Oregon opens first Big Ten season looking for better NCAA Tournament finish
Oregon (24-12, 12-8 Pac-12)
Oregon won last year's Pac-12 tournament in its final year in the league. The team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament but were eliminated in double overtime to Creighton. Coach Dana Altman is entering his 15th overall season at the helm and his first in the Big Ten, where the Ducks landed in conference realignment. Oregon was picked to finish sixth this season in the Big Ten's preseason media poll.
Players to watch
Guard Jackson Shelstad was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team. He is in his second season after taking on a starting role last year as a true freshman. He averaged 12.8 points per game, starting in 30 of 32 games he played. He was ranked third on the team in scoring.
Fellow sophomore Kwame Evans Jr. played in all 36 games for the Ducks as a freshman last season, and started in 29. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 7.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He also averaged a block a game.
Departures and arrivals
Starting center N'Faly Dante is now with the Houston Rockets, while forward Jermaine Cousinard has graduated.
The Ducks added a players they have faced in the past, guard T.J. Bamba, who was at Washington State (later Villanova), and forward Brandon Angel, who played the past four seasons at Stanford. Angel averaged 13 points and 4.7 rebounds last season. They also picked up Ra’Heim Moss from Toledo.
In addition to Evans and Shelstad, the Ducks also return guard Jadrian Tracey, wing Mookie Cook, center Nate Bittle and guard Keeshawn Barthelemy.
Top games
The Ducks open on Nov. 4 with UC Riverside. It is the first of four games at home before the team heads up the valley to face former Pac-12 rival Oregon State. Then Oregon heads to Las Vegas to face No. 13 Texas A&M, San Diego State and Altman's former team, Creighton, ranked No. 15.
The Ducks visit USC in early December before returning home to host No. 22 UCLA, both teams also playing their first season in the Big Ten. Oregon hosts No. 14 Purdue on Jan. 18 and No. 17 Indiana on March 4.
Facts and figures
Altman says he has “an old ball club” with veteran transfers who give the Ducks plenty of experience. ... Under Altman, the Ducks won four Pac-12 tournament titles and have been to the NCAA Tournament nine times. ... Oregon returned to the NCAA Tournament last season after missing out for two seasons. ... Bittle, a 7-footer, was hampered last season by a wrist injury. He's the only true center on the roster after Dante's departure.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
