Photo Gallery: Ducks celebrate game-winner over Michigan from freshman Jackson Shelstad

The Oregon men’s basketball team had spectacular victory over Michigan this Saturday. Check out all the best shots from the game.

Less than 24 hours after the Oregon football Ducks fell to the Washington Huskies in the Pac-12 title game, the Oregon men’s basketball team tipped off against the Michigan Wolverines. The game turned out to be a thriller, ending in a buzzer-beating three-pointer from true freshman Jackson Shelstad to win the game for the Ducks.

The win on Saturday moved the Ducks to 5-2 on the year, despite several injuries to Oregon’s top players. With four non-conference matchups remaining, the Oregon men look considerably different from last year, and if they stay healthy, they could make a tournament push.

Below, is a gallery of the best shots from Oregon’s stellar win over Michigan, on Saturday afternoon.

MBB Recap: Jackson Shelstad walks off the win for Oregon against Michigan

My instant reactions to the Oregon Ducks’ down-to-the-wire win over the Michigan Wolverines

On Saturday afternoon, The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team hosted the Michigan Wolverines for what would become a classic game. The game was tight all the way through, and it took an overtime buzzer-beater for Oregon to leave with the win

Near the end of regulation, Oregon was down. But after Michigan went 1 of 2 from the free throw line, Kario Oquendo drew a foul and made some clutch free throws to tie the game with 15 seconds to go. After Michigan inbounded the ball, Jadrian Tracey forced Michigan guard Dug McDaniel to the sideline and knocked the ball out of bounds off of McDaniel. Oregon couldn’t convert on their chance to win in regulation and the game went to overtime.

Overtime was just as close. With 39 seconds left, Michigan was down two points but nailed a shot to tie the game. With 22 seconds left, the Ducks didn’t move the ball well, but with the clock running out true freshman Jackson Shelstad splashed a three from way downtown to walk off for the win.

Below, check out all my instant reactions to the Ducks win over Michigan.

MBB Recap: The Oregon Men move to 4-0 with win over Florida A&M

Without N’Faly Dante or Nate Bittle, the Oregon Ducks improved to 4-0 with a win over Florida A&M on Monday.

The Oregon Ducks remained undefeated in the young men’s basketball season on Monday night. The Ducks traveled down to Tallahassee, Florida, to face off against the Florida A&M Rattlers, and they improved their record to 4-0. The game was closer than it should’ve been, but the Ducks still managed to get a win.

After a hot start offensively, the Ducks cooled off and played sloppy basketball for the rest of the first half. They entered the break only up by one point. After halftime though, things started to click more on offense and the Ducks built a comfortable lead, which they carried to the finish.

Below are all of my instant reactions to Oregon’s fourth win of the season.

MBB Recap: Oregon blows out Tennessee State to improve to 3-0

MBB Recap: Oregon blows out Tennessee State to improve to 3-0

The Tennessee State Tigers hung around with the Oregon Ducks for a while in the Ducks’ third game of the season, but eventually, Oregon pulled away and torched the Tigers. In the first half, Oregon struggled to find ways to score consistently and couldn’t seem to bring it together defensively either.

The moment when momentum seemed to swing Oregon’s way came in the waning moments of the first half. After a poor possession from the Ducks that ended in a shot clock violation, Tennessee State turned the ball over and Jesse Zarzuela hit a buzzer-beating three from the top of the arc.

After that, the game was completely different, and Oregon outscored Tennessee State 44-27 in the second half. Below are the rest of my instant reactions to the Ducks third win of the season.

MBB Recap: N’Faly Dante breaks UO record as Ducks show promise in first win

MBB Recap: N’Faly Dante breaks UO record as Ducks show promise in first win

The college basketball season is finally here, and today, the Oregon Ducks played their first men’s basketball game of the year. The Ducks’ first matchup of the season was against Georgia as a part of the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas.

In 2022, Oregon won their first game against Florida A&M, but then lost their next game to UC Irvine by double-digits at home. Their 82-71 win over the Bulldogs today is cause for excitement, but it’s also important to remember that the season is much longer than one game.

It is worth noting that N’Faly Dante’s total of 21 rebounds is an all-time Oregon record.

Take a look below at all of my thoughts after the Oregon Men’s first win of the 2023-2024 basketball season.

Report: Oregon adds Tennessee State to 2023-24 basketball schedule

CBS Sports Jon Rothstein says Oregon has added Tennessee State to its 2023-24 non-conference schedule.

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball schedule is slowly coming together.

According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, head coach Dana Altman has been able to add Tennessee State to the 2023-24 non-conference schedule. The game has been slated for Nov. 17 at Matthew Knight Arena.

Coming to Eugene from Nashville, the Tigers finished 18-14 last season. They lost to Southeast Missouri State in the quarterfinals of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament to end their year.

The Tigers are helmed by Penny Collins, who will be entering his sixth season as head coach.

This is the first of many announcements for the Ducks’ schedule in the upcoming season. Altman has had a hard time getting teams from the East and South to make the trip out West.

Where Dana Altman and Ducks land in early 2023 NCAA Bracketology

ESPN’s early ‘Bracketology’ is out, and it thankfully has the Oregon Ducks back in the mix for the 2023 season.

After being ranked 21st in the AP preseason poll, the 2022-23 Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team seemed primed to be a single-digit seed in the 2023 NCAA tournament. But after Oregon suffered several upset losses early in the season and failed to string together wins later on, they were unable to make the tournament altogether.

We are 6 months away from when Oregon will hit the court again which means we can begin to make predictions about how the 2023-24 Ducks will fare. With the level of talent on the Ducks roster, there is reason to be optimistic about Oregon’s tournament chances.

Earlier this week, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his first bracketology report for 2024. In the report, he predicts to be a No. 9 seed in 2024, which would pit them against No. 8 seed Miami in the first round next March.

Oregon is one of five Pac-12 teams picked by Lunardi to make it to the round of 64. Arizona is the front-runner of the five schools and is projected to be a five-seed as the champion of the Pac-12. USC and UCLA are both picked to be six-seeds and Colorado joins Oregon as a nine.

The Ducks’ lineup will look a lot different next season. In the 2023 recruiting class, the Ducks have letters of intent from SF Mookie Cook, PG Jackson Shelstad, and PF Kwame Evans Jr. — all of whom are five-star recruits. Additionally, star center N’faly Dante, two-way wing Jermaine Couisnard, and sharpshooting guard Keeshawn Barthelemy are all returning for another year in Eugene.

Oregon did see some notable losses this offseason including five-year veteran PG, Will Richardson, and former five-star big man, Kel’el Ware. Hopefully, with pickups in the transfer portal and the 2023 class, those holes can be filled.

In the 2022-2023 season, the Ducks were often plagued by injuries, but even when key players were healthy, they struggled to put the pieces together. If Oregon is to make it to the NCAA tournament in 2024, they will need to play much more cohesively than last year’s team did. The talent of the Ducks’ roster is undeniable and if they can capitalize on that talent, the ceiling for the Ducks could be much higher than a No. 9 seed.

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Lok Wur is headed to Grand Canyon University

After entering the transfer portal and leaving the Ducks, Lök Wur is headed to Grand Canyon.

Since the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team’s disappointing loss to Wisconsin in the NIT, there have been some notable entrants into the transfer portal. The biggest of those names is Kel’el Ware, the former 5-star recruit who is headed to Indiana after his disappointing freshman year.

The most recent departure for the Ducks, however, is Lok Wur. Wur, a fourth-year forward, announced this afternoon that he is headed to Grand Canyon University for the 2023-2024 season.

Grand Canyon’s men’s basketball program is only ten years old, but the program is growing quickly. In two of the last three seasons, the Antelopes have made it to the NCAA tournament, though they’ve yet to secure their first win in the Dance.

Wur came to Oregon in 2019 as a 3-star recruit out of high school. He red-shirted his freshman year and has been a bench player for the Ducks in the past three seasons. While his time on the court was limited for most of the 2022-2023 season, Wur played big minutes in important games following the injuries of several key Ducks just before the PAC-12 tournament.

In the class of 2023, Oregon already has commitments from three incoming freshmen, plus two experienced transfer players headed their way. Wur likely felt that the Ducks’ locker room was getting a little crowded and that he’d be better suited elsewhere.

Wur could be well equipped for GCU. For one, he is taller than every starter from Grand Canyon’s team last year. Hopefully, that extra size will allow him to make a strong impact on the Antelopes roster. Who knows, Wur could lead Grand Canyon to their first win in March Madness.

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Jackson Shelstad named Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year

2023 Oregon Ducks commit Jackson Shelstad was once again named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Oregon.

The 2022-23 season didn’t end as planned for the Oregon Ducks, who did not see their name crop up on Selection Sunday and will instead face UC-Irvine in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday evening.

Dana Altman’s club did get good news in the return of guard Jermaine Couisnard for next season, but the biggest story will be the three headed monster recruiting class of KJ Evans, Mookie Cook, and Jackson Shelstad.

Shelstad just put another piece of hardware on his trophy case, as the West Linn point guard was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Oregon – the second time he has earned the honor.

Shelstad comes in at No. 31 in the 247Sports composite rankings of the class of 2023. He is the eighth ranked point guard an, unsurprisingly, the number one player in Oregon.

He’ll have big shoes to fill in Eugene next year following the departure of Will Richardson – who set the record for games played in a Ducks uniform.

Shelstad will have plenty of talent surrounding him, and looks primed to follow the path of fellow West Linn-to-Oregon point guard Payton Pritchard – who starred for the Ducks before playing with the Boston Celtics.

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Report: Jermaine Couisnard to return to Oregon for final season

The Ducks not only advanced past WSU in the Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday, they learned guard Jermaine Couisnard is coming back for 2023-24.

After defeating the Washington State Cougars in the Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday afternoon, Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks got another gift: redshirt senior Jermaine Couisnard let it be known that he will use his final year of eligibility to return to Eugene for another season in 2023-24.

Couisnard is Oregon’s second leading scorer at 13 points per game, along with 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He’s only appeared in 17 games due to injury, however, an issue that has plagued him throughout his career, which began at South Carolina back in 2018.

Couisnard and fellow transfer Keeshawn Barthelemy were expected to anchor Oregon’s backcourt this year alongside returners Will Richardson and Rivaldo Soares, but injuries limited both for huge chunks of the year.

“I’ve just been thinking. I haven’t played enough games for myself to leave college like that,” Couisnard told Matt Prehm, of 247Sports. “I feel like I need to start the season, have a healthy summer, change my body and how I eat, and then work on a few different things.”

Couisnard’s return next season helps ease the sting of losing Richardson, who recently set the record for games played in an Oregon uniform.

Oregon will take on number one seed UCLA on Friday at 6:00 PM, where a win could put them back inside the NCAA Tournament field and a loss will have everyone sweating on Selection Sunday.

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