Oregon Faces Unbeaten USC Amid Early-Season Turmoil
Oregon’s men’s basketball team is heading into its Big Ten opener against USC tonight, and honestly, the vibe around the Ducks right now feels tense. The season hasn’t just been bumpy — it’s been a full-on slog. They managed to start 4-0, but even that stretch raised eyebrows. They barely survived Hawaii without Jackson Shelstad, scraped past Rice once he returned, chucked up a program-record 40 threes against South Dakota State, and still looked out of sync while grinding out a win over Oregon State. It was an undefeated start that didn’t feel particularly triumphant.
Then came the Players Era Festival — and that’s where everything really unraveled. Oregon went 0-3, coughing up 18 turnovers to Auburn, watching San Diego State shoot an almost unbelievable 67% from the field, and then going ice cold against Creighton by hitting just one of fifteen attempts from deep. By this point, the Ducks weren’t just struggling; they were openly circling the wagons.
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Dana Altman didn’t sugarcoat anything. He fully put the blame on himself, saying the team was poorly coached and disconnected, and that the players weren’t trusting what they were being asked to do. It was basically a full accountability speech — but it also highlighted just how disjointed the group has been. They’re one of the worst shooting teams in the country right now, the defense hasn’t looked sharp, and turnovers keep coming at the worst times.
Part of the issue is that Oregon just isn’t attacking the basket enough, so they aren’t getting free throws. Nate Bittle and Kwame Evans Jr. have produced points inside when they get touches, but the guards have been far too eager to settle for threes. And several rotation players still haven’t found their rhythm. Takai Simpkins has flashed scoring moments but also disappeared in games. Devon Pryor and Dez Lindsay haven’t hit their stride, and the backup frontcourt rotation remains unsettled. Even Wei Lin, who has struggled badly from the field, was benched against Creighton until a pair of better practices brought him back into the conversation.
Still, this roster is built around Bittle, Shelstad, and Evans — and the Ducks simply can’t win big games unless all three play well on the same night. The problem is, that still hasn’t happened. To make matters tougher, both Bittle and Pryor are questionable for tonight.
And looming on the other side is USC — undefeated at 7-0 and averaging nearly 92 points per game. Rodney Rice and Chad Baker-Mazara have been putting up big numbers, and this will be their first true road test. Oregon, undefeated at home so far, will try to protect its own floor, but with UCLA and Gonzaga coming up later this month, the pressure to steady the ship is real.
Altman told his team to ignore analytics — which isn’t surprising, because Oregon debuted at 192 in the NET rankings, the lowest in program history. His message is simple: get better now. December is going to define whether the Ducks can recover or whether this season continues to drift in the wrong direction.
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