In 1939 the Oregon Ducks defeated Ohio State to win the first ever NCAA Men’s basketball championship. Nearly 80 years later, Oregon is in position to clinch their second National Championship after obtaining the No. 1 seed in the West Region on Selection Sunday. The Ducks won their fourth Pac-12 conference tournament after defeating Utah 88-57 Saturday, and have continued to build on the success of their Sweet Sixteen run in 2013, making the tournament for a program record fourth consecutive time.
Oregon’s road will be tough as their region includes basketball heavyweights Duke, Oklahoma, Baylor, as well as rival Oregon State. Las Vegas isn’t looking favorably on the Ducks’ chances: they have the lowest odds of all the number one seeds to win the National Championship at 15/1. After a coming out party of sorts last season, Pac-12 tournament selection and sophomore forward Dillon Brooks stated “We’ve come so far. Now everybody is looking at us. We got to take what we have and put it on ourselves and run with it and and not be scared of it. We are a No. 1 seed.”
