20. Oregon Ducks
Each of Dana Altman’s first fifteen seasons with Oregon ended in at least 20 wins and a boatload of NCAA Tournament appearances. That streak of success ended with a whimper last season, with the Ducks struggling to a 12-20 record and flailing in a tough Big Ten. The season before saw the Ducks relevant in year one in the Big Ten and the potential is there; Altman is just hoping that this offseason produces far better results in Eugene.
The Ducks lost significant players like Nathan Bittle and Jackson Shelstad but it’s a very deep transfer class trying to replace them. There’s no huge standout prospect here, but certainly some familiar names on both end. The backcourt gains Fred Payne, fresh off 15.8 points per game in the ACC at Boston College, alongside Tyrone Riley, a high-octane rising junior who starred at San Francisco. Throw in Dwayne Aristode, a freshman who didn’t get many chances at Arizona alongside a similar face in Kentucky’s Jasper Johnson.
Altman didn’t forget about replacing Bittle and the talent in the frontcourt, grabbing prominent Alabama forward Taylor Bol Bowen and San Diego State big man Pharaoh Compton. The Ducks are piecing things together but have some really solid pieces here, including former Boise State big Andrew Meadow, a double-digit scorer as a junior last year. We also can’t ignore the potential of someone like Jerry Easter, a USC freshman who should get more chances in year two of college ball.
When you’re adding this many names through the portal you really are rolling the dice that it’s all going to stick and that these new players will work together. Altman has built a reputation in his years of coaching and likely knows exactly what he needs and what to expect from these new faces. When you put all of it together, Oregon is simply hoping to start another streak of 20-win seasons.
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