Oregon projected to make expanded NCAA Tournament field, per ESPN
ESPN's projections for the new NCAA Tournament include the Oregon Ducks after an eventful offseason for Dana Altman.
What a whirlwind of an offseason it's been for the Oregon Ducks men's basketball program. It began with the Ducks losing nine players to the transfer portal, including stars Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans Jr. , and Nate Bittle exhausted his eligibility.
With only one returning player under scholarship and three unproven freshmen coming in, it was fair to question how coach Dana Altman could fill out the roster enough to compete after his worst season in Eugene. Yet, here we are. Altman managed to wrangle in eight transfers from the portal, giving the Ducks a good blend of size and shooting.
Now, not only is Oregon expected to be better than their 12-20 finish last season, but they could wind up back in the NCAA Tournament. ESPN's Joe Lunardi released his latest NCAA Tournament bracket projections after the tournament was expanded to include 76 teams. Among the teams benefiting from the expansion are the Ducks.
Lunardi's projections have Oregon facing off against LSU in a play-in game ahead of the first round for a No. 11 seed. The winner would advance into the Midwest bracket and take on No.