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The Oregon Ducks men's basketball team will have almost an entirely new roster during the 2026-27 season, with the only meaningful holdover being forward Sean Stewart.
The roster overhaul wasn't for no reason; it was because of the Ducks' disaster of a 2025-26 campaign in which point guard Jackson Shelstad suffered a season-ending hand injury and the team won just 12 games.
It was the lowest win total in nearly two decades for a proud Ducks program under head coach Dana Altman.
In comes a handful of talented, promising players headlined by 2025 four-stars Dwayne Aristode (Arizona), Jasper Johnson (Kentucky) and Taylor Bol Bowen (Alabama) to go along with Tyrone Riley IV (San Francisco), who was a double-digit scorer for the Dons as a sophomore.
Former Boston College guard Fred Payne and former Boise State forward Andrew Meadow also averaged in double figure scoring last season.
The revamped roster led to CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein picking the Ducks as his preseason sleeper heading into next season with Altman serving as a significant reason.
"Dana Altman didn't forget how to coach," Rothstein said.
"He was ruptured by injuries last year.
I think Oregon is a team with this personnel, with Dana Altman, that will find its way back into the NCAA Tournament." Oregon is the sleeper team in the Big Ten.
https://t.co/c9JLel2QnF (Apple) https://t.co/EsZxIkca32 (Spotify) https://t.co/x5qUSk1Wmn (YouTube) pic.twitter.com/EQj980AVWJ Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 13, 2026 Rothstein then made another point regarding the new 76-team format of the 2027 NCAA Tournament, a move the NCAA made that adds eight more teams to the field.
With the expansion of the tournament that many experts say will value power conferences over mid-majors, there's a possibility that the Big Ten sends 12 or 13 teams to the dance.
The Ducks have a chance to be one of them, in Rothstein's eyes.
It's certainly difficult to completely waft away the stink from last season for the Ducks from an outside perspective, but this is a new team.
And come seven months from now, it may very well be a team that hears its name called on Selection Sunday.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks named sleeper team in the Big Ten next season.