Despite the Oregon men's basketball team being in the midst of a slump, one Duck has stood out above the rest, literally. Senior center Nate Bittle, who stands at an astonishing 7-foot-0, has had the best season of his collegiate career so far and it has earned him national recognition.
On Friday, Feb. 7, the Basketball Hall of Fame named the 10 finalists for the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, which is given to the best center in collegiate basketball every year. Bittle was one of the 10 players on the list.
Fellow Big Ten centers Derik Queen (Maryland) and Dawson Garcia (Minnesota) are also on the list as well as Hunter Dickinson for Kansas, Ryan Kalkbrenner for Creighton, Asa Newell for Georgia, Maxime Raynaud for Stanford, and two non-Power Conference players.
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Announces the Top 10 Candidates for the 2025 Men’s Center of the Year Award.
— University of Hoophall (@hoophallu) February 7, 2025
🔗: https://t.co/6g66YyZdqj#KareemAward | #HoophallU pic.twitter.com/ri4CNF4qNi
Bittle has led the Ducks through their losses and has been a star when Oregon has found its footing and pulled off some impressive victories throughout the season. So far, Bittle leads the Ducks in scoring (12.7 points per game), rebounds (7.2 RPG), and blocks (1.9 BPG).
Nate Bittle regular season stats 2024
- 291 points (12.7 PPG)
- 165 rebounds (7.2 RPG)
- 44 blocks (1.9 BPG)
- 41 assists (1.8 APG)
- 15 steals (0.65 SPG)
Every single stat line this year has been a career high for Bittle as he has seen more playing time and has become an integral part of head coach Dana Altman's squad. Bittle has played for Oregon since 2021 and became a starter in 2022 but he missed a lot of time last season due to injuries and illnesses throughout the year.
Bittle and the Ducks will try to end their four-game losing streak against conference opponents when they face the No. 9 Michigan State Spartans on Saturday, Feb. 8 in East Lansing.