12. Oregon Ducks - 11-1
The Ducks did start out the season 5-0, but they weren’t overly impressive. They needed overtime to beat Portland and had a nail-biter win over their rival Oregon State. But they shined in the Players Era Tournament, winning over Texas A&M, San Diego State, and Alabama to get the first-ever championship. Then, Oregon won its first-ever Big Ten game, beating USC on the road before losing to UCLA.
It’s been a balanced effort for the Ducks to this point. Big man Nathan Bittle leads the way with 13.8 ppg and 8.6 rpg, with Villanova transfer TJ Bamba (10.4 ppg) impacting the backcourt. Although he hasn’t had a breakout sophomore campaign statistically, Jackson Shelstad has been the hero for the Ducks in key games.
Oregon has gotten some production from former 5-star prospect KJ Evans, putting up 6.2 ppg in 15 mpg off the bench. One key contributor has been 6th Man Keeshawn Barthelemy, who is averaging 10.3 ppg off the bench, shooting a team-high 48% from three-point range.
The Ducks are now becoming a genuine contender in the Big Ten. But after a home matchup with Weber State on Sunday, the opening slate these next few weeks will be hard. They have Illinois and Maryland at home, followed by road battles at Ohio State and Penn State.