The 2025-26 ‘BTPowerhouse Season Preview’ series will take an in-depth look at all 18 teams in the Big Ten heading into the 2025-26 season with analysis on each program’s previous season, roster overhaul, and top storylines. Each post will also include predictions on each team’s postseason potential.
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The Oregon Ducks have remained one of the most consistently successful teams in college basketball since head coach Dana Altman took over in 2010, winning at least 20 games in every season since. Altman continued
that success in his first season in the Big Ten, going 25-10 and making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Now the Ducks will look to build on that success, even more so as the team is set to return their two best players from last season.
Last Season
In the Ducks first season as a member of the Big Ten it’s safe to say they had a successful debut season. Oregon got off to a quick 9-0 start that include wins over ranked Texas A&M and Alabama, leading to a short stint inside the top 10. Outside of a narrow two point loss to UCLA the Ducks started off on a hot 12-1 start that eventually turned into a 15-2 run.
Oregon lost a bit of luster midway through the season, with a seven point loss at home to Purdue and a five game skid that included losses to Minnesota and Nebraska. Things turned around to close out the regular season with eight straight wins before losing in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals against Michigan State.
With 24 wins and a 12-8 mark in the Big Ten the Ducks landed in the NCAA Tournament with a 5 seed. While the Ducks blew out Liberty in the first round, Oregon fell short to former conference foe Arizona by four points in the Round of 32.
Roster Outlook
Oregon is losing a decent amount of production while still retaining their two best players. Most notably the team loses guards TJ Bamba and Keeshawn Barthelemy, with the backcourt duo averaging 20.5 points per game. Guard Jadrian Tracey also contributed solid minutes off the bench, averaging 6.9 points and hitting 34% from beyond the arc. Forward Brandon Angel is the other notable departure, averaging 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last season.
Oregon does return their star guard Jackson Shelstad, who averaged 13.7 points per game and hit just under 40% from three. The guard suffered an injury in the offseason and will miss the opening of the season, with Chinese pro and fresh face Wei Lin set to take over the starting spot. Lin averaged over 20 points per game professionally overseas and was projected as a second round pick if he had entered the NBA Draft.
Anchoring the frontcourt is center Nate Bittle, who averaged 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while still hitting around 33% of his three pointers. The seven footer also averaged just over two blocks per game. Returning forward Kwame Evans will also likely start in the frontcourt, averaging 6.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game with the Ducks last year.
Looking to round out the starting five is a pair of transfers that will likely get the first look. Devon Pryor had a limited role while at Texas, averaging just 3.2 points and 2 rebounds, but will likely see a much larger role this year with the Ducks. Takai Simpkins should slot in with Shelstad in the backcourt, coming in off of a season where he averaged 16.4 points while hitting 37% from three while at Elon. Oregon will look for him to replace the departures of Barthelemy and Bamba.
Notable Departures
- G TJ Bamba (10.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.6 APG)
- G Keeshawn Barthelemy (10 PPG, 2.5 APG, 2.3 RPG, 41% 3PT)
- F Brandon Angel (8.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 37% 3PT)
- G Jadrian Tracey (6.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 34% 3PT)
Incoming Transfers
- F Devon Pryor (Texas | 3.2 PPG, 2 RPG)
- G Takai Simpkins (Elon | 16.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, 37% 3PT)
- F Miles Stewart (Howard | 3.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG)
- F Sean Stewart (Ohio State | 5.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG)
Incoming Freshmen
- SG JJ Frakes (3-Star)
- C Ege Demir (Unranked)
- G Wei Lin (Sophomore | China | 21 PPG, 5 APG, 35% 3PT)
Notable Returning Players
- C Nate Bittle (14.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 33.6% 3PT)
- F Kwame Evans Jr. (6.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG)
- G Jackson Shelstad (13.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, 38% 3PT)
The Schedule
- 11/4 – Hawaii
- 11/7 – Rice
- 11/12 – South Dakota State
- 11/17 – Oregon State
- 11/24 – Auburn (Players Era Festival – Las Vegas)
- 11/25 – San Diego State (Players Era Festival – Las Vegas)
- 11/26 – TBD (Players Era Festival – Las Vegas)
- 12/2 – USC
- 12/6 – at UCLA
- 12/13 – UC Davis
- 12/17 – Portland
- 12/21 – Gonzaga (Portland)
- 12/28 – Omaha
- 1/2 – at Maryland
- 1/5 – at Rutgers
- 1/8 – Ohio State
- 1/13 – at Nebraska
- 1/17 – Michigan
- 1/20 – Michigan State
- 1/25 – at Washington
- 1/28 – UCLA
- 2/1 – Iowa
- 2/7 – at Purdue
- 2/9 – at Indiana
- 2/14 – Penn State
- 2/17 – Minnesota
- 2/21 – at USC
- 2/25 – Wisconsin
- 2/28 – at Northwestern
- 3/3 – at Illinois
- 3/7 – Washington
- 3/10-15 – Big Ten Tournament (Chicago)
In 2024 Oregon burst onto the scene with a bunch of wins over mid-majors and then a few ranked upsets that quickly launched them up into the rankings. That opportunity will exist once again when the Ducks face Auburn during Feast Week. Their involvement in the Players Era Festival will also include a winnable game against San Diego State and a to be determined opponent. December provides a few more opportunities, with USC and UCLA opening up league play and a game in Portland against Gonzaga shortly before Christmas.
The Ducks have a somewhat manageable draw early in 2026 opponent wise, but will have to once again deal with traveling cross country for all road games in league play. With three of their first four games on the road, and home games including Michigan and Michigan State, the start to the league play could once again provide a rough stretch for the Ducks. Things eventually become a bit more favorable, though road trips to Purdue, Indiana and Illinois will all be difficult over the last month of the season.
Biggest Obstacle
The two biggest question marks for Oregon will likely be can they round out the rest of their starting rotation effectively and will they be able to handle the massive traveling requirements that come with playing in the Big Ten while being located in the Pacific Northwest.
Shelstad and Bittle are both legit stars in the league, but the rest of the roster will likely have to pick up for most of the lost production from last season. Wei Lin has played professionally in China and was a potential second round pick if he had entered the draft. Now he is an almost 22 year old sophomore with several seasons of professional experience playing at the collegiate level. If Lin can come in and thrive it will go a long way for Oregon to shore up some of their losses in the backcourt.
The rest of the rotation and most of the bench was polished in the transfer portal which isn’t always easy to predict. As long as Altman didn’t strike out in the portal there is some experience to round out the roster, but there’s also a lot of reliance on players who either played at a lower level or haven’t seen much consistent playing time yet.
Realistic Expectations
Considering the Ducks return Shelstad and Bittle the reality is Oregon should likely build off of last year’s success and contend towards the top of the league. The Ducks last year had some strong runs mixed in with some stretches of absolute dreadful play. Part of that likely stemmed from the uneven schedule and the massive travel requirements from flying back and forth between Oregon and the Midwest.
Anything that doesn’t meet last year’s success would likely be seen as a disappointment. Altman has plenty of pieces and two of the best players in the league so look for Oregon to return to the NCAA Tournament and be a threat to make it to the Sweet 16 in March.
Big Ten Prediction: 8th Place
