Oregon Basketball: Ducks fall vs. Colorado in Pac-12 Tournament

Oregon Basketball needed players to step up in the Pac-12 Tournament with the loss of Will Richardson who did not make the trip. The Ducks shot under 40 percent in a loss to Colorado on Thursday.

Dana Altman has usually found a way to get his team into the NCAA Tournament, but this season will likely see an NIT bid. Early season road wins against USC and UCLA could have been something and the start of something big, but home losses that should have been wins saw the Ducks on the outside looking in.

The Colorado Buffaloes and Ducks entered the Pac-12 Tournament contest as even according to the Vegas experts. The Ducks struggled out of the gate. De’Vion Harmon, a usually reliable scoring threat was held scoreless in the first half. The Ducks struggled to end the first half landing just one of their final 13 shots entering the break. Despite the struggle, Oregon was down just six points at the half, 36-30.

The contest saw nine lead changes throughout. The Buffaloes hit 42 percent from the floor while holding Oregon to just 34 percent from the floor. Both teams hit near 30 percent from three-point range. The Ducks had a valiant attempt in the final minutes hitting some key three-point shots to pull it within single digits, but they ran out of time in the end losing 80-69.

Now, Oregon is in a place they have not seen in a while. Waiting to see where they will play in the postseason. While the NCAA Tournament seems like it won’t be an option with the Ducks, the NIT is a real possibility with the secondary prize. An NIT bid may also bring the Ducks a game or two at Matthew Knight Arena.

The waiting game has now started to see how the post-season will play out for Oregon Basketball. Oregon finishes the regular season with a 19-14 record, 11-9 in Pac-12 play.