Matt Norlander covers college basketball for CBS. Each year prior to the season he releases his Top 100 and Top 25, the teams likely to make noise in the NCAA Tournament and conference races.
Norlander ranks Dana Altman's Ducks as the No. 23 team in the NCAA and one of six Big Ten teams in the Top 25. Only No. 2 Purdue, No. 4 Michigan, No. 9 Illinois, No. 18 UCLA and No. 20 Michigan State rank higher.
Basketball preseason rankings are typically more reliable because there are fewer moving parts. Players perform more consistently from level to level and league to league. The basket is ten feet off the floor wherever you go.
The Ducks play their second and final exhibition game tonight at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto against Stanford, Norlander's No. 82 program in the NCAA. Oregon star guard Jackson Shelstad is still out but should return soon, likely for the Players' Era Tournament, maybe for the November 17 game on Monday November 17 at Matthew Knight Arena.
One of our biggest stories every October: @MattNorlander's annual preseason ranking of the Top 100 And 1 teams.
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) October 30, 2025
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"I'm a little higher on O than most others in national media. That's because Nate Bittle, Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans all return and all should be guaranteed to improve markedly in their final season together. Shelstad's dealing with a broken right hand that will prevent him from being fully healthy and able to play to start the season, but this is a top-six or -seven team in the Big Ten to me once Shelstad's a full-go, so that's why I put the Ducks 23rd."
He thinks with the additions of Ohio State and Duke transfer Sean Stewart and Elon guards T.K. Simpkins, the Ducks are a good bet to make the tournament and compete in the Big Ten in their second year in the conference.
The exciting thing about the Ducks is that they will be entertaining as well as successful. Wei Lin's no-look pass to Ege Demir in the 73-53 opening win over Utah is the best evidence of that.
Wei Lin finds Ege Demir with the no-look dime! #GoDucks
— Oregon Men's Basketball (@OregonMBB) October 25, 2025
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This promises to be a team that plays with both flair and fundamentals, with improved depth and scoring over last year. Tonight's game will only be available on ACC Network Extra, which is available if the viewer has a cable or streaming service that includes the ACC Network.
Hulu, YouTube TV, Sling, FuboTV and DirecTV Stream have a pathway to the game.