5. Oregon Ducks +800
The Pac-12 conference has been wildly inconsistent over the last decade, especially sending teams to the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks have avoided those miscues winning the regular season-crown four times and the conference tournament title three times in the last nine years. As a result, they’ve made the madness in seven of the eight years the tournament was played over that span.
Oregon has made the most of their trips to the NCAA Tournament as well, accumulating five Sweet 16 appearances, two Elite 8s, and one Final Four berth. They have thrived off efficient offense and an active defensive style that disorients opponents, specifically limiting opposing shooting opportunities while piling on steals and blocks.
These aspects have made Dana Altman’s squad a tough out and on average have been eliminated by a scant 7.7 points, including five instances at the hands of teams eventually making the national final or being crowned champions.
Altman has done a great job of managing his personnel both on the court and in the offseason in preparation for the maintenance of these runs. This summer was no exception when he landed veteran guards De’Vion Harmon (Oklahoma) and Jacob Young (Rutgers), forward Quincy Guerrier (Syracuse), and 5-star center Nathan Bittle. The additions give the Ducks loaded talent at every position and are primed to challenge the Bruins for the best team in the Pac-12.
With Young and Harmon joining returning guards Will Richardson and Eric Williams, the Ducks feature one of the most potent backcourts in the nation. Both the backcourt and frontcourt groups have improved defensively from last year to this year and make the case for Oregon to again be a lethal program in the national landscape.
Altman has reloaded and his sustained track record over the last decade in the conference and the NCAA Tournament show it’s only a matter of time before this team again reaches the Final Four.