Almost two weeks ago, the college basketball world was shocked with the news that longtime Oregon Basketball head coach Dana Altman suddenly retired after 16 years, just weeks before the 2026-27 season. For this year, Tony Stubblefield, who went 28-54 in three years at DePaul from 2021-24, has been named the interim head coach.
His debut with the Ducks came on Thursday, taking on the Seattle Redhawks of the WCC. Yes, it’s an exhibition game so the specific rotations from that game likely won’t be the same come November. However, there were a ton of glaring warning signs that Oregon won’t actually be much better once the games start.
It was a one-point game at the half, with both teams looking evenly matched throughout all 40 minutes. But in the final few possessions at the end, Seattle U managed to pull away to get a 71-65 victory away from home. The Redhawks were led by Marcus Williams with 19 points. He missed all of last season at Iowa State after transferring from Eastern Washington, where he put up 13.9 ppg in 2024-25.
It’s just an exhibition, but there’s a scary low floor for Oregon after Dana Altman’s last-second retirement. Didn’t love the roster, and now it gets trucked by Seattle U (Chris Victor doing Chris Victor things).
— Isaac Trotter (@Isaac__Trotter) October 16, 2026
25 turnovers. Ducks' point guard play leaves a lot to be desired pic.twitter.com/bQ1nb4wMmd
But the story is Oregon, with a backcourt filled with questions that weren’t answered. None of their perimeter players scored in double figures, with Wei Lin leading them with nine points off the bench. Underclassmen transfers Dwayne Aristode and Tahj Ariza struggled, while Boston College transfer Fred Payne finished with just three points on 1/5 FG shooting.
But the biggest stat that mattered most in the loss was the 25 turnovers by Oregon, which Seattle was able to score 18 points off of. No one had more than three assists individually, with just 13 total in the loss. The point guard situation was a major issue coming into the season and while USC transfer Jerry Easter didn’t play, Kentucky transfer and former five-star prospect Jasper Johnson played just 10 minutes on the night, which raises alarms in itself.
The only bright spots for Oregon last night came in its frontcourt. San Diego State transfer Pharaoh Compton led the team with 15 points in 18 minutes, while Andrew Meadow (12) and Taylor Bol Bowen (11) also finished in double figures. But if the backcourt doesn’t improve in a few weeks, the Ducks are going to be in danger of losing to just about anyone in the 2026-27 campaign.
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