The Oregon Ducks have had a rocky road through their first season in the Big Ten as they have failed to find any semblance of consistency during conference play. So far, Oregon has gone 6-8 in Big Ten games and sits at 10th in the conference.
On Saturday, Feb. 15, the DI Men's Basketball Committee revealed its first top-16 rankings of the season, just one month until the NCAA Tournament tipped off.
The Ducks, who had been ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation throughout the regular season, were a far cry from earning a spot in the top 16. In fact, only three Big Ten teams found themselves within the first round of seedings – Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
The Committee gave the Purdue Boilermakers the No. 7 seed, the Wisconsin Badgers the No. 11 seed, and the Michigan Wolverines the No. 14 seed.
After starting the season off perfectly (a 9-0 record with upset wins over then-No. 20 Texas A&M and then-No. 9 Alabama), the Ducks have fallen far from the top of their game. Oregon's eight conference losses included a five-game losing streak.
Oregon had only just started to right the rapidly sinking ship when the Committee released its first round of seedings after the Ducks had defeated the Northwestern Wildcats by six points. With just six conference matchups remaining, the Ducks were quickly running out of time to prove that they deserved one of the top seeds in the tournament.
Oregon men's basketball remaining schedule
- vs. Rutgers – Feb. 16
- at Iowa – Feb. 19
- at No. 16 Wisconsin – Feb. 22
- vs. USC – March 1
- vs. Indiana – March 4
- at Washington – March 9
The Ducks' remaining schedule provides them an opportunity to cement their place in the Big Ten Tournament which could give them a chance to earn a much better seed in March Madness. Oregon and Rutgers are scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. PT on Sunday, Feb. 16.