Dana Altman's Reveals Honest Assessment of Oregon's Loss to Washington

The Oregon Ducks fell to the Washington Huskies 72-57, and Oregon coach Dana Altman did not hold back after the Ducks' sixth consecutive loss.

Oregon coach Dana Altman calls for a player on the bench during the second against Michigan at Matthew Knight Arena Jan. 17, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team has had a very forgettable 2025-26 season. Oregon has now lost six straight games after Sunday's road defeat to the rival Washington Huskies 72-57. Ducks coach Dana Altman kept it real when speaking to reporters after the game. 

Dana Altman Doesn't Hold Back

Jan 5, 2026; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman looks on during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

“We got our a*s kicked on the boards,” Altman said via 247Sports' Matt Prehm. “Their two big guys had more rebounds than our team."

"Well, we got our ass kicked on the boards."

"Their two big guys had more rebounds than our team."

"We anticipated this could be a problem, but we didn't think it'd be that big of a problem."

"Very disappointed. I thought we would compete at a higher level."

Dana Altman

— Matt Prehm (@MattPrehm) January 25, 2026

In the 72-57 loss to the Huskies, Oregon was out-rebounded 45-23. Washington center Franck Kepnang and forward Hannes Steinbach had 27 rebounds by themselves, and the Ducks' leading rebounder was forward Kwame Evans Jr. with eight. 

Scoring wise, Oregon was led by forward Sean Stewart's 15 points. As a team, they shot 15/42 from the field and 3/15 from three point land.

It has been a major struggle for Oregon to score as of late during this losing streak. The Ducks have score 62 or fewer points in four of their past five games.

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Season Full of Struggles

Oregon coach Dana Altman, center, brings his team together before their basketball game against Michigan at Matthew Knight Arena Jan. 17, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2025-26 season could not be going much worse for Oregon. The Ducks have a record of 8-12 and are towards the bottom of the Big Ten standings with a conference record of 1-8. After their 4-0 start, Oregon has dropped 12 of their last 16. This has essentially ended any chance of them getting an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament and their only path is an unlikely run through the Big Ten tournament. 

Hopes were high for this Ducks team as they brought back their two leading scorers from a season ago in guard Jackson Shelstad and center Nate Bittle. Oregon also brought back Evans Jr., who they hoped would be able to take a big leap in his third season.

Evans has improved but both Bittle and Shelstad have been battling through multiple injuries and have not been able to consistently take the floor. The real issue has been that their incoming transfer class has not meshed together. This has clearly not been the best season for Altman at the controls in Eugene.

Jan 17, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks starting guard Jackson Shelstad (3) on the bench with an injury before the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Oregon finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 25-10. The Ducks earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament and fell in the second round to the Arizona Wildcats. After the successful season and Shelstad and Bittle coming back, it didn't feel like there would be this much regression. But now the Ducks find themselves not even being able to be competitive against middle of the pack Big Ten team.

If the losses keep piling up and the season ends with a losing record, there will be major question marks about the future of the program. Altman has yet to have a losing season with Oregon since being hired in 2010.