Oregon Ducks Basketball Forward Kwame Evans Jr. Suffers Apparent Knee Injury

Oregon Ducks basketball forward Kwame Evans Jr. has been an impactful contributor for coach Dana Altman's second unit, but Evans Jr. suffered an apparent knee injury in the 79-61 win over the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks.
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
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 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.

Oregon's Kwame Evans Jr., right, maneuvers for position against UC Riverside’s Kaleb Smith
Oregon's Kwame Evans Jr., right, maneuvers for position against UC Riverside’s Kaleb Smith during the second half at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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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.

Oregon coach Dana Altman celebrates as the Ducks tie UCLA during the first half at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon
Oregon coach Dana Altman celebrates as the Ducks tie UCLA during the first half at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon Sunday, Dec 8, 2024. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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.

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Arden Cravalho
ARDEN CRAVALHO

Arden Cravalho has been covering Oregon football and basketball for Sports Illustrated's Oregon site since June 2024. Arden has been writing extensively about college athletics beginning in 2018. His other work can be seen on "The Slipper Still Fits" at SB Nation. Arden is a graduate of Gonzaga University and brings a deep understanding of college sports to his writing. Residing in San Francisco, CA, Arden continues to follow his passion for college sports with a focus on the Ducks. His experience and dedication to covering Oregon's athletic programs are evident in his insightful articles and analysis