Oregon lost to Wisconsin in the NIT on Tuesday night, and the result was not the only thing that was disappointing to Ducks head coach Dana Altman.
Oregon was a No. 1 seed in the NIT and hosted No. 3 Wisconsin. Having a home game in a tournament would normally be a huge advantage, but the turnout for the game was extremely poor.
After his team’s 61-58 quarterfinal loss, Altman ranted to the media about the poor showing from Ducks fans.
“You see the commitment that Wisconsin makes with the cheerleaders, the band,” Altman said, via Jarrid Denney of On3. “We make a commitment, don’t get me wrong. But you can just see how important it is to them. It’s important to me. We should have more people here. I mean, the guys played hard … 3,300 people, that’s not good enough. If it’s me, then get rid of me. If you need somebody else to be a promoter, to do something. But 3,300 people is embarrassing. I’m not in a very good mood, you can tell.”
Altman then said he would be happy to “go coach junior ball” if his presence is no longer good enough for Ducks fans.
“If it’s me, then make the change. Make the change,” he added. “Somebody will hire me somewhere. I’ll go coach junior college ball again. I love junior college ball. Those guys were dogs, they wanted to be in the gym all the time, alright? I love coaching. But 3,300 people? For Wisconsin? I was disappointed.”
Oregon has had some success under Altman, who joined the program in 2010. They have made the NCAA Tournament seven times in 13 years and reached the Final Four in 2017. The Ducks have been to the Sweet Sixteen or beyond five times.
All that said, the lack of attendance surely was nothing personal. Fans simply don’t get excited for the NIT the way they do for “The Dance.” For many fans, the season is over once there is no longer a shot to make the “real” tournament. Not to mention, Oregon is on spring break this week.
Altman was obviously sour after a tough loss, but ripping fans for not turning out for an NIT game is not the best look.
