When the Associated Press released their first rankings for the 2025-2026 men's college basketball season, the Ducks were shocked to find themselves two spots short of the rankings (ultimately ranking them at 27). The Ducks had a terrific first season in the Big Ten just a year ago, as they finished with a 12-8 conference record and earning themselves a number five seed in the NCAA Tournament. With two of their best players announcing their returns to Oregon after being eliminated in the tournament, expectations remained sky-high for the Ducks entering year two in the Big Ten. Unfortunately for the Dana Altman led Ducks, everything that could have went wrong for Oregon thus far, has.
Injuries
It was announced in early October that Oregon's star junior guard Jackson Shelstad, who was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team last season as a sophomore, had broken his hand in practice and would miss the beginning of the season. Shelstad would make his season debut when Oregon hosted Rice on November 7, a night where Shelstad struggled as he shot just 16.7% from the field on 12 attempts. It seemed as if Jackson was rushed back as the Ducks were desperately missing his presence. Shelstad was able to compete through November and most of December where he showed significant flashes of his sophomore-self, until he sustained another hand injury against Omaha on December 28. This time, it could cost Shelstad his season as surgery talks are in consideration to repair tendon and ligament damages in his hand. Moving on, as if losing their starting point guard was not enough, it was revealed that Oregon's leading scorer, Nate Bittle, had sustained an ankle injury in their blowout loss to Nebraska two weeks ago. Bittle, who was also named to the All-Big Ten Third Team last season, is expected to miss at least a month. As the Ducks sit at 1-8 in Big Ten play, Oregon has felt the absences of their two leading scorers, as well as veteran and leadership presences.
Offensive Struggles
Of course, without your two best offense weapons you are almost guaranteed to regress offensively. The problem for Oregon is that nobody has quiet been able to fill the big shoes left behind by Shelstad and Bittle. First-year Duck Wei Lin has seen a significant amount of minutes as the Ducks point guard. Lin was brought over from China where many around the nation thought Oregon had captured a steal in him. Lin has not yet lived up to the hype as he is averaging just 6.8 points on 32.2% shooting through 19 games this season. Other players who have been seeing more minutes like Jamari Phillips, Drew Carter, Oleksandr Kobzystyi and Devon Pryor have not been able to score at an efficient and consistent pace this season. The Ducks have also been turning the ball over at a concerning amount. The sloppiness on offense has been putting their defense in tough situations, often leading their opponents to easy scores. Oregon has had to rely on experienced players in Kwame Evans Jr., Takai Simpkins and Sean Stewart, players who have had to step up into roles they are not yet used to.
Running Out of Steam
Despite the 1-8 start in Big Ten play combined with the struggles on offense, Oregon has been in closer games than many would believe. Oregon was neck and neck in games against (then No. 21) Auburn, (then No. 24) USC, No. 6 Gonzaga, UCLA, Rutgers, Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan. The Ducks came within 11 points of all these games against tournament level teams. The common theme in these games is that Oregon has ran out of steam down the stretch in most of the second halves of these games. Late game turnovers, defensive breakdowns along with missing free throws have plagued Oregon when it comes to finish games strongly. The Ducks inability to finish strong has been costly as finishing strong is undoubtedly one of the most important keys to victory in basketball and certainly could distinguish a tournament team from a non-tournament team.
Bottomline
It is clear that the injuries from Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle have played a huge part in the Ducks dissapointing season. It is also worth noting that there have been several teams in the past to overcome significant injuries and still compete at a high level. With the Ducks seemingly having more recruiting help than most of the country as well as a top tier brand, some Oregon fans are questioning whether it's time to let Head Coach Dana Altman go. As the Ducks sit at 8-12, it is safe to say that they are more than likely going to finish this season with less than 20 wins. Impressively enough, Altman has been at the helm of Oregon since 2010 and has never had a season with under 20 wins as Oregon's head coach. Many believe that the game has passed him and a change of scenery in necessary in Eugene. What do you think?