The Oregon Ducks compiled a 26-8 record this season and finished 12-6 in the Pac-12 conference, tied with the Arizona Wildcats for second and one game behind regular season conference champion UCLA Bruins.
The Ducks own regular season wins over the UNLV Running Rebels, Arizona, and UCLA. In postseason play, all Oregon did was make their way to the Pac-12 title game where they topped UCLA for a second time to win the conference championship. Despite that resume, Oregon was handed a No. 12 seed and a date with Oklahoma State, while their rivals UCLA and Arizona enter the NCAA Tournament as No. 6 seeds.
The Ducks went through a rough patch when point guard Dominic Artis missed several games with a foot injury; Oregon lost four league games during that span. Head coach Dana Altman was diplomatic in response to the low seeding in an interview with USA Today, saying "No big deal. There are all good teams in the tournament. It didn't matter. You get between (No.) 6 and 12 (seeds), and I'm not sure it matters. So, no big deal. ... You've got to go win games, that's all it boils down to."
NCAA selection chairman Mike Bobinski shed a bit of light on the seeding, telling the media that Oregon was in fact slated for a No. 11 seed but scheduling forced them down. "They ended up at a 12 because of, without going into great detail, some bracketing issues, they had to be bumped down a line. ... It's unfortunate we had to drop them a line."
Oregon's position in the bracket was the topic du jour of this year's selections. CBS analyst Clark Kellogg weighed in when he said, "That was surprising. The chair explained that they had a rough patch. ... It's indicative of what we've gone through this season. Fellow analyst Steve Kerr said that Oregon's twelfth seed may be a blessing in disguise. "I'd rather be a 12 than an 8 or 9 - if you're an 8 and you take care of business you have the play No. 1. The seeds really don't matter. It's just a number. ... Maybe they will use it to their motivation."
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
