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Oregon star centers N'Faly Dante, Nate Bittle both sidelined after undergoing surgery

Jarrid Denneyby: Jarrid Denney11/24/23jarrid_denney
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© Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The Oregon men’s basketball program is going to be without its two star big men for a large portion of the 2023-24 season.

Senior center N’Faly Dante (knee) and junior center Nate Bittle (wrist) each underwent surgery this week, per UO. Dante will be reevaluated in four weeks. Bittle will be reevaluated in eight weeks.

With their two starting centers sidelined, the Ducks will have just one healthy scholarship center available — Mahamadou Diawara, who transferred in from Stetson last offseason. During Monday’s win over Florida A&M, Oregon rolled out a four-guard starting lineup that featured freshman forward Kwame Evans Jr. as the de-factor center.

Dante was an all-conference selection last season and landed on the preseason Wooden Award watch list. The 7-foot standout is Oregon’s top player on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. In Oregon’s season-opener against Georgia in Las Vegas, Dante scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds. But he has not played in a game since then.

Through the first three games of the season, Bittle was Oregon’s most consistent offensive threat. He is averaging 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game on 46% shooting this season. With Dante sidelined, he became a focal point for the Ducks’ offense.

But during Oregon’s win over Tennessee State on Nov. 18, Bittle injured his wrist while catching himself after falling down. He went straight to the bench and had his wrist taped up by trainers.

Bittle later re-entered the game but did not emerge from the locker room with the rest of Oregon’s players for the start of the second half. He joined the team shortly after and was seen with a brace on his right wrist.

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