Matthew Knight Arena had a busy first day of basketball as the Ducks hosted season openers for both the men's and women's basketball teams and at the end of the night, Oregon had two more wins to its name.
Entering the 2024-25 season, neither team earned a spot in the Top 25 despite the impressive history of the women's program and the men's run to the second round in last season's March Madness tournament.
Despite the lack of national recognition, the Ducks started their seasons off on the right (webbed) foot:
Oregon women's basketball demolishes California Baptist
The Ducks are ready to return to greatness. After an abysmal 2023-24 season, in which they finished 11-21 overall, the Oregon women's basketball team has looked white-hot in preseason and early season play.
In their season opener, the women blew past California Baptist, defeating the Lancers by an astounding 30 points.
The return of a healthy Peyton Scott and the addition of transfer Deja Kelly already paid off as the two combined for 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. Not to mention, the Ducks produced 42 points off the bench including 14 points from junior Elisa Mevius and 10 points from sophomore Sarah Rambus.
"All in all, a pretty good game," head coach Kelly Graves said. "I thought we had a good floor game. They didn't put a ton of pressure on us, but our kids handled it well. We played everybody. That's great. That's what these games are for."
Oregon men's basketball downs UC Riverside
The Oregon men's basketball starting lineup is imposing. It's that simple. The starting five produced 77 points, 30 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.
The return of a more mature Jackson Shelstad, Nate Bittle, and Kwame Evans Jr. was exactly what head coach Dana Altman was hoping for in addition to the transfer stars Brandon Angel and T.J. Bamba.
By halftime, the Ducks were up by 15 points and had scored 51 points in just 20 minutes of play. Once Altman subbed in a few players off the bench, the Oregon offensive game slowed down, as should be expected. At the end of regulation, the Ducks maintained their 15-point lead and walked away with a 91-76 victory.
His name is Dana Altman.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 5, 2024
And he aligns Rubik's Cubes.
The Oregon men return to action on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. PT against the Montana Grizzlies. The Duck women face the Nevada Wolf Pack on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. PT.