There are definitely worse ways to end what became head coach Dana Altman’s least successful regular season in his 17 years in Eugene.
Losses became pretty cookie cutter over the second half of Oregon men’s basketball’s (12-19, 5-15 Big Ten) 2025-26 season: more often than not, the short-handed Ducks found themselves on the negative end of a blowout. Close games became few and far between. So, when Washington (15-16, 7-13 Big Ten) erased a 21-point first half deficit and pushed ahead by three with just a minute to go, it appeared the Huskies took the Ducks into uncharted territory.
Oregon forward Kwame Evans Jr., who led the team with 20 points, found himself with the ball at the end of the shot clock after a weak offensive possession.
Evans stepped back, faded away and put up what looked like a prayer. After a couple of fortunate bounces, he converted on the triple. The raucous sound that traveled through Matthew Knight Arena ironically muted the sound of ref’s whistle — and-one.
“I wanted to come through for the seniors,” Evans said. “The possessions before that weren’t too good, but something had to fall through. It was really great to get the win and hit my free throws… it was an open look and I knew he wanted to foul me, so I tried to get it up before so I could get the three shots.”
Evans hit the free throw on the back end and picked Washington’s star forward Hannes Steinbach’s pocket for the game-winning steal on the way back up the floor. After a scenario that saw Huskies’ head coach Danny Sprinkle ejected with two technical fouls, Evans converted six straight free throws to close out an 85-79 win.
“We’ve done pretty good on senior nights, finding ways to win close games, and that one looked like we’d given it away and the guys found a way. KJ hit a clutch shot and a clutch free throw and I’m happy for the guys,” Altman said.
The two squads failed to score for the opening two minutes, but senior point guard Drew Carter got the Ducks rolling with a corner 3-pointer. Senior center Nate Bittle, playing his final game at Matthew Knight Arena, matched him from the elbow on the ensuing possession.
Washington’s slow, methodical offense initially played into Oregon’s defensive plan well, as the Ducks remained patient, forcing tough mid-range attempts and limiting 3-point opportunities. Offensively, Oregon made its first seven threes, which set it up with a 21-point lead halfway through the first half.
That defense translated into an abundance of opportunity on the other end, and when the Huskies moved into a 2-3 zone, the Ducks’ drive-and-kick offense only became even more lethal.
The Ducks controlled the ball with ease and the crisp passing led to open shots on all three levels. Washington’s zone allowed Oregon to play the high-low game by feeding Bittle in the center at the free-throw line. When the Huskies collapsed, he kicked it out for an open 3-pointer, but when left unchecked and with a smaller defender, the veteran big man found his shot effortlessly.
“They were zoning, and we got the ball to the free throw line there and kicked out,” Altman said of the opening seven threes. “They were all assisted, none of them were off the dribble and then we got aggressive and started taking them off the dribble.”
That fed into a 15-2 run that left the Ducks with all the momentum heading into the break. Bittle added eleven points of his own, which made him enough of a threat that Oregon’s incredible outside shooting continued. The Ducks finished the half shooting 62% (8/13) from deep and 58% (15/26) from the field overall. Simpkins matched Bittle with 12 of his 18 total points in the first and Oregon held a 44-30 lead.
Steinbach, who’s Washington’s highest scorer (18 points per game) and rebounder (11 boards per game), shot just twice in the first, which was mostly due to strong off-ball defense that prevented him from getting open. The Ducks switched everything with Steinbach, which gave him different looks possession-to-possession and didn’t let the Huskies’ star forward gain ground until the second.
Sean Stewart bodied Steinbach for an easy lay-in to kick off the second half, suggesting the Ducks wouldn’t be slowing down on Saturday night. Carter followed him with another easy, drive-and-kick, catch-and-shoot triple that found nothing but net.
That’s about as good as it got for the Ducks for the following 18 minutes.
Steinbach settled in, which quickly became a major thorn in the side of the Ducks’ defense. Oregon found no answer for him, as he routinely dipped under Bittle and Stewart in the post and converted on two of his three second half 3-pointers. Steinbach’s 26 points on 9/11 shooting and 13 rebounds propelled Washington in the second half.
Washington slowed the game down again, but in the second, Oregon didn’t stifle the Huskies. The Ducks also committed 10 fouls during the second, which sent UW to the line for 16 free throws, which they converted all of.
Once again, Oregon lacked any confidence down the stretch. With under two minutes to play, Steinbach converted on an and-one off a post spin to take Washington’s first lead of the game. While the Ducks took the lead back off a Simpkins jumper, the Huskies started to impose their will and force bad shots.
Evans found himself suffocated on the left elbow, and with the shot clock winding down, he stepped back, set himself up and drew a foul. The ball bounced on the rim once, then twice, then struck nylon.
A harrowing quiet fell over Matthew Knight Arena during the second half, Evans helped usher in the polar opposite: deafening cheers.
Crisis averted.
The Ducks begin postseason play at the Big Ten Tournament and will likely play in Tuesday’s first round. Sunday afternoon’s Big Ten slate will determine Oregon’s path going forward.
