B1G Basketball Previews 2026: Oregon Ducks

Last Season

All in all, not a bad introduction for the Ducks to the B1G. They hit a very rough patch in the middle of the season where they lost six out of seven games, including a loss to Minnesota (gross!). They got it turned around and ran off seven wins to end the season, good for 12-8 in the conference and a five seed in the tourney. There they took out Liberty in the first round before getting whacked by old Pac 12 nemesis Arizona in the second.

Defectors

• Some seniors who have moved to the Great Beyond in T.J. Bamba, Keeshawn Barthelemy, Brandon Angel, Supreme Cook, and Ra'Heim Moss
• The portal claimed Jadrian Tracey (VCU) and Mookie Cook (USF)

Starters

• PG Jackson Shelstad, 6'0'' Junior: Oregon returns one of the better guards in the country in Shelstad, who made the B1G Preseason Team. His scoring isn't in doubt and he's a threat from all over the court. However, his assist numbers have been pretty pedestrian and T.J. Bamba actually led them in assists last season. Something to watch as Oregon has a lot of new faces.
• SG Takai Simpkins, 6'4'' Senior: Simpkins is a transfer from Elon who I was having all sorts of issues with because he also goes by TK. Anyways, he led Elon in scoring and dropped 17 in their big win over Notre Dame, so maybe he can transition to the B1G.
• SF Devon Pryor, 6'7'' Junior: I'm mostly guessing here. Pryor is a transfer from Texas, but he was a bench player last season and scored in double digits exactly once, against Arkansas Pine-Bluff. He could start or he could barely play, and my magic eight ball is cloudy on the subject.
• PF Kwame Evans, 6'9'' Junior: Shelstad and Bittle are known options for the Ducks. The third may be Evans, who was a former top 20 recruit who has been mostly an option off the bench for the Ducks. He rebounds and and gets to the line, and whether he can be an actual Dude might be key for Oregon.
• C Nate Bittle, 7'0'' Senior: Nate Bittle and his disappearing hairline are back for a fifth year. After a lot of of injuries and illnesses over his career, Bittle emerged as a star last season on both ends of the court. He led the team in points, rebounds, and blocks and can even pop out and shoot threes. We'll see how his barber is doing this season, too.

Bench

• PF Sean Stewart, 6'9'' Junior: Stewart comes over from Ohio State and Duke. A former Big Time Recruit, Stewart hasn't really shown the athleticism that he was known for. However, he is a big body who can rebound and he was known in Columbus for fouling out all the time.
• SF Dezdrick Lindsay, 6'6'' Senior: Lindsay is a bit of an unknown. He was a transfer from the JUCO ranks last year, but an injured shoulder kept him off the court. If he's any good, the depth chart looks awfully friendly for his minutes.
• SG Jamari Phillips, 6'3'' Sophomore: A four star recruit as a freshman, Phillips barely played last year. He has the reputation as a athletic shooter; we'll see if the athleticism or the shooting make an appearance this year.
• PF Miles Stewart, 6'7'' Senior: Stewart is a transfer from Howard who wasn't particularly great. However, he is the brother of Sean Stewart and the hope is he will help his brother remember how to play basketball.
• SF Oleksandr Kobzysty, 6'7'' Senior: I think this guy is still on the team? Not everyone mentions him, but he did play in a couple games last year and we endeavor for completeness here at OTR.
• Three freshmen in three star guard J.J. Frakes and two Turkish big men in Efe Vatan and Ege Demir. Everyone loves the Young Turks.

Outlook

Two stars and a lot of questions. This isn't Dana Altman's first rodeo and the Ducks should be solid. But with those two stars, fans might expect something more than solid. For that to happen, they need contributions from someone else. Could Lindsay emerge? Or Evans? Or Stewart? Or the Young Turks? You wouldn't be surprised if these guys turned into great players, but you also wouldn't be surprised if they remain average RentABallers.

Torvik predicts they go 19-11 and 11-9 in conference. I think that would be disappointing.