ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 16 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
8. Oregon Ducks (15-10, 6-6 Pac-12) LW: 4
When it comes to the top disappointment of the 2018-19 season, the Oregon Ducks are one of the first teams that come to mind.
Missed opportunities against weaker opponents and injuries are two noteworthy narratives, crippling a once-promising team that began the year ranked in the Associated Press poll.
While both are nightmare scenarios for coach Dana Altman’s team, the prospect of Oregon losing a handle on its in-state dominance is far worse than any Boogeyman.
Two seasons removed from a Final Four appearance, the Ducks were swept by Oregon State in the Civil War for the first time since 2010, a summation of the team’s misfortune.
The sole way to right the wrongs of the past four months is an improbable run in Las Vegas that would give the Ducks an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Otherwise, Altman is all but certain to lose five-star freshman Louis King to the NBA in addition to any potential transfers.
To make matters worse, Oregon is on pace for its fewest wins since the 2009-10 season (19). Altman was hired in the subsequent offseason and has won at least 21 games in each of the past eight seasons.
In order to match that benchmark, the Ducks would have to finish 5-1 before playing a game in the conference tournament. With games remaining at Washington and USC as well as a homestand against Arizona and Arizona State, that record is undoubtedly in jeopardy.