Oregon Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Ducks
Outlook for the Ducks in 2021-22
UCLA began the postseason in the First Four and finished in the Final Four, and with nearly everyone returning, the Bruins are a favorite to win the Pac-12. But Oregon won the regular-season title and has the roster to show that the road to conference supremacy will go through Eugene this season.
While it’s true that the Ducks lost some serious talent off of last year’s squad, Altman’s summer acquisitions both in the portal and on the recruiting trail have Oregon loaded for bear, UCLA Bear, in 2022. A big reason why people see Oregon as a preseason top-15 team is a full healthy year from the guys that are returning, Williams, Jr. and more specifically Richardson and Dante. A full year of health from those two might result in a couple of All-Conference selections.
The new faces will make an immediate impact on the conference, with Young and Harmon pairing with Richardson gives the Ducks all sorts of guards combinations. If combinations are what you’re looking for, look at Guerrier’s ability to do just about everything, to go along with a couple of really talented stretch forwards in Bittle and Johnson, and Oregon opponents suddenly have matchup nightmares all over the floor.
Top 50 impact transfers for 2021-22. dark. Next
This is absolutely a team that can repeat as Pac-12 champs and will be a tournament team. I think you can at the very least pencil in the Ducks for their 6th trip to the Sweet Sixteen (or beyond) in 12 years under Altman. It is also possible that if things fall right that they could play the role of UCLA and finish this season in the Final Four.