Oregon men’s basketball received the 5-seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament and will take on the Liberty Flames in the round-of-64. The Ducks’ first game in March Madness will tip-off on Friday in Seattle.
With a win, Oregon will face the winner between the 4-seed Arizona and 13-seed Akron.
The Ducks’ eight-game win streak, and with it, their Big Ten Tournament run, ended on Friday in Indianapolis.
However, Oregon will play more basketball. On Sunday, the Ducks found out their Round-of-64 matchup in the NCAA Tournament and their way ahead to more games.
That trip will begin in Seattle, as the Ducks secured the No. 5 seed in the East region. Oregon faces the 12-seed in the region, the Liberty University Flames, and potentially matches up with the 4-seeded Arizona Wildcats in the second round, which is a familiar conference foe.
It will take a different team in order to make a splash in Seattle, as the display from Oregon’s loss to Michigan State lacked the ambition needed to make a run in March.
Dana Altman’s team struggled to create offense and were dragged down even further by poor decision making, which led to missed shots and turnovers. Those factors also combined in the 15-0 Spartan run that defined the contest.
All that being said, the atmosphere in the founder’s club stayed positive throughout — a guaranteed trip to March is nothing to balk at.
Oregon now prepares for its newest March challenge on Friday.