Oregon basketball mentioned in ESPN way-too-early Top 25 rankings for 2025
The college basketball season is finally over with Florida winning the national championship, so it's completely normal to think about the 2025-26 season.
With the latest news of point guard Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans returning to Eugene for their junior seasons, Oregon's outlook for next year looks a lot brighter. Add in Nate Bittle for his senior season, there's no reason to believe the Ducks won't be a major player in the Big Ten Conference and in the NCAA tournament.
Bittle's decision is still coming as he tests out the NBA draft process.
But in their way-too-early rankings for the 2025-26 season, ESPN mentions the Ducks as one of those teams sitting just outside the Top 25. If Bittle had announced a decision to come back before this list was published, Oregon would most likely be among the 25 teams on the list.
ESPN says Purdue will be back to its usual self as the Boilermakers are ranked No. 2 on the list. Michigan is ranked No. 5 with UCLA rounding out the top 10. Suffice it to say, the Big Ten will be one of the toughest leagues in the country next season.
Oregon coach Dana Altman still has some work to do in the transfer portal to round out the roster, but having Shelstad and Evans coming back has to be a huge relief.
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