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3 bold predictions for Oregon basketball vs. UC Riverside

By Connor Muldowney

Mar 23, 2024; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad (3) drives to the basket against Creighton Bluejays guard Steven Ashworth (1) during the first half in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Mar 23, 2024; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad (3) drives to the basket against Creighton Bluejays guard Steven Ashworth (1) during the first half in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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While the football team is out there dominating Big Ten opponents on a weekly basis, Oregon basketball has been gearing up to tip off the 2024-25 season on Monday night.

The Ducks will play host to UC Riverside at Matthew Knight Arena on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. PT and 10:30 p.m. ET. This could be one of those games that will be used to shake off some rust and the Ducks will be able to afford that as UC Riverside was just 16-18 last year and it enters this matchup as a 17.5-point underdog.

Oregon will look to get back to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season after finishing 24-12 last year under Dana Altman. He hit the portal hard and has the pieces to get back.

There will be a lot of new faces in action on Monday night, so let's dive into some bold predictions.

1. Jackson Shelstad scores a career-high

Entering Monday night's season opener as the top returning scorer from a season ago as a freshman, Jackson Shelstad knows that he has the weight of the team on his shoulders.

And he's going to deliver.

The sophomore guard scored 23 points in a game twice last season and that stood as his career-high, but it'll take him just 40 minutes into his sophomore season to set a new career-high as he'll finish with 25 points and four assists on around 50 percent shooting.

2. Nate Bittle records a double-double

Nate Bittle is an intriguing big man. The 7-footer from nearby Central Point, Ore., got off to a hot start in the 2023-24 season, averaging 10 points and 4.4 rebounds per game before missing the final 31 games of the season due to injury/illness. He's still waiting to hear back about his hardship waiver to give him another year of eligibility but the senior is going to kick off his potential final year strong.

Bittle will finish with 16 points and 11 rebounds, leading the way for the Ducks in the post and he has an impressive inside-out game that makes him a threat from anywhere on the floor.

We'll see Bittle do his best to replace N'Faly Dante.

3. Oregon covers, and then some

You can usually tell how good an Oregon basketball team is early in the season when the Ducks either play down to opponents or just completely dismantle inferior foes. I think we'll see the latter on Monday.

UC Riverside isn't exactly a world-beater and Oregon may be still trying to get as a unit with five newcomers, four of which are coming from the transfer portal, but the talent discrepency will be obvious from the opening tip. The Ducks added some solid shooters and some talented all-around players from the portal and return guys like Bittle, Shelstad, Keeshawn Barthelemy, Jadrian Tracey, and Kwame Evans Jr.

Oregon is favored by 17.5 on Monday night, but I think the Ducks win by 25-30.

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