Lunardi: Oregon would benefit from expanded NCAA tournament in 2027

The sky appeared to be falling for the Oregon Ducks once the transfer portal opened in April, but coach Dana Altman and his staff have gotten to work in solidifying the 2026-27 roster with portal additions of their own. They've received seven commitments, with the latest of Boston College's Fred Payne solving their month-long vacancy at the point guard position.

The additions have convinced ESPN college basketball bracketologist Joe Lunardi that the Ducks have what it takes to make the 2027 NCAA Tournament — as long as the tournament expands from 68 to 76 teams.

The expansion of the tournament field has been an ongoing discussion for years now, but the NCAA has initiated the final steps in recent weeks to actually make it happen. All signs point towards it being implemented in the 2027 season and ultimately benefitting Oregon in Lunardi's eyes.

The Ducks were included alongside Oklahoma, Providence, Xavier, Marquette, Utah State, SMU and Clemson as teams that will benefit next season with the expected expanded field. His reasoning for those squads, minus Utah State, is that the expansion will favor teams in the middle of the standings in power conferences, which very well may be where Oregon finds itself next season.

The 2025-26 season was disaster on all facets, as the Ducks dealt with a litany of injuries in addition to an undermanned roster that won just 12 games and finished 16th in the 18-team Big Ten. While they entered with NCAA tournament expectations, much of that was based upon Altman's track record and not the actual product that was set to take the floor.

In his 16 seasons at the helm of the Oregon program, Altman has led the Ducks to nine tournament appearances, with that number reaching ten if not for the Covid-19 pandemic that cancelled the end of the season.