Written by Beck Parsons

EUGENE, Ore -- The PAC-12-leading Oregon Ducks (12-3) will look to protect their perfect home record on Saturday when the California Golden Bears (6-10) come to Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks are riding a five-game winning streak that has seen them rise to 4-0 in conference play. The opposing Golden Bears started conference play with three losses but have rallied with two straight wins. They sit at 6-10 on the season and will hope to upset a cruising Ducks squad that has yet to play this week.

Oregon’s game plan will likely hinge on N’Faly Dante’s injury status. Dante has been out of action for two months while rehabbing from left knee surgery that he received in November. Thankfully for the Ducks, this week marked a return to practice for the star seven-footer from Mali. Dante was named a preseason All-Conference player and was considered by many to be Oregon’s best player before his injury. His return will be well-received by a team that has been lacking some size since Dante and fellow big man Nate Bittle were sidelined with injuries. Rebounding is the only major category at which Cal currently outperforms the Ducks, so Dante’s return figures to resolve Oregon’s biggest weakness. Dante had a program-record 21 rebounds in his only game this year, only 10 below a Ducks’ game average of 31.8 that is sure to increase.

While Dante’s presence will be crucial to Oregon’s success as this season progresses, Oregon has a number of other players to thank for their strong start. Freshman Jackson Shelstad has been turning heads on a national level, and for good reason. He has averaged a stellar 18  points per game since starting conference play and has scored in double digits in ten straight games. He's now tied with Dillon Brooks at ten, only a game behind Tyler Dorsey’s record of 11. Shelstad has a chance to match that record on Saturday as he continues to look like one of the nation’s best young stars.

Fifth-year senior Jermaine Couisnard and sophomore Brennan Rigsby have also been scoring threats. Rigbsy scored 18 points, including four three-pointers, in Oregon’s most recent win against Washington State. Couisnard has scored double digits in his last five games, including a 27-point double-double performance against Kent State.

 Much-hyped freshman Mookie Cook has finally recovered from a lengthy ankle injury and saw limited action against Washington and Washington State. Oregon fans will be excitedly watching his progression from a high school star to a college playmaker. Elsewhere on the court, 6’9” Kwame Evans Jr and 6’10” Mahamadou Diawara will help provide some additional size, and Keeshawn Barthelemy will likely see significant playing time at the guard positions.

Assuming Dante is finally healthy, Oregon’s starting lineup will likely consist of Shelstad, Rigsby, Couisnard, Evans and Dante. If Dante can’t go, it’ll likely be Diawara at center. Barthelemy can switch in at both guard positions and we’ll see guards Jesse Zarzuela and Jadrian Tracey get some time as well. Kario Oquendo is another option at the off-guard and forward positions. These second-string guards could see more playing time if a sitting Dante causes the Ducks to keep playing small-ball.

The Ducks will be competing against a Golden Bears team led by physical junior guard Jaylon Tyson. Tyson is 6’7” and has averaged 20.7 points per game. He excels at driving to the basket and will likely draw some significant defensive attention. 5’11” Guard Jalen Cone and 6’11” forward Fardaws Aimaq are averaging 14.4 and 14.9 points per game respectively, meaning Cal has diverse trio of main scorers with which to attack the basket.

Aimaq’s size and rebounding ability will likely cause the Ducks some headaches. If Dante isn’t healthy, Evans and Diawara will likely be tasked with neutralizing Aimaq. Dante is certainly Oregon’s best option at out-rebounding Aimaq. It’s worth remembering that Oregon has played effective small-ball to this point, so it’ll likely take more than just size to outdo Dana Altman’s Ducks. However, Tyson’s been a force on offense and has a notable combination of size and speed. Keeping Tyson out of his rhythm will be important if Oregon wants to pull away on the scoreboard.

Cal’s starting lineup will likely consist of Cone, fifth-year Keonte Kennedy, Tyson, junior Jalen Celestine, and Aimaq. Kennedy and Tyson may shift around, as will guard Rodney Brown. Forward Grant Newell will likely see some quality time as well.

California is coming off consecutive PAC-12 wins, beating UCLA on Saturday and Colorado on Wednesday. This marks the first back-to-back wins for the Golden Bears this year, who will look to extend their streak to three this upcoming Saturday. Prior to those two wins, the Bears had lost 19 straight PAC-12 games, last winning against Stanford in January 2023.

Meanwhile, the surging Oregon Ducks will look to extend a five-game win streak and protect their perfect home and conference records.