What Mark Few said ahead of long awaited Gonzaga vs. Oregon showdown

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are set to take on the Oregon Ducks on Sunday, Dec. 21 in the team's final non-conference game of the season.

The game will mark just the third matchup between Gonzaga and Oregon since Few took over as head coach in 1999, and the first taking place in the continental United States since 1984.

Gonzaga lost to Oregon in the Maui Invitational in 1999, but got revenge 20 years later in the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis, making Sunday's tilt a rubber match between the two programs in the Few era.

Few, who graduated from Oregon before beginning his coaching career at Gonzaga, was complimentary of coach Dana Altman's squad and the upcoming matchup.

"Dana does a great job of putting all those pieces together," Few said on Wednesday after Gonzaga's 98-70 win over Campbell. "And it's going to be a really, really big game. We've had an incredible non-league season here so far."

Oregon head coach Dana Altman. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon drew plenty of preseason top 25 buzz after returning three key pieces from last year's roster in point guard Jackson Shelstad, center Nate Bittle, and forward KJ Evans. However, the Ducks have battled a myriad of injuries throughout the season, and sit at just 6-5 overall after a five-game losing streak that began at the Players Era Festival.

The Ducks lost all three games in Las Vegas, to Auburn, San Diego State, and Creighton, and also lost their first two games in Big Ten play - at home to USC and then on the road at UCLA.

Still, coach Few is not taking this team lightly, noting how athletic Oregon teams routinely are and giving special attention to Shelstad, a preseason All-Big Ten selection and one of the best scoring guards in college basketball.

"They're always really, really athletic," Few continued. "They get some really, really talented players; Jackson Shelstad, their point guard, he's a big shotmaker, and can really, really shoot it, and he's quick as heck. I think he'll play at the next level."

Oregon Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad (3). | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Shelstad is averaging 16.2 points, 5.1 assists, and 1.5 steals through ten games this season, although his three-point rate is a career-low 32.6%. That's on a huge 8.6 attempts per game, though, and one could argue he's due for some positive regression after shooting nearly 38% as a sophomore in 2024-25.

Shelstad may be No. 1 on Gonzaga's defensive scouting report, but Bittle is quite possibly the biggest x-factor in this contest. The 7'0 super senior was a recruiting target of Gonzaga's back at Crater High School in Oregon, and he's been a tremendously versatile player for the Ducks over the past few years.

So far through nine games this year, Bittle is averaging 13.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 32.3% from three. His ability to protect the rim and space the floor makes him one of the more unique big men in college hoops, and a potential matchup challenge for Graham Ike and Braden Huff.

Oregon center Nate Bittle. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Few and Altman are two of the winningest active coaches in college basketball, and while the Ducks have not lived up to expectations so far this year, it doesn't mean it will be a walkover for the Zags on Sunday in Portland.

The game is slated to tip off at 3:00 PM at the Moda Center and will be broadcast on NBC's streaming platform Peacock.

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