Oregon will step outside its comfort zone when the Ducks play at Ohio State on Thursday evening in their first non-West Coast game as a member of the Big Ten.
The No. 15 Ducks (13-2, 2-2) opened conference action in early December against former Pac-12 foes Southern California and UCLA, then hosted Illinois last Thursday and Maryland on Sunday.
“It’s new for our staff, so there’s are always things that are just different,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said, noting he coached against the Buckeyes during his time at Creighton from 1994-2010, although not in Columbus.
“You’re at the same place, with Creighton 16 years, and you go to Indiana State 16 times,” Altman said. “It’s good for a change every now and then. I think it’s exciting for our players. They’re looking forward to it, and like I said, our staff, we just know there’s a lot of new places we’re going to be going to and looking forward to the challenge.”
While traveling across the country can be draining, Oregon may be better rested.