Oregon Basketball Hits Historic Skid Under Dana Altman - and the Road Ahead Doesn't Get Easier
EUGENE - Dana Altman’s been through just about everything in his four-plus decades on the sidelines. But what Oregon’s going through right now? This is uncharted territory - even for a coach with over 700 wins and a résumé that’ll eventually land him in the Hall of Fame.
The Ducks are stuck in a tailspin. At 8-14 overall and 1-10 in Big Ten play, they’ve dropped nine straight games.
And if they fall on the road this week to No. 12 Purdue and Indiana - both tough outs in hostile environments - Altman will set a new personal low: a 10-game losing streak, something he hasn’t experienced since 1995, back in his first season at Creighton.
“Anything I say,” Altman said this week, “it makes it sound like excuses, you know?”
But let’s be honest - the hits just keep coming for Oregon. Injuries have gutted the roster.
Star guard Jackson Shelstad is done for the year with a hand injury. Backup big man Ege Demir is also sidelined for the season with a shoulder issue.
Starting center Nate Bittle is still trying to work his way back from a foot injury, but even his return this week remains uncertain. Add in a nagging groin issue for freshman wing Devon Pryor, and you’ve got a rotation held together with duct tape and hope.
“Jackson was really our only experienced guard,” Altman admitted. “And that’s probably my fault for not backing him up more on the experience level with guards.”
It’s a rare moment of self-critique from a coach known for building deep, balanced rosters. But this year’s team has been thin from the jump, especially in the backcourt. Altman pointed to Shelstad, Bittle, and Kwame Evans Jr. as the trio the Ducks needed to lean on - and they haven’t had a single conference game where all three were healthy and on the floor together.
That’s a brutal hand to play in a rugged Big Ten, where physicality and depth are prerequisites just to stay afloat.
Altman, now 67, still has two years left on his contract. If Oregon chose to move on, they’d owe him $8 million - a hefty price tag for a program still just a few years removed from perennial NCAA Tournament contention. But Altman made it clear: he’s not done coaching.
“You do this as long as I have, there’s always ups and downs,” he said. “This is a big down, but I still like coaching, still want to coach.
I still enjoy going to the gym every day. Got a great staff.
So, no, it doesn’t change how I feel about it.”
What’s changed, though, is the landscape. College basketball has become a revolving door of roster turnover, NIL deals, and portal pickups. Altman’s been candid about the challenges of building continuity in this new era - and this season is a prime example of how quickly things can unravel when injuries hit and depth isn’t there to cover the gaps.
That lack of depth has forced young players - some true freshmen, others international transfers - into the fire before they’re ready. And the growing pains have been evident.
Oregon currently ranks 282nd nationally in scoring offense (72.0 PPG) and 206th in scoring defense (74.5 PPG allowed), sitting just behind in-state rival Oregon State in the latter category. That’s not the kind of company the Ducks are used to keeping.
With nine games left in the regular season, Oregon sits alone at the bottom of the Big Ten standings. There’s still time to salvage something - even if it’s just pride - but the margin for error is gone.
Altman is holding out hope that the team can find some rhythm and “have a little fun” down the stretch. But until a Valentine’s Day matchup with fellow conference struggler Penn State, the schedule doesn’t offer much relief.
For now, the Ducks are in survival mode. And for a program that’s been a consistent tournament threat for much of Altman’s tenure, that’s a hard pill to swallow.