Oregon Ducks basketball programs hold unique, elite standing heading into 2021-22 season

News came out on Tuesday morning that the Oregon Ducks’ women’s basketball team was opening the 2021-22 season at No. 10 in the Associated Press rankings. On Monday, the men’s team was announced to open the season at No. 13 on the same rankings heading into the season.

We’ve been anticipating this season for several months now, knowing that the Ducks have an incredible influx in talent via the transfer portal and some highly-rated recruits, and now it’s clear just what those additions might mean to the school. Given a chance to look at how the nation views these teams, we see that the Ducks program stands in an elite tier with few other schools.

What Kelly Graves and Dana Altman have been able to accomplish in their time at Oregon is remarkable, and it’s set up the Ducks for deep runs into March seemingly every year. At this point, an early exit in the tournament is seen as a disappointment for either team, and predictions have them both being major players down the stretch.

Of course, it’s one thing to hold a high ranking entering the season, but another to uphold those expectations and deliver. We will see if the Ducks can accomplish that going forward.

Kelly Graves and his team kick off the season with an exhibition game against Saint Martin’s on October 28th, while Dana Altman’s squad will get underway vs. Texas Southern on November 9th.

List

Ranking the top 5 moments inside Matthew Knight Arena over last decade