It was a season like no other. Coming into the year, Oregon was ranked No. 13 with high ambition. The sweet-16 team from a year ago had to regroup after losing three starters. Chris Duarte and Eugene Omoruyi were the leading scorers in 2021. The 2022 season gave Will Richardson a clear path to man the ship.

“This isn’t rocket science fellas, ‘cause if it was I couldn’t be involved with it,” coach Dana Altman said. “I’ve never had a good player in 42 years that I’ve had to ask to come to the gym. Chris last year, 90% of the time was the first one to practice the last one to leave, Eugene was right behind him. Dillon Brooks, I had to chase out a few days before a game. I didn’t chase anyone out this year.”

In the first round of the tournament, Oregon was tested. The trip to Logan, Utah saw an Oregon team with revamped energy. Missing two starters while two others dealt with early foul trouble meant a new rotation for the Ducks. 

The new rotation stole the game on the road to set up their next challenge in Texas. In a constant uphill battle on Saturday, Oregon (20-15) couldn’t keep up, losing 75-60 to Texas A&M (25-12).

Richardson’s senior campaign did not go as planned. In his final two games, he managed only 2 points before missing the rest of the season with what was confirmed to be mono in the postgame Zoom conference.

“He’s got mono,” Altman said. “He’s had mono — he started feeling poorly maybe as early as the Arizona trip. If Will wants to come back, great. If he wants to go try and make the pros, great. I want Will to be happy just like I do all my players, ‘cause I know if they’re not all in at Oregon — we’re not gonna accomplish what we want to accomplish.”

A trip back to the big dance was eliminated after a shaky finish to an already up-and-down year. The National Invitational Tournament gave the group a chance to finish off the season on a high note. Without Richardson for the fifth straight game, the team’s season finally met the finish line.

The Ducks got off to an early lead in their second straight matchup against an Aggie team. After four minutes in, Texas A&M got it back and didn’t let up. The Aggies secured the No. 1 seed in the NIT tournament after being considered one of the best teams to not receive the March Madness bid. They upset No. 4 Auburn in the SEC tournament before losing in the SEC Championship game. As a result, they were one of the first four teams to be left out.

Back at home for the second round of the tournament, Texas A&M took control, handling Oregon with ease. The Ducks possessed the height advantage through their big lineups that featured two-guard and one-guard rotations. That height didn’t give Altman his desired outcome as the Aggies stayed on top of the rebound battle, totaling four more than the Ducks on the day.

On the defensive side, the Aggies caused many issues. The undersized group used their speed to rotate perfectly to any open man, utilizing a positionless basketball style of play. Oregon couldn’t find many open looks and finished the first half with only 28 points on 35.7% shooting. 

Texas A&M built its lead slowly, creeping up to as much as a 13 in the first half on 53% shooting. The Aggies’ leading scorer, Quenton Jackson, did not disappoint in the game. He scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half while four of his teammates added 8-plus. 

In the first round, Oregon turned the game around after the first 20 minutes. The Ducks improved their shooting exponentially en route to one of the most impressive wins of the year. In Texas they could not replicate. 

The guard duo of Jacob Young and Devion Harmon provided the offense on Tuesday. Saturday was not the case. Young managed only 6 points after dealing with foul trouble and an injury. Harmon put up 12 as only three Ducks finished in double-digit scoring. Dante was the only positive player for Oregon. He put up a double-double on 5-of-6 shooting.

“Dante played really hard. Five blocked shots, 13 rebounds, 13 points — he was by far the biggest bright spot of the team,” Altman said.

With just over four minutes to go, the Aggies had their biggest lead of the day. Sitting with a 16 point lead, Texas A&M again suffocated the Ducks’ offensive efforts, inhibiting an attempt before the shot clock went off. The momentum was at its peak and the Aggies completed their dominance to secure the 15-point victory.

“Just like every year we’ll evaluate everything that we’re doing as a program,” Altman said. “Chris [Crutchfield] has an opportunity — you know he’s 53. He’s waited for this opportunity to be a Division 1 head coach for a long time and I’m really happy for him. We’re gonna have to make some adjustments to our staff. The transfer portal — we’ll probably have some guys going, some guys staying. All I want are guys who want to be at Oregon and are fully invested in our program.”

The second-round exit finishes the 2022 season for good. Oregon now looks to rebuild and regroup. Finding a new assistant coach is one of the top priorities while waiting on the upcoming decisions of Richardson and Eric Williams who carry one final year of eligibility.