From almost 12,000 kilometres away, Jalil Abdul-Bassit watched his former NCAA college basketball team Oregon University go down by a single point in the semi-final on Sunday.

Just two years ago, Toowoomba Mountaineers import player Abdul-Bassit was on the court for the Ducks himself.

But there was nothing he could do from an armchair in Australia to help Oregon this time around.

"It always hurts to lose but it was an amazing journey for them because they went to the final four and they haven't done that since 1939," he said.

Having played with a number of the current roster, Abdul-Bassit would have felt the loss just as much as anyone.

"Just a lot of mixed emotions because I was a bit down but I was proud of them because some of them are like my brothers," he said.

"I go back every summer to work out with them and I know all the players because I played with a lot of them.

"I was just so happy for them."