Oregon Ducks NCAA Tournament History: A Legacy of Firsts and Memorable Runs

The Oregon Ducks men's basketball team boasts a storied history in the NCAA Tournament, marked by both groundbreaking achievements and unforgettable moments. From winning the inaugural tournament in 1939 to making a Final Four appearance in 2017, the Ducks have consistently demonstrated their ability to compete on the national stage. This article delves into Oregon's NCAA Tournament history, highlighting key milestones, memorable games, and the coaches and players who have shaped the program's legacy.

Early Years and the Historic 1939 Championship

The University of Oregon men's basketball team played its first season in 1902-03 with Charles Burden as the head coach. In 1939, the Oregon Ducks, then coached by Howard Hobson, etched their name in history by winning the first NCAA men's basketball national championship, defeating Ohio State 46-33. This victory remains a landmark achievement for the program, solidifying Oregon's place in college basketball lore. The season started with a long trip to the east coast for a series of games, ending with a loss to Stanford back west in San Francisco. The Ducks went 6-3 during that trip but gained valuable experience for the remainder of the season. Oregon went 14-2 to claim the North Division title in the Pacific Coast Conference, which set off a best-of-three playoff against the California Golden Bears. The Ducks returned to San Francisco for the NCAA regional series where they defeated the Texas Longhorns in the first game 56-41 then the Oklahoma Sooners 55-37. The Ohio State Buckeyes had defeated Wake Forest and Villanova in their regional series to earn their right in the championship game. On March 27, Oregon and Ohio State squared off to claim the national title.

The 1939 championship team featured exceptional players, including three Sigma Nu fraternity brothers: Bobby Anet, Wally Johansen, and John Dick. Anet, the team's captain, was known for his fiery leadership and ability to set the fast-break pace. Johansen, Anet's guarding mate, was a tireless ball hawk and consistent scorer. Dick was the only member of the team who would return the following year. Sigma Nus at Oregon proudly claimed three men on the first string and another on the first-string substitution list. Bobby Anet, captain, and Wally Johansen filled the two guard positions, having played championship basketball together since their high school days. They completed nine seasons this year. Captain Anet was the smallest member of this year’s Oregon team, and is considered by many to be the team’s most under-rated performer. His fiery floor leadership and ability to set the dazzling fast-break pace made him an invaluable player. He was an able scorer but usually assumed the role of principal “feeder” for his mates. Wally Johansen is the taller, more slender guarding mate of Anet, and like him, is a tireless, catlike ball hawk and “feeder.” He also has been a consistent scorer, and in the Northwest Conference accounted for 184 points. John Dick, as forward, the third Sigma Nu on Oregon’s team, is the only member of this year’s team who will return next year.

Post-Championship Era: Navigating Ups and Downs

The decades following the 1939 championship were marked by inconsistency. From Hobson's departure in 1947 until 1970, Oregon made only two NCAA Tournament appearances, in 1960 and 1961 under head coach Steve Belko. Those were the days when only one team per conference (usually the conference champion) was guaranteed a bid to the NCAA Tournament. One of Belko's stars was Stan Love, a gifted shooter and rebounder, who led the Pac-8 in scoring for two straight seasons. He is the father of current NBA star Kevin Love. In 1945, under Coach John Warren, the Ducks reached the West Regional Semifinal (Sweet 16) before losing to Arkansas 79-76. There was a West Regional Third-Place game back then and the Ducks won 69-66 over Utah. In 1960, the Ducks advanced to the West Regional final before losing to California 70-49. The following year, Oregon fell in the tournament's first round to USC 81-79.

The Dick Harter Era: "Kamikaze Kids" and a New Identity

In 1971, head coach Dick Harter arrived at Oregon and achieved some consistency with the program. Harter's teams were dubbed the Kamikaze Kids and featured hard play, diving for loose balls, and swarming defense. They were also credited for inspiring the intimidating atmosphere at McArthur Court. While they never earned any conference titles due to UCLA's dominance of the Pac-8 (their best finish was second in 1976-77), they were not without accomplishments. Harter's only losing season in Oregon was his first.

Read also: Evolution of the Oregon Mascot

Ernie Kent's Tenure: Tournament Returns and Memorable Runs

In 1997, Ernie Kent, one of Harter's Kamikaze Kids, was hired as head coach. In his third season, he took the Ducks back to the NCAA tournament where they fell in the first round. Oregon made a Final Four appearance in the NIT in 2004 but otherwise made little impact until 2007. Oregon swept its 12 intersectional games to start 2007 and upset #1 ranked UCLA in the third Pac-10 game. The Ducks finished the regular season with a 23-7 record and defeated Arizona, California, and USC to win the 2007 Pac-10 Tournament. The Ducks earned a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight by defeating Miami (Ohio) 58-56, Winthrop 75-61 and University of Nevada, Las Vegas 76-72. Oregon was considered the favorite to land Class of 2007 high school stars Kevin Love and Kyle Singler, widely considered to be the greatest high school players to ever come out of Oregon. The Ducks were selected as a No. 9 seed in the 2008 NCAA tournament in the Southern Region. They lost to No.

Kent's tenure saw the Ducks return to the NCAA Tournament after a long absence. In 1995, after a 34-year absence, the Ducks found themselves in the tournament once again as a No. 6 seed. But the appearance was short as No. 11 Texas upset Oregon 90-73 in the first round. In 2000, the Ducks begin a nice string of tournament appearances under Ernie Kent, but the first appearance didn't go well as the No. 7 seeded Oregon team lost to No. 10 Seton Hall 72-71 in overtime. The 2002 season was a highlight, with the Ducks advancing to the Midwest Regional final before losing to Kansas 104-86. In 2003, there wouldn't be a magical run the following season as the No. 8-seeded Duck lose to No. 9 Utah 60-58 in the first round of the Midwest Regional. In 2007, Oregon missed out on March Madness for the next three seasons, but it would be worth the wait as the Ducks advanced all the way to the Midwest Regional final before losing to No. 1 seed Florida 85-77. Ernie Kent's last tournament appearance as the Ducks head coach didn't go well as the No. 9 seed Oregon team lost to No. 8 Mississippi State 76-69 in the first round of the South Regional.

The Dana Altman Era: A Resurgence to National Prominence

In April 2010, Dana Altman from Creighton University was hired to replace Ernie Kent after a monthlong search. Altman led the Ducks to a CBI championship in his first year at Oregon and led the Ducks to the Sweet 16 during the 2012-13 season. Altman led the Ducks back to the NCAA Tournament in the 2013-14 season where they defeated BYU but fell to Wisconsin in the round of 32. It was their 12th NCAA tournament appearance and was the first time Oregon won tournament games in back to back seasons in program history. In 2014-15, Altman won his 2nd Pac-12 Coach of the Year in three seasons, as he had won the award in 2013. Altman also broke another school record as he became the first coach in Oregon history to go to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments (2013, 2014, 2015). Altman's success continued into the following season as Oregon won the 2015-16 regular season title, finishing 14-4 in league play. Altman also won the 2015-2016 Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the third time in four years. The 2015-16 season was very noteworthy, with the Ducks emerging victorious in the 2015-16 Pac-12 Conference Tournament. This led to the Ducks being the top seed in the West Regional of the 2015-2016 NCAA tournament, its first ever top seeding in the NCAA tournament. The Ducks defeated Holy Cross and Saint Joseph's in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament to advance to the Sweet 16 in Anaheim, where they defeated the number four seed and defending national champion Duke Blue Devils, 82-68, to advance to the Elite 8. The following year, the Ducks would go on to be Pac-12 conference co-champions with Arizona, whom they lost to in the championship game of the Pac-12 Tournament.

Under Altman, the Ducks have experienced a resurgence, becoming a consistent presence in the NCAA Tournament. In the first NCAA tournament of the Dana Altman Era, the No. 12 seeded Ducks upset No. 5 Oklahoma State (68-55) and defeated No. 13 Saint Louis (74-57) before losing in the Sweet 16 to Louisville 77-69. The No. 7-seeded Ducks were able to defeat BYU 87-68 in the second round, but fell to No. 2 Wisconsin 85-77 in the third round of the tourney. Oregon was able to defeat Oklahoma State 79-73 in the second round, but for the second straight season, the Ducks ran into the Badgers and lost 72-65. For the first time since 2007, the Ducks advanced to the Elite 8 by defeating No. 16 Holy Cross (91-52), No. 8 St. Joseph's (69-64) and No. 4 Duke (82-68). Unfortunately, the No. 1 seeded Oregon team could get to its first Final 4 since 1939 by falling to No. 2 Oklahoma 80-68. In their best season since that 1939 national title, Oregon was finally able to break through and advance to the Final 4. Most people think that the Ducks would have won the whole thing if center Chris Boucher didn't get hurt before March Madness began. Despite missing Boucher, the Ducks managed to make a huge run in the Midwest Regional. The Ducks took out Iona (93-77), Rhode Island (75-72), Michigan (69-68) and finally Kansas (74-60) in the Jayhawks' backyard of Kansas City. Oregon moved on to Glendale, Ariz where North Carolina was waiting. The Ducks took the eventual national champs down to the wire, but came up just short losing 77-76. After missing the tourney in 2018, the Ducks were in a position where they had to win the Pac-12 tournament to advance to March Madness (sound familiar?). Oregon upset Washington and earned a 12-seed. They took that seed and made the Sweet 16. The Ducks upset Wisconsin 72-54 and beat UC-Irvine 73-54 before losing to the eventual national title winner Virginia 53-49. The tournament immediately after the pandemic wasn't exactly your typical March Madness. Oregon advanced in the first round after VCU had to forfeit due to COVID protocols and then defeated Iowa 95-80.

The 2017 Final Four Run

The 2017 season stands out as a pinnacle of Altman's tenure, with the Ducks making a remarkable run to the Final Four. Despite missing key player Chris Boucher due to injury, Oregon navigated a challenging Midwest Regional, defeating Iona, Rhode Island, Michigan, and top-seeded Kansas. The Ducks' journey ended in a narrow 77-76 loss to North Carolina in the Final Four, a game that went down to the wire.

Read also: Quarter System at OSU Explained

Tournament Appearances and Records

The Ducks have appeared in 19 NCAA tournaments. They won the inaugural NCAA tournament in 1939, winning the National Championship vs. Ohio State. The Ducks have appeared in 13 National Invitation Tournaments. The Oregon Ducks are going to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in program history this year after completing a miraculous run through the Pac-12 Tournament and beating the Colorado Buffaloes in the final Pac-12 game ever. Oregon has one national championship in its history, which came in the first NCAA tournament in 1939.

Oregon has played in 43 games over the past century and the Ducks have gone 27-16 overall in those matchups. With a 62.8 percent win rate in the tournament, the Ducks have competed fairly well at the national level in the past.

Here’s a breakdown of how the Ducks have fared in their 13 appearances since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1985.

Round of 64: 9-4*
Round of 32: 7-2
Sweet 16: 4-3
Elite Eight: 1-3
Final Four: 0-1
National Championship: N/A
Overall: 21-13
- VCU forfeited the Round of 64 game in 2021 due to lack of scholarship players available

Sweet Sixteen record

2021 (7-seed): L to 6-seed USC, 68-82
2019 (12-seed): L to-1 seed UVA, 49-53
2017 (3-seed): W over 7-seed Michigan, 69-68
2016 (1-seed): W over 4-seed Duke, 82-68
2013 (12-seed): L to 1-seed Louisville, 69-77
2007 (3-seed) W over 7-seed UNLV, 76-72
2002 (2-seed): W over 6-seed Texas, 72-70

Elite Eight record

2017: W over 1-seed Kansas, 74-60
2016: L to 2-seed Oklahoma, 68-80
2007: L to 1-seed Florida, 77-85
2002: L to 1-seed Kansas, 86-104

Final Four record

2017: L to 1-seed North Carolina, 76-77

Matthew Knight Arena: A Modern Home

The Ducks play their home games at Matthew Knight Arena, which has a capacity of 12,364. McArthur Court was constructed in 1926 and the first Oregon basketball game was played in the arena on January 14, 1927, defeating Willamette University 38-10. The arena is located across from Pioneer Cemetery and is named after Clifton McArthur, the first student body president. Even during the Ducks' lean years, it was known as one of the most hostile arenas in the Pac-10. In early 2009, the university broke ground on a new $227 million basketball arena designed by TVA Architects to replace McArthur Court. The new arena was named Matthew Knight Arena, after Phil Knight's son who drowned in a scuba diving accident in 2004. The arena is considered to be the front door to the university due to its high-profile location from where the majority of vehicular traffic into the university stems. A primary goal was to create the best collegiate basketball venue in the country though many criticisms arose due to the funding and price tag associated with the design. The hardwood court was named after Patrick Kilkenny, a booster for the university and the former interim athletic director. It had been the subject of much debate upon its opening, due to its unconventional and artistic design.

Read also: Growth and Community at WOU

tags: #oregon #ncaa #tournament #history