When Kwame Evans went down in the second half of the season opener against Hawaii, it looked bad. He thumped down on the floor clutching his knee and had to be supported off the court, not putting any weight on his leg.
As an immediate reaction imagination went to the worst, sprained knee, torn ligaments, surgery, lost for the season. It's happened often enough that Duck fans have a version of PTSD about losing a vital player early in the year.
That Evans passed up the NBA draft for another season at Matthew Knight Arena made it seem even more of a potential tragedy. The McDonald's All-American from Baltimore, Maryland has been a warrior for the Ducks, not missing a game in two seasons.
So it was a collective sigh of relief from Track Town Pizza to Central Point when the news came out Friday morning that the 6-10 forward will suit up tonight, according to a report from John Rothstein of FanDuel and CBS Sports.
Source: Oregon’s Kwame Evans (knee) will be available for tonight’s game against Rice.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 7, 2025
Had 7 points and 3 rebounds in the opener against Hawaii before leaving the game with an injury.
On Tuesday the Ducks won their season opener 60-59 over Hawaii. Guard TK Simpkins banked a runner off the glass with three seconds left for the win.
Oregon was up 50-36 when Evans went out of the game with just over 11 minutes to play. He'd sparked a rally with a three-pointer and a dunk off a pass from Nate Bittle.
Knowing the versatile rebounder and defender is back in the lineup is a huge boost for the 2025-26 season, particularly because shooting guard Jackson Shelstad returns soon, probably in time for the Player's Era preseason tournament.
The Ducks tip off against Rice tonight at 7 p.m. PT at Matthew Knight Arena, TV on Big Ten+.