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Oregon Basketball: Non-Conference Slate Features Memphis and Michigan

By Justin Phillips

PORTLAND, OR - DECEMBER 17: Head coach Dana Altman of the Oregon Ducks speaks with Payton Pritchard #3 during the second half of the game against the UNLV Rebels at Moda Center on December 17, 2016 in Portland, Oregon.The Ducks won the game 83-63. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - DECEMBER 17: Head coach Dana Altman of the Oregon Ducks speaks with Payton Pritchard #3 during the second half of the game against the UNLV Rebels at Moda Center on December 17, 2016 in Portland, Oregon.The Ducks won the game 83-63. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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The Oregon Ducks face several NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago to open 2019 including Memphis, Michigan, and Houston.

In past seasons, the Oregon Men’s Basketball team had the non-conference slate to build chemistry for a run down the stretch. That will not be the case this season as Oregon faces some very talented teams early on and will need to compete just to get to Pac-12 play.

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Head Coach Dana Altman is a wizard when it comes to recruiting. He has done it again this season, but late summer workouts and practices will all count. Practices for the upcoming season are about a month away and the non-conference slate features several teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season including hosting Houston at Matthew Knight Arena. The Cougars led by Head Coach Kelvin Sampson made the Sweet 16 last season. While Oregon may not get a lot of national attention early, there are several games that warrant attention.

Oregon travels to the Moda Center to face Memphis and to Michigan, a team that will likely be ranked in the Top 10 to start the season.

The Oregon Ducks open the season facing both Fresno State and Boise State at Matthew Knight Arena on November 5th and November 9th respectively. The Ducks then head to Portland and Michigan before returning home to host UT-Arlington and Houston before heading to the Bahamas and the Battle for Atlantis.

The Oregon Basketball team then returns home to host Hawaii before the trip to Michigan in a Big Ten/Pac-12 matchup. The Ducks return home to close out December with three straight games hosting Montana, Texas Southern, and Alabama State at Matthew Knight Arena before starting Pac-12 play.

Altman and Oregon have the talent to compete early in the season and could easily find themselves on the cusp of the top 15 of the national rankings before the start of Pac-12 Conference play. Last season, Oregon found injuries rather than success. This team needs to turn that around in 2019.

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