What Went Wrong For Oregon Basketball In Players Era Festival Tournament

The Oregon Ducks men's basketball team struggled throughout the Players Era Festival, going 0-3 in the tournament. What went wrong for the Ducks throughout the tournament, and what can fans expect moving forward?

Oregon head coach Dana Altman calls to his team as the Oregon Ducks host the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Nov. 12, 2025, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks men's basketball team capped off its second straight appearance in the Players Era Festival with a 76-66 loss to the Creighton Blue Jays. After winning the first-ever Players Era Festival in 2024, the Ducks fell flat in this year's tournament, which also included double-digit losses to the No. 21 Auburn Tigers and the San Diego State Aztecs.

Oregon's Struggles During Players Era Festival Tournament In Las Vegas

Nov 24, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Auburn Tigers guard Keyshawn Hall (7) dribbles the ball against Oregon Ducks forward Kwame Evans Jr. (10) and center Nate Bittle (32) in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Ducks exit the Players' Era Festival with a 4-3 overall record and many questions moving forward. To make matters worse, Oregon was dealt two major injury blows in the tournament. One of the crushing injury blows that the Ducks suffered was to leading scorer, center Nate Bittle, who suffered an ankle injury in the 97-80 loss to San Diego State on Tuesday.

Not having Bittle's scoring presence hurt the Ducks in the loss to Creighton. Junior forward Devon Pryor also suffered a groin injury early in the game against the Blue Jays. Pryor played only six minutes and scored no points and had one assist on 0-of-1 shooting from the field.

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Besides the injuries they suffered throughout the tournament, the Ducks' biggest issues in all three of their losses were turnovers, defense, and their inconsistency throughout the games. In the losses to San Diego State and Creighton, the Ducks trailed by double digits at halftime in both games and allowed more than 40 points in the first half of each game.

The Ducks' defensive struggles were on full display in the 97-80 loss to the Aztecs. San Diego State shot 67 percent from the field and 48 percent from three-point range against Oregon, which proved to be the difference in their overwhelming victory.

In the opening loss of the Players Era Festival against Auburn, the Ducks were tied at 37 going into halftime. A poor second-half performance, however, which featured Oregon committing 18 turnovers in the game, led to an 84-73 loss to the Tigers. In all three games, turnovers proved to be a major issue for Oregon, as they committed nine or more in each matchup.

What's Next For Oregon After Players Era Festival Meltdown?

Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad (3) shoots while defended by San Diego State Aztecs guard Reese Dixon-Waters (39) in the first half in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Things won't get any easier for the Ducks as they exit the Players' Era Festival. Oregon's first two games coming out of the tournament feature matchups against the red-hot USC Trojans at Matthew Knight Arena on Tuesday and a road game against the No. 18 UCLA Bruins on Dec. 6 to open Big Ten play.

The Trojans, led by second-year coach Eric Musselman, are off to a 7-0 start, which includes winning the Maui Invitational. USC aims to keep that streak going against a struggling Oregon team, and the Ducks' performance against USC to open Big Ten play could be a key indicator of the direction the season is heading.

Nov 26, 2025; Lahaina, HI, USA; USC Trojans take a team photo after they defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils in the championship match at Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images | Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

The status of Bittle and Pryor for Tuesday's matchup against USC is still unclear. If Bittle is unable to play, junior guard Jackson Shelstad will have to step up for the Ducks. Shelstad is second on the Ducks in scoring behind Bittle this season, averaging 15.7 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.8 rebounds.

Oregon and USC will tip off their Big Ten conference schedule on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. PT at Matthew Knight Arena, with the game broadcast on FS1.