Dana Altman faced a difficult challenge on the heels of his worst season in Eugene. After the Oregon Ducks finished just 12-20 last season, the Ducks saw significant departures in the transfer portal, including Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans Jr., while Nate Bittle exhausted his eligibility.Although the Ducks missed out on some key targets, Altman has been able to fill Oregon's roster with eight new faces to help lead the Ducks into the 2026 season. Kentucky's Jasper Johnson, Arizona's Dwayne Aristode and San Francisco's Tyrone Riley IV highlight the new talent in Eugene, and there is some early optimism that the newest Ducks could lead a sudden resurgence for the program within the Big Ten.FanDuel's Jon Rothstein believes the Ducks could be back in the national conversation again next season, especially with the NCAA Tournament expanding to 76 teams. In Rothstein's ranking of the top 45 teams, Oregon found its way onto the list at No. 36, which seemed unfathomable when the Ducks wrapped up play in March and lost their biggest contributing pieces.On Rothstein's list, Oregon is 13th among Big Ten teams, but the new talent could blossom and help the Ducks overcome some of the veteran lineups the conference has to offer. Rothstein projects Johnson to command the starting point guard role with Riley as the No. 2. Aristode is the projected starting small forward, with Alabama transfer Taylor Bol Bowen and Oregon's lone returner Sean Stewart anchoring the front court.That leaves Boston College transfer Fred Payne and freshman Tajh Ariza to come off the bench. However, it's feasible to see Payne, who started 30 games for the Golden Eagles last season, as the dominant ball-handler and starting point guard for the Ducks. Johnson struggled as the backup point guard at Kentucky last season and might be more valuable as a shooting guard on the wing.Altman's transfer portal haul centered around scoring and size, two things the Ducks lacked last season. Oregon will likely run out several different lineups next season, based on what Altman believes he needs at a given time. He could occasionally opt for a smaller lineup with all three guards sharing the floor, while he could opt for more size at times, throwing San Diego State transfer Pharaoh Compton into the mix.Oregon could still add another piece if they feel the need to, but the outlook for next season is already much brighter than it was just a few weeks ago. While the rotation might still be up in the air, the Ducks appear to have a veteran core capable of playing both ways once the season rolls around.Contact/Follow@Ducks_Wireon X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onFacebookto follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon new-look roster receives high praise after transfer portal haul