



The Pac-12 matched its total for the fewest NCAA Tournament wins in league history this past season. It is, of course, impossible to accumulate less victories than the zero the league won this March.

The lack of postseason success appeared to stem from the league's lack of marquee non-league wins in November and December.

The Ducks, one of the league's most prominent brands, acted as a perfect example. The team's best win outside of the Pac-12 came over Fresno State (ranked 103 nationally in the RPI). Other than the road win over the Bulldogs, the Ducks had just one other win over an RPI top 150 team (Ball State) and eight against teams beneath that benchmark.

Non-conference resumes like that provided zero room for error in league play, as evidenced by the league's three bids — the fewest since the 2011-12 season.

“I think it was just a down year," Oregon coach Dana Altman told reports on Tuesday. "I think we’ll bounce back. I know we will. I think the other teams in the league will bounce back also."

But, Altman won't just depend upon his team to accomplish that. He is currently in the process of piecing together a "more national schedule" than the one featured this past season.

“Because of our incoming freshmen, there is a lot more interest from TV people and neutral site games," he explained. "We’re trying to sift through all of that and see what works."

Altman says two such marquee games are in the works. He wouldn't disclose the schools, as contracts have yet to be inked, but did seem optimistic that progress would be made. In each instance, he believed the plan would be for them to play at the opposing schools gym with a return trip made the following year — possibly to Portland.

“Those contracts have a way of getting lost," he joked. “We will have a little bit more national schedule just because we have a few guys, but probably just as important, people want to see our freshmen."

Oregon's incoming freshmen figured to have the Ducks featured in more national conversations. That process appears to already be under way, as the additions of Bol Bol and Louis King have the Ducks mentioned prominently in several preseason rankings.

The Ducks are also already set up to play in one of the nation's top venues, Madison Square Garden, as a part of the 2018 2K Classic. That field is headlined by the Ducks, UCONN, Iowa and Syracuse.

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