College Basketball Bubble Watch: Oregon needs a win

CHAPEL HILL, NC - NOVEMBER 29: Head coach John Beilein of the Michigan Wolverines reacts on the bench against the North Carolina Tar Heels during their game at Dean Smith Center on November 29, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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GLENDALE, AZ – APRIL 01: Head coach Dana Altman of the Oregon Ducks looks on during their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four Semifinal at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. North Carolina defeated Oregon 77-76. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

Oregon Ducks

The Ducks are struggling to follow up on last year’s run to the Final Four, and need to quickly right the ship with few opportunities for marquee wins ahead.

Oregon was projected to be one of four Pac-12 teams to make the NCAA Tournament in the preseason, and had little trouble dominating weak competition during a 4-0 start. Dana Altman’s team then dropped a pair of games to UConn and Oklahoma at the PK80, and had its nation-leading 46-game home winning streak snapped by Boise State at the buzzer last Friday.

That dropped Oregon all the way to No. 52 in Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency ratings, and the Ducks are right on the early cut line with a resume that features DePaul as its best win. The Ducks have a chance to pick up three wins over the next seven days with home games against Colorado State, Texas Southern and Portland State, and will drop to the wrong side of the bubble with even one more loss.

There’s enough talent for Oregon to finish top three in the Pac-12, as point guard Payton Pritchard, New Mexico transfer Elijah Brown and outstanding freshman Troy Brown are all playing well. Altman is also among the nation’s elite coaches, and has plenty of time to help a team that returned just one starter gel properly.

Still, the Ducks need to get going in a hurry, as they won’t play a ranked team for over a month. Colorado State isn’t a gimme, but the game Oregon needs to be careful of is next Wednesday’s contest against a Portland State squad that put a scare into both Duke and Butler, particularly after playing two games in a four-day stretch heading in.