The Oregon men’s basketball team dropped its final three games of the season, two of which came in blowout fashion against subpar opponents in Washington and Washington State. So, an at-large bid for March Madness is not in the cards.

The players know it, the coaches know it, the fans know it.

The Ducks' season hinges on running the table this week in Las Vegas and earning a bid through winning the Pac-12 tournament. The events that transpired in the final week of the regular season don’t go a long way in aiding that course. With the three losses, the Ducks lost a first-round bye and their leading scorer, Will Richardson, will miss the Pac-12 tournament with a non-COVID illness.

Head coach Dana Altman has pulled through in some of the most insurmountable scenarios in the past, but this is unlike any other. He’ll have to motivate a team that has lacked any sign of grit — apart from winning 10 out of 11 games during a midseason stretch — to emerge as a champion from a star-studded field of Pac-12 opponents.

The Ducks take on the lowest seed, No. 12 Oregon State at 2:30 p.m. PT Wednesday in T-Mobile Arena.

Richardson’s absence resulted in a 20-point loss to Washington State, so the Ducks will have a tough time completing what’s necessary without his help. In terms of their first-round matchup — that shouldn’t be an issue. Right?

The Beavers are 3-27, have yet to win a game in 2022 and take a 17-game losing streak into this game against the Ducks. However, similar to the Cougars and Huskies, the Beavers must smell blood from their undermanned foes.

The Ducks needed a go-ahead 3-pointer from Eric Williams Jr. with 13 seconds remaining to down the Beavers by 2 points in their only matchup this season, back on Jan. 10. Rivalry games must be taken with a grain of salt. While the Beavers won one conference game the whole regular season, a new season starts Wednesday. Unlike the NBA, no matter how a Pac-12 team performs in the regular season, they have a chance to win the postseason tournament.

In fact, Oregon State did so just last year, coming into the Pac-12 tournament at 14-12 before winning it and then winning three games in the NCAA tournament, so anything can happen.

To ward off an early exit, the Ducks will rely on Jacob Young, De’Veion Harmon and Quincy Guerrier to handle the bulk of the scoring and captain the offense on this tournament run. Before transferring to Oregon, Young (at Rutgers), Harmon (at Oklahoma) and Guerrier (at Syracuse) played crucial parts in leading their respective teams past the conference tournaments and into March Madness. They have the experience and the ability to get hot when it matters most and they’ll need to do so if Oregon wants to reach the heights it needs to.

N’Faly Dante didn’t play in the Pac-12 tournament last year because he was injured, but there’s no time for a learning curve. Dante must produce his best rim-protecting performances to help the Ducks get to the big dance.

With Richardson out and the expectations at an all-time low, the Ducks must come together as a unit to defy the odds. While the game against Oregon State should not present much of an issue, the Ducks may need to take down the likes of NCAA giants such as No. 2 Arizona, No. 13 UCLA and No. 21 USC to earn a spot in March Madness.

If they beat the Beavers on Wednesday, the Ducks will play Colorado at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Buffaloes are fresh off upsetting the Arizona Wildcats. While the first task should be rather easy, the road will quickly toughen as the Ducks attempt to complete the must-needed miracle of running the table in Las Vegas.

One step at a time, though.