Oregon men's basketball selected to NIT; will host UC Irvine in first-round matchup
After a disappointing conclusion to the regular season that derailed Oregon’s NCAA tournament hopes, the Ducks will have an opportunity to host at least one postseason game in Eugene.
The NIT field was announced Sunday evening and Oregon earned a spot in the tournament as a No. 1 seed. The Ducks will kick off tournament play Wednesday at 8 p.m. PT against No. 8-seeded UC Irvine.
The matchup will mark the second time the two teams have squared off this season. On Nov. 11, the Anteaters (23-11, 15-5 Big West) upset the Ducks 69-56 at Matthew Knight Arena.
Until this weekend, Oregon still had aspirations of sneaking into the NCAA tournament field. The Ducks were believed by many to be among the final six teams on the bubble, and a win over No. 2 UCLA in the Pac-12 semifinals on Friday might have ultimately pushed them over the line.
But the Bruins trounced the Ducks for the third time this season, and in the process, ended Oregon’s hopes of reaching the big dance.
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“It’s not how we wanted to finish it up,” Oregon sophomore forward Nate Bittle said following the UCLA loss. “But it’s a great opportunity for us to come out and just compete more and play more. It’s a great opportunity for us to improve our own games.”
With a win on Wednesday, Oregon would move on the face the winner of No. 4-seeded Florida and UCF.
This marks the second consecutive season the Ducks will make a trip to the NIT. Last season, they opened the tournament with a road win over Utah State before losing to Texas A&M in College Station in the second round.
Oregon is 15-13 all-time in the NIT.
The Ducks are 19-14 on the season and will need a victory on Wednesday to extended the program’s streak of 20-win seasons to 13 consecutive campaigns.
**Three takeaways from Oregon’s season-defining loss to UCLA**
Oregon entered Friday evening with its NCAA Tournament hopes on life support.
After an absolute dismantling at the hands of the UCLA Bruins, those hopes are officially dead and buried.
The Ducks fell, 75-56, to the No. 2-ranked Bruins in the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Despite a dominant effort on the glass, and a bounceback performance from senior guard Will Richardson, Oregon was no match for UCLA’s veteran stars down the stretch.
Here are three takeaways from a loss that will ultimately define Oregon’s postseason outlook.
