Latest news with #Shelstad
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Oregon Ducks crack early top 25 men's basketball rankings ahead of 2025 season
The Oregon Ducks men's basketball team is slated to return several top contributors mixed with multiple impact transfers ahead of the 2025-26 season -- a key reason why they were ranked No. 24 in USA Today's "College basketball too-early top 25 rankings after transfer portal, NBA Draft." "Another new addition to the rankings, Oregon is looking to maintain success after an up-and-down season," Paul Myerberg, Jordan Mendoza, Eddie Timings and Erick Smith wrote. "Back are the top two scorers in Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad, who are consistent scorers. But they can't be the only ones producing, and the Ducks have to replace TJ Bamba." "That appears to be answered in the transfer portal," they continued. "TK Simpkins led Elon in scoring last season and improved his 3-point shooting. Sean Stewart (Ohio State) also could be a breakout player as he finds a more elevated role." Included in the rankings were six other Big Ten teams, demonstrating another year of tremendous competition in the Ducks' second year in the conference. Oregon reached as high as No. 9 in the AP Poll a season ago after a blistering 12-1 start to the season. They cooled off once conference play began, but still put together a very respectable 12-8 record in Big Ten matchups and a 24-9 overall record prior to the NCAA Tournament. After being named the No. 5 seed in the East Region, the Ducks took care of the 12th-seeded Liberty Falcons, defeating them by 29 points. The second round presented a tough matchup with the fourth-seeded Arizona Wildcats led by fifth-year senior Caleb Love. Oregon was out-dueled by Love and the Wildcats, losing an 87-83 shootout. Shelstad and Bittle showed no fear however, with the former scoring a team-high 25 points on nine of 14 shooting from the field and three of six from 3-point range. Bittle connected on seven of 13 field goals, scoring 16 points and grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds. Both transfers in Simpkins (16.4 points per game last season) and Stewart (5.7 points, 5.8 rebounds per game) along with former Texas wing Devon Pryor, rated a four-star transfer per 247 Sports, should have a positive impact come the season. But it will all come down to the performances of Shelstad and Bittle, who each have the abilities to lead the Ducks to a successful season and are worthy of the No. 24 ranking. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
06-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Oregon's Jackson Shelstad announces future plans
Oregon's Jackson Shelstad announces future plans There was little doubt this would be the case, but the Oregon Ducks men's basketball team can breathe easier now that it's official. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, point guard Jackson Shelstad has signed a deal to return to the Ducks for his junior year in the 2025-26 season. With all of the departure news with Mookie Cook and Jadrian Tracey transferring and the likes of TJ Bamba, Brandon Angel, and Supreme Cook running out of eligibility, it's nice to have word that someone is returning to Eugene. Shelstad is expected to be the top point guard in the Big Ten Conference next season. In this past year, Shelstad's numbers rose from his freshman season. He averaged nearly 14 points and three assists per game. With his return, the question is what kind of talent will be surrounding him. It's assumed center Nate Bittle will return after testing the NBA draft waters, but Oregon won't know that definitive answer for a few weeks. Kwame Evans is also set to return to the Ducks and should be in a starting role. That's three really good pieces for the Ducks next season, and they should be contenders to make yet another NCAA tournament under coach Dana Altman. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
NBC Sports
24-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Love leads Arizona past Oregon 87-83 to set up a showdown with Duke in March Madness
SEATTLE — Caleb Love had 29 points and nine rebounds, and fourth-seeded Arizona advanced to the Sweet 16, surviving a ragged finish to beat former Pac-12 rival Oregon 87-83 on Sunday night in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats (24-12) will face top-seeded Duke in the East Region semifinals in Newark, New Jersey. Three years ago, Love starred for North Carolina in a Final Four victory over the Blue Devils that sent Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski into retirement. Tobe Awaka added 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Wildcats, who had never faced the Ducks in the tournament. Arizona also made the Sweet 16 last year, losing to Clemson. Jackson Shelstad had 25 points for fifth-seeded Oregon (25-10), which led by 15 points just over five minutes into the game. TJ Bamba had 17. 'Us going down early, we never panicked, we never altered anything,' Love said. 'I just think we were so poised throughout the whole game. Nobody was worried about anything but finishing up the game and winning the game.' Love's emphatic dunk with 2:37 left put Arizona in front 77-70. Oregon narrowed the gap on Keeshawn Barthelemy's 3-pointer before Nate Bittle's hook shot got the Ducks within 80-78 with 49.2 seconds left. Oregon pressured, and Shelstad's driving layup got the Ducks within 81-80 with 10 seconds left. Anthony Dell'Orso and Shelstad traded free throws, keeping the Ducks within a point. Dell'Orso hit another pair, but Shelstad missed one of his in the waning seconds and the Wildcats held on. Oregon was hurt by making only 12 of its 22 free-throw attempts. 'We put ourselves in a position to maybe make a comeback,' Ducks coach Dana Altman said. 'I was talking to the guys and we've played 30-some games and this is the first one this year that we've lost on the line.' After Oregon took an early 19-4 lead, the Wildcats went on a 13-2 run to close the gap to 26-23 midway through the first half. Arizona went ahead 32-31 on Jaden Bradley's layup with 4:45 left in the half and went into the break up 42-38. After Dell'Orso hit a 3-pointer that made it 54-43, he turned to the Wildcats' fans and yanked at the 'Arizona' on the front of his jersey in celebration. 'We've really been talking about this, kind of developing — I don't want to say unemotional, but a real steady approach. Zero-zero score, so what, now what mentality. These executed it to perfection today,' Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. The Ducks have advanced to the second round in each of their nine March Madness appearances in 15 years under Altman, but they haven't reached the Sweet 16 since 2021. Pac-12 demise Just three former Pac-12 teams made this year's tournament field, and Arizona is the only one left. UCLA lost to Tennessee in the second round. The Pac-12 collapsed in the summer of 2023, when Oregon and Washington bolted for the Big Ten, joining USC and UCLA, and Arizona went to the Big 12 with Colorado, Arizona State and Utah. The remaining Pac-12 members, Washington State and Oregon State, are rebuilding the conference, which is set to launch in the 2026-27 season. The retooled Pac-12 will include Gonzaga and Colorado State, which both made the field this year. The last time Arizona won the national title in 1997 under Lute Olson, defeating defending champion Kentucky with a roster that included Mike Bibby and Jason Terry. The Wildcats were runners-up to Duke in 2001. Oregon won the championship once, back in 1939. That team was known as the Tall Firs — a nod to the Oregon landscape and the fact that the players loomed taller than most of their opponents.
Washington Post
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Caleb Love leads Arizona past Oregon 87-83 to set up a showdown with Duke in March Madness
SEATTLE — Caleb Love had 29 points and nine rebounds, and fourth-seeded Arizona advanced to the Sweet 16, surviving a ragged finish to beat former Pac-12 rival Oregon 87-83 on Sunday night in the NCAA Tournament . The Wildcats (24-12) will face top-seeded Duke in the East Region semifinals in Newark, New Jersey. Three years ago, Love starred for North Carolina in a Final Four victory over the Blue Devils that sent Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski into retirement. Tobe Awaka added 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Wildcats, who had never faced the Ducks in the tournament. Arizona also made the Sweet 16 last year, losing to Clemson. Jackson Shelstad had 25 points for fifth-seeded Oregon (25-10), which led by 15 points just over five minutes into the game. TJ Bamba had 17. 'Us going down early, we never panicked, we never altered anything,' Love said. 'I just think we were so poised throughout the whole game. Nobody was worried about anything but finishing up the game and winning the game.' Love's emphatic dunk with 2:37 left put Arizona in front 77-70. Oregon narrowed the gap on Keeshawn Barthelemy's 3-pointer before Nate Bittle's hook shot got the Ducks within 80-78 with 49.2 seconds left. Oregon pressured, and Shelstad's driving layup got the Ducks within 81-80 with 10 seconds left. Anthony Dell'Orso and Shelstad traded free throws, keeping the Ducks within a point. Dell'Orso hit another pair, but Shelstad missed one of his in the waning seconds and the Wildcats held on. Oregon was hurt by making only 12 of its 22 free-throw attempts. 'We put ourselves in a position to maybe make a comeback,' Ducks coach Dana Altman said. 'I was talking to the guys and we've played 30-some games and this is the first one this year that we've lost on the line.' After Oregon took an early 19-4 lead, the Wildcats went on a 13-2 run to close the gap to 26-23 midway through the first half. Arizona went ahead 32-31 on Jaden Bradley's layup with 4:45 left in the half and went into the break up 42-38. After Dell'Orso hit a 3-pointer that made it 54-43, he turned to the Wildcats' fans and yanked at the 'Arizona' on the front of his jersey in celebration. 'We've really been talking about this, kind of developing — I don't want to say unemotional, but a real steady approach. Zero-zero score, so what, now what mentality. These executed it to perfection today,' Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. The Ducks have advanced to the second round in each of their nine March Madness appearances in 15 years under Altman, but they haven't reached the Sweet 16 since 2021. Just three former Pac-12 teams made this year's tournament field, and Arizona is the only one left. UCLA lost to Tennessee in the second round. The Pac-12 collapsed in the summer of 2023, when Oregon and Washington bolted for the Big Ten, joining USC and UCLA, and Arizona went to the Big 12 with Colorado, Arizona State and Utah. The remaining Pac-12 members, Washington State and Oregon State, are rebuilding the conference, which is set to launch in the 2026-27 season. The retooled Pac-12 will include Gonzaga and Colorado State, which both made the field this year. Arizona won the national title in 1997 under Lute Olson, defeating defending champion Kentucky with a roster that included Mike Bibby and Jason Terry. The Wildcats were runners-up to Duke in 2001. Oregon won the championship once, back in 1939. That team was known as the Tall Firs — a nod to the Oregon landscape and the fact that the players loomed taller than most of their opponents. ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here .
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Caleb Love leads Arizona past Oregon 87-83 to set up a showdown with Duke in March Madness
SEATTLE (AP) — Caleb Love had 29 points and nine rebounds, and fourth-seeded Arizona advanced to the Sweet 16, surviving a ragged finish to beat former Pac-12 rival Oregon 87-83 on Sunday night in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats (24-12) will face top-seeded Duke in the East Region semifinals in Newark, New Jersey. Three years ago, Love starred for North Carolina in a Final Four victory over the Blue Devils that sent Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski into retirement. Tobe Awaka added 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Wildcats, who had never faced the Ducks in the tournament. Arizona also made the Sweet 16 last year, losing to Clemson. Jackson Shelstad led fifth-seeded Oregon (25-10) with 25 points and TJ Bamba had 17. Love's emphatic dunk with 2:37 left put Arizona in front 77-70. Oregon narrowed the gap on Keeshawn Barthelemy's 3-pointer before Nate Bittle's hook shot got the Ducks within 80-78 with 49.2 seconds left. After an Arizona turnover, TJ Bamba missed a jumper for the Ducks. Jaden Bradley missed his second free throw on the other end, and Shelstad's driving layup got the Ducks within 81-80 with 10 seconds left. Anthony Dell'Orso and Shelstad traded free throws, keeping the Ducks within a point. Dell'Orso hit another pair, but Shelstad missed one of his in the waning seconds and the Wildcats held on. Oregon jumped out to a 19-4 lead just over five minutes in. The Wildcats went on a 13-2 run to close the gap to 26-23 midway through the first half. The Wildcats took a 32-31 lead on Jaden Bradley's layup with 4:45 left in the half and went into the break up 42-38. After Dell'Orso hit a 3-pointer that made it 54-43, he turned to the Wildcats' fans and yanked at the 'Arizona' on the front of his jersey in celebration. Shelstad's 3-pointer pulled Oregon within 56-52, but Love answered for the Wildcats with a 3 of his own and it was tight the rest of the way. The Ducks have advanced to the second round in each of their nine March Madness appearances in 15 years under coach Dana Altman, but they haven't reached the Sweet 16 since 2021. Pac-12 demise Just three former Pac-12 teams made this year's tournament field, and Oregon is the only one left. UCLA lost to Tennessee in the second round. The Pac-12 collapsed in the summer of 2023, when Oregon and Washington bolted for the Big Ten, joining USC and UCLA, and Arizona went to the Big 12 with Colorado, Arizona State and Utah. The remaining Pac-12 members, Washington State and Oregon State, are rebuilding the conference, which is set to launch in the 2026-27 season. The retooled Pac-12 will include Gonzaga and Colorado State, which both made the field this year. The last time Arizona won the national title in 1997 under Lute Olson, defeating defending champion Kentucky with a roster that included Mike Bibby and Jason Terry. The Wildcats were runners-up to Duke in 2001. Oregon won the championship once, back in 1939. That team was known as the Tall Firs — a nod to the Oregon landscape and the fact that the players loomed taller than most of their opponents. ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press
