With the Oregon Ducks football team excelling each weekend, the start of Oregon’s men’s basketball season has flown under the radar, but the Ducks tip-off against UC Riverside at 7:30 on Monday, kicking off what could be a fruitful season for Oregon.
The Ducks were not featured in the preseason AP Poll — a product of Oregon losing its two biggest contributors in 2023: N’Faly Dante and Jermaine Couisnard. In spite of those losses, College Sports Wire ranked Oregon No. 21 in its preseason rankings.
“Losing N’Faly Dante up front is tough for coach Dana Altman, especially with a move to the Big Ten, but Oregon has a phenomenal young core led by point guard Jackson Shelstad. Shelstad’s sophomore breakout feels inevitable, and if KJ Evans and Mookie Cook can shine this team will be a strong contender in its new conference.” – Andy Patton, College Sports Wire
Dante and Couisnard were invaluable contributors in 2023, but Shelstad was the most talented player on last year’s team, even if the consistency wasn’t there yet. This year, he’ll be expected to shoulder much more of the load, but in year two, we can expect more consistent performances.
In addition to their young core of Shelstad, Evans, and Cook, Oregon has added a strong transfer portal class, including shooting guard TJ Bamba and forward Brandon Angel. Bamba is an efficient two-way wing who previously played for Villanova and Washington State, and Angel is a tall offensive threat who shoots efficiently from three. Angel played his last four seasons at Stanford.
After Oregon’s season opener against UC Riverside at Matthew Knight Arena, the Ducks will host the Montana Grizzlies on Friday. Later this month, Oregon will head up to Corvallis for their sole matchup against Oregon State this season and head to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival before kicking off Big Ten play in December.
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