Look For Oregon And Oregon State Men’s Basketball To Continue Playing In Future Years
By 750 THE GAME STAFF
It’s the time of year where college football is in action. MLB is in the playoffs. The NBA and NHL are starting up. And college basketball is right around the corner. It’s a beautiful time of year.
The Pac-12 held their men’s basketball media day in Las Vegas on Wednesday and for Oregon and Oregon State the expectations couldn’t be more different. But both schools have a similar question – What happens to the Civil War after this year when Oregon departs the Pac-12 for the Big 10?
Dana Altman was asked about the rivalry and Northwest fans should be happy to hear what he said.
“I’ve talked to Wayne (Tinkle). We’re going to play Oregon State once a year and keep that going,” Altman said. “It’s good for basketball in the state. It’s good for our fans. Wayne and I have discussed it. We want to play. Unless the higher ups tell us we’re not – we’re going to play.”
The other reason Altman wants to play the Beavers is because of the travel. In the past the Ducks were never afraid to go on the road in the Midwest or on the East Coast. But with the Ducks joining the Big 10, that travel is already there for conference games. Altman prefers to stay closer to home in the non-conference now.
“We’re going to have enough travel during conference going to the East Coast. I’d love to stay on the West Coast and play some non-conference games. I haven’t talked to Tommy (Lloyd, Arizona head coach), but I’d love to play Arizona. Keep that going. Arizona State, Utah, Colorado. Like I said, we’d love to play. Non-conference wise I’m not interested in traveling all over the country playing games non-conference now. We are going to enough travel in our conference schedule that non-conference I’d like to stay regional.”
It seems as if Dana Altman and the Ducks men’s basketball program is interested in playing Oregon State. But what about the Beavers? They are the ones getting left behind with Washington State in the Pac-2. Head basketball coach Wayne Tinkle talked about potential upcoming games with the Ducks.
“Dana and I have had a couple conversations, what it will look like until we know where everything is at,” said Tinkle. “I think we’d be able to answer that a little more clearly. But you’re talking about the most oft-contested rivalry in the country. It would be a shame to lose that. I don’t know that we could play twice a year with our schedules, but certainly we’re looking at all options and having those conversations and we’ll know more as we get more answers.”
Good news for Oregon and Oregon State fans as it seems both heads of the programs are on the same page and they want to continue playing each year. Something like this is easier for basketball then it is for football. But for now, we at least will be getting the Civil War basketball series for years to come.