The No. 15 Ducks are off to Columbus and Happy Valley.

Darby Winter photo/I-5 Corridor

Dana Altman is all about trying new things here in 2025.

For one, at the Oregon men’s basketball team’s media availability on Monday morning, Altman opened and closed with remarks that were…sympathetic to the press corps?

“We couldn’t have just done this yesterday?” Altman asked reporters the morning after the Ducks 83-79 win over Maryland. “Would have made it a lot easier on you guys.”

Maybe we all soften a bit with time. Or, maybe Altman was just tickled with anticipation for the coming week. Because the second new thing Altman is doing in 2025 is hitting a part of the Midwest that his 36-year career in coaching has somehow passed by.

Altman is going to Ohio State (10-5, 2-2 Big Ten) and Penn State (12-3, 2-2) this week as the Oregon Ducks (13-2, 2-2) embark on their first Big Ten road trip1 in program history.

It’ll be a long trip. It’ll be a cold trip — a 21-degree high in Columbus on Thursday. And it’ll be that rare “something new” for a coach who has done almost all there is to do in his sport.

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Tyson Alger covered the Ducks for The Oregonian and The Athletic before branching out on his own to create and run The I-5 Corridor. He brings more than a decade of experience on the University of Oregon sports beat. He has covered everything from Marcus Mariota’s Heisman Trophy-winning season to the Ducks’ first year in the Big 10.