What will Oregon men's basketball's starting lineup look like in 2026?

Dana Altman faced a difficult challenge on the heels of his worst season in Eugene. After the Oregon Ducks finished just 12-20 last season, the Ducks saw significant departures in the transfer portal, including Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans Jr. , while Nate Bittle exhausted his eligibility.

Although the Ducks missed out on some key targets, Altman has been able to fill Oregon's roster with eight new faces to help lead the Ducks into the 2026 season. Kentucky's Jasper Johnson , Arizona's Dwayne Aristode and San Francisco's Tyrone Riley IV highlight the new talent in Eugene, and there is some early optimism that the newest Ducks could lead a sudden resurgence for the program within the Big Ten. FanDuel's Jon Rothstein believes the Ducks could be back in the national conversation again next season, especially with the NCAA Tournament expanding to 76 teams.

In Rothstein's ranking of the top 45 teams , Oregon found its way onto the list at No. 36, which seemed unfathomable when the Ducks wrapped up play in March and lost their biggest contributing pieces. On Rothstein's list, Oregon is 13th among Big Ten teams, but the new talent could blossom and help the Ducks overcome some of the veteran lineups the conference has to offer.

Rothstein projects Johnson to command the starting point guard role with Riley as the No. 2. Aristode is the projected starting small forward, with Alabama transfer Taylor Bol Bowen and Oregon's lone returner Sean Stewart anchoring the front court.