact until 2007. 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 23β7 record and defeated Arizona, California, and USC to win the 2007 Pac-10 Tournament. The Ducks earned a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight by defeating Miami (Ohio) 58β56, Winthrop 75β61 and University of Nevada, Las Vegas 76β72. On March 25, played and lost to the eventual NCAA National Champions, the Florida Gators, by a score of 85β77.
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. 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.
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.
Dana Altman era
In April 2010, Dana Altman from Creighton University was hired to replace Ernie Kent after a monthlong search. Altman led the Ducks to a CBI championship in his first year at Oregon and led the Ducks to the Sweet 16 during the 2012β13 season. Altman led the Ducks back to the NCAA Tournament in the 2013β14 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 2014β15, 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. Altman's success continued into the following season as Oregon won the 2015β16 regular season title, finishing 14β4 in league play. Altman also won the 2015β2016 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 2015β16 season was very noteworthy, with the Ducks emerging victorious in the 2015β16 Pac-12 Conference Tournament. This led to the Ducks being the top seed in the West Regional of the 2015β2016 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, 82β68, 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.
Venues and facilities
McArthur Court was constructed in 1926 and the first Oregon basketball game was played in the arena on January 14, 1927, defeating Willamette University 38β10. The arena is located across from Pioneer Cemetery and is named after Clifton McArthur, the first student body president. 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.In early 2009, the university broke ground on a new $227 million basketball arena designed by TVA Architects to replace McArthur Court. The new arena was named Matthew Knight Arena, after Phil Knight's son who drowned in a scuba diving accident in 2004. 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. 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. Matthew Knight Arena opened its doors for the first time on January 13, 2011, with the Ducks defeating the University of Southern California 68β62.
Individual accomplishments
Individual National Award Winners
PlayersCoaches
- '''Jim Phelan Award'''
Individual Conference Award Winners
- Pac-12 Player of the Year
- Pac-12 Defensive Player of the YearPac-12 Freshman of the YearPac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player
- '''Pac-12 Coach of the Year'''
All-Americans
The following players were named first, second or third-team All-Americans by one of outlets used by the NCAA to determine consensus selections| Edwin Durno | 1921 | Consensus First Team β Helms |
| Hugh Latham | 1924 | Consensus First Team β Helms |
| Algot Westergren | 1926 | Consensus First Team β Helms |
| Slim Wintermute | 1938 | Converse |
| Slim Wintermute | 1939 | Consensus First Team β Helms, Converse |
| Laddie Gale | 1939 | Helms |
| Bobby Anet | 1939 | Converse |
| John Dick | 1940 | Consensus First Team β Helms, Converse, Madison Square Garden |
| Vic Townsend | 1941 | Converse |
| Wally Borrevik | 1944 | Converse |
| Ron Lee | 1975 | Consensus Second Team β AP, NABC, UPI |
| Ron Lee | 1976 | AP, NABC, UPI |
| Greg Ballard | 1977 | Consensus Second Team β USBWA, NABC |
| Luke Ridnour | 2003 | Sporting News |
| Luke Jackson | 2004 | Consensus Second Team β AP, NABC, Sporting News |
| Aaron Brooks | 2007 | AP, Sporting News |
| Joe Young | 2015 | Sporting News |
| Dillon Brooks | 2016 | Sporting News |
| Dillon Brooks | 2017 | Consensus Second Team β AP, USBWA, NABC, Sporting News |
| Payton Pritchard | 2020 | Consensus First Team β AP, USBWA, NABC, Sporting News |
| Chris Duarte | 2021 | AP, USBWA |
Postseason
NCAA tournament results
The Ducks have appeared in 19 NCAA tournaments. They won the inaugural NCAA tournament in 1939, winning the National Championship vs. Ohio State. Their combined record is 28-18, with one noβcontest in 2021.| 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 | Texas | L 73-90 |
| 2000 | 7 E | Round of 64 | Seton Hall | L 71-72 OT |
| 2002 | 2 M | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Montana Wake Forest Texas #2 Kansas | W 81-62 W 92-87 W 72-70 L 86-104 |
| 2003 | 8 M | Round of 64 | Utah | L 58-60 |
| 2007 | 3 M | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Miami Winthrop UNLV #1 Florida | W 58-56 W 75-61 W 76-72 L 77-85 |
| 2008 | 9 S | Round of 64 | Mississippi State | L 69-76 |
| 2013 | 12 M | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen | #17 Oklahoma State #13 Saint Louis #2 Louisville | W 68-55 W 74-57 L 69-77 |
| 2014 | 7 W | Round of 64 Round of 32 | BYU #12 Wisconsin | W 87-68 L 77-85 |
| 2015 | 8 W | Round of 64 Round of 32 | Oklahoma State #3 Wisconsin | W 79-73 L 65-72 |
| 2016 | 1 W | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Holy Cross Saint Joseph's #19 Duke #7 Oklahoma | W 91β52 W 69β64 W 82β68 L 68β80 |
| 2017 | 3 M | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | Iona Rhode Island #23 [2016β17 2016β17 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team|Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team|Michigan] #3 Kansas #5 North Carolina | W 93-77 W 75-72 W 69-68 W 74-60 L 76β77 |
| 2019 | 12 S | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen | #21 Wisconsin UC Irvine #2 Virginia | W 72-54 W 73-54 L 49β53 |
| 2021 | 7 W | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen | VCU #8 Iowa #23 USC | No Contest W 95β80 L 68β82 |
| 2024 | 11 M | Round of 64 Round of 32 | #16 South Carolina #11 Creighton | W 87β73 L 73β86 2OT |
| 2025 | 5E | Round of 64 Round of 32 | Liberty #21 Arizona | W 81β52 L 83β87 |
Historical NCAA Tournament Seeding
The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.| Years β | '39 | '45 | '60 | '61 | '95 | '00 | '02 | '03 | '07 | '08 | '13 | '14 | '15 | '16 | '17 | '19 | '20 | '21 | '24 | '25 |
| Seeds β | 6 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 5 |
- 1939 national champion
- The 2020 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was canceled March 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Conference Tournament Championships
| 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 β | '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 |
| Seedsβ | 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 β | '25 |
| Seedsβ | 8 |
- Bold indicates tournament champion
NIT results
The Ducks have appeared in 13 National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 17β13.| 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 99β86 L 92β101 |
| 2022 | First Round Second Round | Utah State Texas A&M | W 83β72 L 60β75 |
| 2023 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | UC Irvine UCF Wisconsin | W 84β58 W 68β54 L 58β61 |
CBI results
The Ducks have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational. Their record is 5-1 and were the 2011 champions.| 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 79β71 L 76β84 W 71β58 W 71β69 |
Record vs. former Pac-12 opponents
All-time series includes non-conference matchups and Pac-12 Tournament results.Record vs. Big Ten Opponents
All-time series includes non-conference matchups.| Illinois | 2 | 5 | Illinois 1 | |
| Indiana | 2 | 3 | Oregon 2 | |
| Iowa | 3 | 6 | Oregon 2 | |
| Maryland | 1 | 0 | Oregon 1 | |
| Michigan | 3 | 5 | Michigan 1 | |
| Michigan State | 2 | 3 | Michigan State 3 | |
| Minnesota | 3 | 7 | Minnesota 1 | |
| Nebraska | 6 | 8 | Nebraska 1 | |
| Northwestern | 3 | 0 | Oregon 3 | |
| Ohio State | 2 | 2 | Oregon 1 | |
| Penn State | 2 | 0 | Oregon 2 | |
| Purdue | 2 | 3 | Purdue 1 | |
| Rutgers | 2 | 1 | Oregon 2 | |
| UCLA | 42 | 96 | UCLA 2 | |
| USC | 66 | 69 | Oregon 6 | |
| Washington | 125 | 192 | Oregon 4 | |
| Wisconsin | 4 | 6 | Oregon 1 |
Updated March 23, 2025