Why Oregon Ducks Can Make NCAA Tournament Final Four Over Duke, Arizona

The NCAA Tournament bracket reveals the Oregon Ducks could be a March Madness cinderella. The top five seeds in the East Region include the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide, No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers, No. 4 Arizona Wildcats, and No. 5 Oregon Ducks.

Feb 19, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad (3) walks off the court after the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

It's finally here, the best time of the year in March Madness. After a 24-9 record out of the Big Ten Conference, coach Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks received a No. 5 seed and will face off against the No. 12 Liberty Flames out of Conference USA. Tip-off is set for Friday, March 20 at 7:10 p.m. PT on TruTV.

The Ducks are one of the more hot teams entering the NCAA Tournament, winning eight of their last nine matchups. With that being said, only one of those wins came against another program in the field (77-73 victory at Wisconsin Badgers back on Feb. 22).

Mar 14, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad (3) shoots the ball while Michigan State Spartans guard Jase Richardson (11) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Big Ten is the second-best conference in college basketball behind the Southeastern Conference. The SEC had 14 of their 16 programs invited to March Madness, the Big Ten with eight of their 18. Both leagues have been battle-tested all season long.

Oregon does arguably have the weakest part of the bracket in the East Region. That, of course, is besides the country's favorite to win it all in freshman phenom Cooper Flagg and the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils. No one wants to run into coach Jon Scheyer's talented ensemble of players.

MORE: Justin Herbert, Bo Nix Supporting Brothers, Attend Oregon Ducks Pro Day

MORE: [EXCLUSIVE] Oregon Ducks' Marcus Harper Details Chicago Bears Meeting Before NFL Draft

MORE: Oregon Ducks Recruiting Losing 5-Star Jackson Cantwell To Miami, Mario Cristobal?

The Ducks will go as far as the seven-footer in Nate Bittle will let them. He has bounced back in 2024-25 to be considered one of the top centers in all of college basketball and is ready to become a star in the Big Dance.

The senior is the leading scorer on Oregon's team with 14.1 points per game on a shooting split of 51.0 field goal percentage, 33.3 three-point percentage, and 82.2 free throw percentage. Bittle is also the defensive anchor for coach Dana Altman as he's ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten in blocks with 2.2 per game and No. 9 in rebounds at 7.34 per game.

That side of the ball is where the true winners come out and shine the most during this stage.

Michigan State forward Coen Carr (55) defends Oregon center Nate Bittle (32) during the first half of Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. on Friday, March 14, 2025. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Since 2010-11 when Altman was hired, Oregon has the most the wins in the month of March at a record of 75-31 (.708 winning percentage). That's more than the blue bloods like the North Carolina Tar Heels (74), Kansas Jayhawks (73), Kentucky Wildcats (71), and Duke (71).

"I like Oregon as a five (seed). Oregon is tough to play against in the tournament because Dana Altman changes defenses so much... I think they could get past Liberty, and I also think they've played Arizona before, they can get past them too."

- Jay Wright, former Villanova head coach

One game at a time and understanding your matchup ahead is the name of the game in the NCAA Tournament. According to FanDuel, Oregon is a -6.5 favorite over Liberty. The over/under is set at 139.5. The money line for the Ducks is -295, the Flames at +235. Since 2018 in the Round of 64 results, the No. 5 seed has a winning record against the No. 12 seed, 16-8.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

feed