Welcome to “Big Ten offseason at a glance,” a team-by-team look at the conference at the start of the summer. We’ll examine roster movement for each Big Ten roster and give an early outlook for each Big Ten program for the 2025-26 season.
Previously: Rutgers, Penn State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Washington
Today: Oregon (25-10 overall in 2024-25, 12-8 in Big Ten play)
Dana Altman’s Ducks ended last regular season scorching hot on a seven-game win streak. Oregon earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament and made its second consecutive Round of 32 before falling to Arizona.
Oregon roster movement
Players returning with eligibility: Jackson Shelstad, Nate Bittle, Kwame Evans, Dez Lindsay, Jamari Phillips
Players departing due to exhausted eligibility: Ra’Heim Moss, Supreme Cook, Brandon Angel, TJ Bamba, Keeshawn Barthelemy
Players departing via transfer portal: Mookie Cook (to San Francisco), Jadrian Tracey (to VCU), Jesse Zarzuela
Players arriving via transfer portal: Devon Pryor (from Texas), TK Simpkins (from Elon), Sean Stewart (from Ohio State)
Players arriving from high school: JJ Frakes
The Ducks lose a lot of production, most notably two-way stud TJ Bamba and sharpshooting Keeshawn Barthelemy but bring back All-Big Ten third teamers Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle. Oregon currently has four open scholarships. Its small transfer class thus far includes former McDonald’s All-American Sean Stewart, alongside Devon Pryor and TK Simpkins.
What to like about Oregon
Oregon brings back its two best players, a luxury that not many teams can boast anymore. Shelstad was and will be one of the league’s best bucket getters and Bittle provides a commanding presence inside defensively and can stretch the floor on the offensive end.
Dana Altman is a winner, and he often does it at the right time, like last season’s win streak. Since being hired in Eugene in 2010, no other school has more wins in the month of March than Altman and Oregon’s 75 victories. This team won’t have a ton of continuity, but once the Ducks gel they’ll find a rhythm.
These Ducks are also starting to gain more experience. Shelstad and Evans will both be juniors now with a year of Big Ten play under their belts. All three incoming transfers are upperclassmen, two of whom with high-major experience. Jamari Phillips, a 2024 247sports Composite top 50 recruit, got limited run as a freshman but should get an uptick in minutes.
What to question with Oregon
The roster is still incomplete. Three open scholarships remain with Bittle returning after testing NBA draft waters. Priority number one is securing some post players, considering Bittle is the only current rostered center.
Perimeter shooting looks iffy as of now. Shelstad and Simpkins have good numbers – so does Lindsay, but at the JUCO level – but none of the rostered wing players are much of a threat on the outside. Bittle returning and spacing the floor could mediate this, but that’s still hypothetical. The Ducks should look to add another shooter with a remaining scholarship.
Bamba was an elite perimeter defender who could compensate for the smaller 6-foot Shelstad, and now that luxury is gone. Oregon ended the year with a top 25 defense in Bart Torvik’s rankings, and it’s hard to say if that can be replicated.
Oregon’s outlook for the 2025-26 season
Home: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers
Home/Away: UCLA, USC, Washington
Oregon currently projects as the No. 13 Big Ten team and inside the top 55 nationally in Bart Torvik’s preseason projection. It would be a big step back from last year’s standings – the Ducks tied for seventh in the conference and were No. 28 nationally.
It’s hard to get a feel for Oregon with an incomplete roster. That being said, it’s hard to bet against Altman producing another 20-plus win season in Eugene – he’s done so all 15 seasons there. Shelstad and Bittle are the second-best returning duo in the conference and that can’t be understated.
Category: Commentary
Filed to: 2025-26 Big Ten preview, Oregon Ducks
