Dec 8, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Kwame Evans Jr. (10) enters the court before the game against the UCLA Bruins at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Oregon Ducks Dana Altman Addresses Kwame Evans Jr. Injury Update

Originally posted on Oregon Ducks on SI
By Arden Cravalho | Last updated Dec 16, 2024 8:58 AM ET

Oregon Ducks basketball forward Kwame Evans Jr. suffered an apparent knee injury during the second half of Sunday's game in Matthew Knight Arena against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks.

Evans Jr. appeared to be in a lot of pain as the team's training staff raced out to help him off the floor. He finished with eight points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field, 2-for-3 on free throws plus five rebounds.

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Good news is Oregon coach Dana Altman shared a positive update regarding Evans' injury.

"I think he's going to be okay," said Altman. "I talked to Clay, and I talked to him after the game. He just banged it really hard, but I think structurally and everything, it's going to be okay. Just think it's going to be really sore."

Through the first 10 games of his sophomore season, Evans Jr. has averaged 5.3 points per game on a 42.2 field goal percentage as well as 4.4 rebounds per game for the Ducks. Oregon coach Dana Altman has put him in the starting lineup three times.

Evans Jr. kicked off the 2024-25 campaign with a dominant performance against the UC Riverside Highlanders on Nov. 4 in Eugene. He scored 23 points on 8-for-15 field goals, 2-for-5 three pointers, and 5-for-5 free throws in the season opener.

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"KJ is like our quiet assassin," added Jadrian Tracey. "He might be really quiet, but his energy and his presence are big time for us, especially on the defensive end. His length and his versatility he has to guard one through five, and just how he is as a person, just always being there, even if he's not having the biggest game offensively, he's doing a lot of things for us defensively.

With the 79-61 victory over Stephen F. Austin, No. 12 Oregon moves to a 10-1 overall record, 1-1 in Big Ten Conference play with a win at the USC Trojans and a loss against the UCLA Bruins.

In their next game, the Ducks will be playing former Pac-12 Conference member Stanford Cardinal in the San Jose Tip-Off at the SAP Center in the Bay Area on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. PT. The college basketball event is a double-header with the San Diego State Aztecs going up against the California Golden Bears at 7:30 p.m. PT after the Oregon game.

The newest edition of the AP Top-25 comes out on Monday morning at 9 a.m. PT. Whether the Ducks will stay at No. 12 for the third week in the row is yet to be seen. According to the most recent March Madness prediction from ESPN's Joe Lunardi, Oregon is predicted to be a No. 4 seed and potentially play at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington, for the first and second round.