Dana Altman’s Annual Surge

Over the last three seasons, Dana Altman has a regular season record of 17-0 after Valentine’s Day. The head coach of No. 7 Oregon is currently preparing his Ducks for an unbeaten run to finish their 2016-17 regular season.

Last year was special, no question. The Ducks finished with a school-record 31-7 mark. Not to mention, the Elite 8 appearance against Oklahoma after a dismantling of Duke in the Sweet 16. However, this year the Ducks have an opportunity to reach unprecedented new heights.

The Webfoots conclude the regular season with five games; two at home, three on the road. Dana Altman’s post-Valentine stretch is set to commence, which is bad news for Pac-12 foes.

Dana Altman AFTER Valentine’s Day (Regular Season Only):

2014: 7-0 (24-10 overall)

2015: 5-0 (26-10 overall)

2016: 5-0 (31-7 overall)

In succession with those finishes, Altman was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year three of his last four seasons: (2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16). Will he make it four of his last five?

Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images

Oregon is primed for their final two home games of the regular season. The No. 7 team in the land is seeking to extend their nation-best 40-game win streak from Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks could finish unbeaten at home in back-to-back seasons with two more victories this week.

Thursday, Utah comes to town as the Ducks look for the season sweep. Oregon slipped by the Utes, 73-67, in their first meeting from Salt Lake City.

Saturday’s final home game of the season will feature a rematch against Colorado. The Buffaloes handed the Ducks their first loss, 74-65, of the Pac-12 season in Boulder weeks ago. UO is focused on the task at hand.

Following the final two home games, Oregon will hit the road for a 3-game stretch to conclude the season.

California will play host to the Ducks (2/22) in a tough road test against a defensive-minded Golden Bear unit. UO defeated Cal, 86-63, in Eugene earlier this season.

Three days later (2/25) Oregon will head to Palo Alto for another contest with Stanford. The Ducks already defeated the Cardinal, 69-52, from MKA.

Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images

A visit to Oregon State (3/4) for the The Civil War will conclude the regular season. The Ducks are seeking the sweep after an embarrassing 42-point route, 85-43, of the Beavers in their first meeting from MKA.

Altman is currently 3-74 in games against AP Top 10 teams on the road. Luckily for him, no Top 10 teams remain on the regular season schedule. Obviously, both the Pac-12 and NCAA Tournament are at neutral locations, so Altman doesn’t need to worry about cleaning that up this season.

On an interesting note, the Ducks have defeated No. 1 Gonzaga in 15 straight games. It is currently Oregon’s longest win-streak against any program. Hopefully that will play a role down the road.

A large part of Oregon’s success has stemmed from the growth of Tyler Dorsey. In his last three games, the sophomore guard has scored 23, 19, and 19. If he continues to assert himself in the offense, Altman could be staring at a 22-0 record after V-Day in his last four years. What a romantic?!

More to come on Tyler Dorsey and the Ducks 5-star signee Troy Brown Jr...

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