Oregon Basketball: Eastern Washington Game Postponed

Eastern Washington was set to travel to Eugene to face an Oregon Basketball team but EWU will not have enough scholarship players available as a result of positive cases and contact tracing protocols that are in place.

The team was also planning on traveling to the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut for a pair of games, but that trip has been cancelled leaving Oregon without their first three games of the season. The “Bubbleville” event marks the fourth Multi-Team Event with Oregon in the field that was cancelled or saw the team pull out because of COVID concerns.

Oregon Basketball Head Coach Dana Altman spoke about the decision, “We were very much looking forward to opening our season on Wednesday, so it’s disappointing for our fans and student-athletes from that standpoint. But the top priority is student-athlete safety, and we certainly respect and understand Eastern’s decision and wish all involved a quick recovery.”

With Payton Pritchard now graduated and Boston Celtic bound, the team will look for a different leader in 2020 after having consistency for the better part of four seasons with Pritchard. It will be interesting to see how the team comes together this season. Altman has had a knack for pulling his guys together in time for a run at March Madness.

Chris Duarte and Will Richardson are the most recognized names on the team from last year. Altman has brought in key pieces with Eugene Omoruyi, who sat out last season and is eligible for 2020 after following transfer rules. The Ducks also are bringing in some new faces with LJ Figueroa, Jalen Terry, and Amauri Hardy.

The Oregon Ducks, despite the cancellations, are still planning on a game for Saturday. It is not known who they will face yet with a short window to schedule and a holiday weekend approaching.