The Ducks face a rebuilding year, or do they?
With USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington set to join the Big Ten, we’re exploring what each of these additions means to the Big Ten men’s basketball landscape. How do their fans feel about their head coach? Who has joined and left the program this offseason? Where are they projected to rank in the conference?
Next up: the Oregon Ducks
Oregon will look to build off of a promising 2023-24 season in which they made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling in a double overtime heartbreaker to Creighton. Dana Altman’s Ducks finished fourth in the Pac-12 regular season before winning the conference tournament in thrilling fashion. They were a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament and knocked off sixth-seeded South Carolina before being bested by Creighton.
2024-25 will be Altman’s 15th season leading the Ducks. He is far and away the program’s most successful head coach of all time, earning Pac-12 Coach of the Year three times and a Final Four appearance in 2017. This was just Oregon’s second-ever Final Four appearance with the other being a title run all the way back in 1939.
A trio of C N’Faly Dante, G Jermaine Couisnard, and G Jackson Shelstad primarily led last season’s Ducks. However, this trio became more of a duo down the stretch as Dante and Couisnard combined to score 60 of the team’s 73 points against Creighton. Other contributors included guards Jadrian Tracey, Kario Oquendo, and Brennan Rigsby along with forward Kwame Evans Jr. The Ducks had a relatively short bench.
With Dante, Couisnard, and reserve forward Mahamadou Diawara out of eligibility, new leaders will need to step up for Oregon to be competitive in the Big Ten. However, it’s worth noting that Dante has requested a medical hardship waiver in order to gain an additional year of eligibilty. Oregon also received welcomed news recently as Evans Jr. announced his return for his sophomore season.
Outside of Couisnard and Diawara, Oregon also will lose Rigsby (Minnesota) and Oquendo (SMU) to the transfer portal. To replace the outgoing production, Altman brought in guards TJ Bamba (Villanova ) and Ra’Heim Moss (Toledo) along with forward Brandon Angel (Stanford) from the portal. While none of the incoming trio are in On3’s top 100 available transfers, there should be room for immediate impact on Oregon’s roster. The class is the No. 21 ranked transfer class (Michigan’s is No. 9).
Oregon’s incoming freshmen class is pretty underwhelming. It consists of three-star forward Ibrahima Traore and unranked guard Dez Lindsay. The class is ranked 90th nationally and dead last in the Big Ten according to On3.
All signs point to it being a rebuilding year in Eugene. However, the medical hardship waiver for Dante could dramatically improve Oregon’s fortunes.
Torvik currently projects Oregon to be No. 46 nationally and No. 13 in the new-and-improved Big Ten. He has them just behind Maryland in the conference and ahead of fellow newcomer Washington.
Historically, Oregon has never been known for its men’s basketball program. The Ducks have just one National Championship in 1939, two Final Four appearances (1939, 2017), and eight Sweet Sixteen appearances. Almost all of the program’s success has come since Altman was hired in 2010. Notable Oregon men’s basketball alumni include Luke Ridnour, Dillon Brooks, Chris Duarte, and Payton Pritchard.
Despite bringing the most hideous home court in all of college basketball to the Big Ten, it will be interesting to see how the Ducks integrate themselves into the conference.