Having experience is a huge momentum builder for college basketball teams. The Oregon Ducks appear to have that heading into the 2025-26 season. They faced some lumps in the Big Ten last season, but were able to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks return some very important pieces, and with rising junior Jackson Shelstad back at the helm, Oregon basketball has a chance to make some noise this season.
Let’s take a closer look at the guys that Shelstad will have backing him up as the Ducks try to take another step this year.
Oregon Basketball 2025-26 Preview: Shelstad Ready to Lead
Roster Outlook
The Ducks have to make up for the departures of several key members from the 2024-25 team, headlined by TJ Bamba. The biggest news they got during the offseason was that Nate Bittle is back for one more run. Bittle proved to be a legit scoring threat and a solid defender. His importance will go hand in hand with Shlestad, along with the real emergence of Kwame Evans Jr.
The Ducks had plenty of portal additions last season, and they once again looked elsewhere to address some positions of need. Devon Pryor (Texas) and Sean Stewart (Ohio State) both come from high-level schools, yet neither was really a threat. Perhaps Coach Dana Altman can finally get them to hit their potential. In Stewart’s case, it’s his third school in three seasons.
The Ducks also added TK Simpkins from Elon University. Simpkins was an All-CAA player last season and will certainly see the floor quite often. After spending three seasons at Howard, Miles Stewart was also ready for the next level. He brings 77 games of experience to the Ducks for 2025-26.
JJ Frakes is the lone high school recruit who joined the Ducks this offseason. He comes all the way from Berrien Springs, Michigan. The Ducks were also able to snatch some international talent as they brought in two bigs from Turkey. Ege Demir and Efe Vatan will both look to compete to get time in the post for the Ducks.
The rest of the Oregon basketball roster includes:
Dezdrick Lindsay (Sr)
Oleksandr Kobzystyi (Sr)
Luke Johnson (Soph)
Drew Carter (Sr)
Jamari Phillips (Soph)
Steppin' up.@DuckSwag x #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/y1xHBjpL26
— Oregon Men's Basketball (@OregonMBB) September 12, 2025
Schedule Outlook
The Ducks have a nice tune-up to start the 2025-26 season. They have a pair of exhibition games against former PAC-12 foes Utah and Stanford. Then, they kick off the regular season with four-straight home contests against Hawaii, Rice, South Dakota State, and in-state rival Oregon State.
From there, they head to Las Vegas for the second annual Players Era Festival, an event they won last season. They have arguably one of the biggest non-conference games during ‘Feast Week’ as they face Auburn to open that event, before a clash with San Diego State.
The Ducks get games against USC and at UCLA for their first two Big Ten games in early December. December 21st’s clash with Gonzaga should have Matthew Knight Arena rocking.
There will be marquee Big Ten games against Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, Wisconsin, and Washington, also featured on the Ducks’ home floor. Road trips to Maryland, Rutgers, and Nebraska will be tough. Oregon makes road visits to Purdue and Indiana in early February. A road trip to Illinois in March will certainly tell the tale of what Oregon basketball will be worth.
The full 2025-26 schedule is here! #GoDucks
🎟️ https://t.co/402l0nO7MI pic.twitter.com/y6mcGxlgCf
— Oregon Men's Basketball (@OregonMBB) September 18, 2025
The Last Word on the Oregon Ducks
Dana Altman has been a real master of getting the best out of his team. Not a lot is being said about the Ducks heading into the 2025-26 season, but they have the pieces to make some real noise. Everyone was looking to see which of the four additions to the Big Ten would really take off in the move to the Big Ten. UCLA seems close, but Oregon might be in the catbird seat. Shelstad is a superstar in the making. Oregon has the pieces to once again be dancing come March.
© Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
