The season Oregon basketball hoped for never quite materialized. Instead of peaking in February, the Ducks have spent the last six weeks trying to stop the bleeding.
A 10-game losing streak turned what looked like an NCAA Tournament-caliber roster into a team simply trying to find its footing. Now, with the postseason slipping out of reach, the goals have shifted.
It’s no longer about making a run - it’s about pride, resilience, and squeezing meaning out of every remaining game.
And no one embodies that shift more than Nate Bittle.
The senior center - the face of the program for much of the last few seasons - has had to battle through more than just opponents this year. Two injury setbacks, a spiraling season, and the emotional weight that comes with watching a promising year unravel. But if you think Bittle is ready to coast through the final stretch, think again.
“Yeah, you know, it’s my last year,” Bittle said. “I put my last five years into the University of Oregon.
So, you know, for me personally, it’s for my family, my friends, cousins, you know, everybody that comes up to these games. And, you know, the whole school, the coaches, everybody who has supported me for five years.
I think I just dedicate these last games to them.”
That mindset - playing for something bigger than the scoreboard - has meant just as much to this team as anything that shows up in the box score. On Saturday, Oregon finally snapped its losing streak with a win over Penn State. It was a moment of relief, but also a reminder of what this group is still capable of when it locks in.
Head coach Dana Altman didn’t downplay what the stretch has felt like.
“It’s been a long six weeks, that’s for sure for the guys,” Altman said. “You know, their expectations were high.”
And those expectations were justified. This was a team built to compete, with Bittle anchoring the paint as a seasoned, reliable force.
But this season has asked more of him - not just to be a producer, but to be a symbol of persistence. A leader who shows up, even when the shine is gone.
“Nathan, you know, he fought his tail off to get back,” Altman said. “He wasn’t supposed to play last week, this is supposed to be his first game back, but he played last weekend because he was in the training room. That’s, that’s a five-year guy.”
That’s the kind of leadership that doesn’t always show up in headlines, but it resonates in the locker room. And right now, that’s what Oregon needs - players who aren’t just playing out the string, but setting the tone for how to respond when things go sideways.
Altman didn’t sugarcoat the disappointment. The Ducks came into the year with real aspirations - and they haven’t been met.
“Our expectations coming into the season were a lot higher than where we are now, which adds a lot more pressure to us,” he said. “We’ve had a decent run in the last few years, and you know, the expectations were to do the same thing this year, and it hasn’t happened. So, yeah, the guys are feeling it.”
But that’s where the real test comes in. Not just how a team performs when things are rolling, but how it responds when the wheels come off. That’s been Altman’s message - and it’s one that stretches far beyond the hardwood.
“The great thing about college athletics is you learn how to fight adversity,” Altman said. “Stuff doesn’t go your way.
You fight through it, and that’s why I keep telling our team, you know, we’re going to be judged on how we fight this… Now, there’s one thing about having a bad record, another thing about throwing the towel. Those are two different dynamics.
“Those guys need to learn that, because it doesn’t matter if you’re 18, 20 or if you’re 40, or you’re 60 or 67, if you don’t stand in there and handle adversity, you won’t be a good husband, you won’t be good father. Your career won’t be the same [arch] because nobody’s career goes like that. Nobody’s family life goes like that.”
There’s no time left to dwell. Six regular-season games remain, starting with a home matchup against Minnesota on Tuesday, February 17. It’s another chance to build something - not for the bracket, but for the culture.
“Can’t change the past,” Altman said. “All we can change is the next six games and hopefully the tournament.”
That’s where Bittle’s focus is, too. He knows his college career is winding down.
He knows this season didn’t deliver what he hoped. But he also knows how he finishes matters - to his teammates, to his coaches, and to everyone who’s been part of his five-year journey in Eugene.
“I think that kind of just goes to show the guys that play through each other,” Bittle said. “I hope that carries over to these next games.
You know, my time in a Duck uniform is going to come to an end here after this year, but I just want to make the best of it with this team, our coaching staff, you know everybody that’s been with me for the last five years, including the students, the fans, my academic advisors, my everybody. The whole school.
So I just want to appreciate that.”
It’s not the season Oregon dreamed about. But with Bittle leading the way, there’s still a chance to write a meaningful final chapter - one built on heart, not headlines.