Oregon has opened the season with two victories behind the depth and athleticism of its almost entirely new roster. The Ducks recorded 12 dunks against Eastern Washington alone after producing several more in their season opener.
Oregon will need that depth to replace guard Tyrone Riley IV, a transfer from San Francisco who sustained a left hand injury in the season opener against Montana and didn’t play in Friday night’s win over Eastern Washington.
The Ducks host Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday night in Eugene, Ore.
Riley will be re-evaluated in four weeks, according to Ducks Wire. His 17 points led Oregon against Montana.
Guard Wei Lin is among those who could see increased playing time during Riley’s absence. Lin returned from last season’s team and scored 10 points off the bench against Montana and 20 against Eastern Washington.
Lin played just more than 20 minutes in reserve in the latter contest.
“Wei has really put in the work,” interim head coach Tony Stubblefield told the Oregon athletics website. “He’s been very coachable. He’s made the adjustment. He’s defending harder, and he’s been more of an all-around basketball player. His shot selection, I think, has really helped him, and he really provides a big spark for us coming off the bench.”
Mississippi Valley State visited another Big Ten team, Washington, on Monday. The Delta Devils lost 77-64 to drop to 0-2.
AJ Abrams scored 20 for Mississippi Valley State against the Huskies, while Gabriel Martinez and Matt Anglo added 16 apiece. The Delta Devils shot 36.5% from the field and were outrebounded 46-25.
They’ll turn from Oregon to Oregon State, then continue a daunting all-road nonconference schedule against Arkansas, New Mexico, Michigan, North Texas, UConn, Mississippi State, Tulane, Ohio State, Texas Tech and Baylor.
Mississippi Valley State won’t play its first home game of the season until Jan. 9, 2027.
The road stretch could bring in close to $1 million in guarantee payments for the school’s athletics department, according to a report by the website HBCU Gameday.