Where Oregon sits in NCAA Tournament projections ahead of selection Monday
The Oregon Ducks added one last, significant win to their resume Saturday when it captured the Pac-12 Tournament title with a 5-4 win over Arizona.
The Ducks (37-20, 16-14 Pac-12) entered the conference tournament at arguably their lowest point of the season after a 3-7 showing in the month of May. After notching four wins in the span of five days in Scottsdale, though, they will enter the NCAA Tournament with as much momentum as any program in the country.
Just how significant was the Ducks’ conference tournament surge to their postseason outlook, though?
According to a pair of reputable outlets, it may have cemented Oregon’s status as a No. 2 seed at the NCAA Tournament.
In its updated field of 64 projection, Baseball America tabbed the Ducks as a No. 2 seed and predicted they will head to the Fayetteville Regional, where they will face host Arkansas, No. 3-seeded Kansas State and No. 4 Sam Houston State.
Before Oregon and Arizona squared off in Scottsdale on Saturday, Baseball America had the Ducks listed as a No. 3 seed.
Meanwhile, D1Baseball lists Oregon as the No. 2 seed in the Gainsville Regional. If that prediction proves true, the Ducks will face host Florida, No. 3-seeded Northeastern, and No. 4 Army.
When the Pac-12 Tournament began, Oregon sat at No. 39 in the RPI. They now sit at No. 33. The only team ranked ahead of the Ducks that experienced a greater RPI increase over the lost seven days is Miami, which surged seven spots.
Both D1Baseball and Baseball America predicted that the Pac-12 will send six teams to the tournament: Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, USC, and Arizona State.
Both Baseball America and D1 Baseball have Arizona listed as one of their final four teams out. If the Wildcats had defeated the Ducks on Saturday, they would have received an automatic bid.
Oregon will find out its NCAA Tournament destination Monday morning. The NCAA selection show is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. PT and will air on ESPN2.
Last season, Oregon lost its first two games of the Pac-12 Tournament, resulting in an early trip back to Eugene. From there, they headed to the Louisville Regional, where they were the No. 2 seed. They suffered a loss to No. 3 Michigan in their opening game and then notched a blowout win over Southeast Missouri State.
However, they suffered a season-ending loss to the host Cardinals the next day and finished the season 36-25.
