Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy. Low 71F. Winds light and variable.
Updated: August 11, 2025 @ 6:38 am
Oregon’s Nate Bittle (32) celebrates as the Ducks face the Arizona Wildcats during a second round NCAA Tournament game in Seattle, Washington on Sunday, March 23, 2025.
College/Prep Sports Reporter
Oregon’s Nate Bittle (32) celebrates as the Ducks face the Arizona Wildcats during a second round NCAA Tournament game in Seattle, Washington on Sunday, March 23, 2025.
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Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team and college basketball at large:
Last year’s finish: 25-10, 12-8 Big Ten (Seventh)
Notable losses: TJ Bamba; Keeshawn Barthelemy; Brandon Angel; Jadrian Tracey; Supreme Cook
Returning players: Jackson Shelstad, Jr., G; Kwame Evans Jr., Jr, F; Jamari Phillips, So. G; Nate Bittle, Sr., C
Key additions: Takai Simpkins, Sr., G; Devon Pryor, Jr., F; Sean Stewart, Jr., F
One extended thought: Pairing Shelstad and Bittle for another season isn’t a bad place to start for the Ducks. Something about the best two players on the team being a returning point guard and returning center seems to work. Case in point … Shelstad and Bittle were the Ducks’ top two scorers last season. Both claimed Third Team All-Big Ten honors, and the 7-foot Bittle was an All-Big Ten Defensive Team selection after blocking 2.1 shots per game (to go with career best averages of 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds). Shelstad overcame a slow start in the first third of the season to average 15.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in the final two-thirds of his sophomore year.
The question mark is Oregon’s supporting cast. Can Evans finally produce like the top 15 recruit he was coming out of high school? Will Simpkins, an Elon transfer, handle the jump to the Big Ten to give the Ducks another scorer in the backcourt? Can Dana Altman get more out of Stewart — another former five-star recruit — than Jake Diebler did at Ohio State? If the answer to a couple of those questions is “yes” then Oregon should be solid again.
Scott Richey covers college basketball for The News-Gazette. His email is srichey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@srrichey).
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Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey.
New Terps coach Buzz Williams at least has some continuity from last season with the Texas A&M players he brought with him
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