Oregon basketball: 3 starting lineup options for 2020-21 season

Oregon basketball sat atop the Pac-12 in the regular season last year but with big losses, what will Oregon starting lineup look like for 2020-21?

Even without the season coming to a premature end due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a wild year in the Pac-12. Just when it appeared as if a dominant team was emerging, they would falter. Rinse, lather, repeat. When the regular season concluded, however, it was Oregon basketball that captured the conference title, also finishing the year as the No. 13 team in the country.

Things are going to look a bit different for Dana Altman’s club in the 2020-21 season, particularly because they are losing three experienced and key contributors. Of course, that starts with Payton Pritchard who led the Ducks in points (20.5) and assists (5.5) per game last season. He was the lifeblood of the team and their primary source of playmaking both as a scorer and facilitator.

Additionally, Altman’s team will be without Anthony Mathis and Shakur Juiston as they both graduate as well. They weren’t nearly the level of the contributor as Pritchard but they did each played an integral part in the rotation.

However, the recruiting class for Oregon basketball won’t show many signs of new blood. There is just one player in the incoming freshman class, 4-star guard Jalen Terry. The rest of the reinforcements will come in the form of transfers as the Ducks have Eric Williams Jr. (Duquesne) and Eugene Omoruyi (Rutgers) joining the team after sitting out last year. UNLV graduate transfer Amauri Hardy is also heading to Eugene.

Despite the losses, the Ducks should be in a position to compete atop the Pac-12 again and, perhaps, become a more balanced club that can compete more adequately and consistently on a national scale. So let’s take a look at three starting lineup options for Oregon basketball in the 2020-21 campaign, going from the best to the worst-case scenario.