Oregon Basketball: What makes the Ducks the preseason Pac-12 favorites?

Who comes back?

Despite the top recruits, the leader for Oregon next season will be Payton Pritchard. A 6’2″ guard, the junior-to-be averaged 14.5 points and 4.8 assists per game last season (both team-highs) while dropping in 41.7% of his 3-point shots. For a roster full of talent, Pritchard’s 3-point shooting and playmaking skills will make him the focal point of the team. He is an excellent game manager and will be asked to be the on-court leader for Coach Altman.

In addition to Pritchard, there are plenty of other key returning players for the Ducks. This Oregon team might not have many seniors on the roster but there are enough players with one or two years of experience to make up for that.

The lone senior on the team for next season, Paul White will be looking to increase his scoring output from 9.4 points per game last season. At 6’8″, White can be a matchup issue due to his ability to knock down the 3-pointer with some consistency. He shot 35.2% from deep as a junior.

While Brown may be departing for the NBA, there are still several members of the 2017 recruiting class returning for their sophomore seasons. Two prominent members of the rotation last season, Victor Bailey and Kenny Wooten could easily become starters in their second-year campaigns. The players both averages over six points while playing less than 20 minutes per game this past season. In larger roles, their numbers should increase across the board.

In addition, Abu Kigab, Keith Smith, and M.J. Cage will be returning after playing limited minutes a season ago.