Oregon men’s basketball has made a late addition to its roster.

The Ducks landed Oleksandr Kobzystyi, a 6-foot-7 wing from Ukraine, who arrived at UO this week. Kobzystyi most recently averaged 2.3 points for Mega MIS in the Adriatic Liga ABA and also played for the Ukrainian under-20 and under-16 national teams.

Oregon coach Dana Altman said Kobzystyi’s agent reached out to find a potential landing spot for the college season and UO’s late start to the fall quarter presented an opportunity.

“We brought him in on a visit, really impressed with him, his mother,” Altman said. “Got a really good feel for the game, been well coached. He’s older, he’s only got a year left. He’s someone that we’re hoping we can get up to speed, because the guys have been there for eight weeks in the summer, so he’s way behind. Hopefully we’ll avoid injury, but if we don’t he’s someone that can really add to our depth.”

It’s not immediately clear how Kobzystyi’s addition fits into Oregon’s scholarship allotment, as the Ducks appeared to be using all 13 scholarships in 2024-25, though there could have been a change. Regardless, he adds further depth to a team that’s seen a high rate of injuries the past three seasons but has a healthy roster as it opens practice this preseason.

“I wanted to make sure that he understood (it) was an uphill climb because he was so far behind,” Altman said. “But I told him about our injuries the past seasons so he had to get ready and development was big to him. He’s like, ‘Well if I got a gym and I can get better.’ I think he’ll be a good addition. He’s only been to one practice; we just got him in school and got him cleared. I don’t know what he can do for us as a player but he sure is a nice young man and I look forward to working with him.”

Angelique S. Chengelis, Madeline Kenney, John Niyo, and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News predict the outcome of Friday’s Michigan State-Oregon game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (9 p.m., Fox/760 AM).

▶Angelique S. Chengelis: The Spartans are coming off a tough home loss to high-powered Ohio State and now play on the road against Oregon, which, after a bit of a slow start, has found a groove and ranks 34th in offense, averaging 454 yards a game despite not having the classic Oregon explosive plays. Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been efficient, and has thrown nine touchdowns against on interception, but he could have some trouble with MSU’s pass rush — the Spartans are second in the Big Ten with 15 sacks. Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles is a talent, but he’s young and has made some errors along the way this season. Those need to be cleaned up, and if they are, the Spartans stand a chance in any game. But this is on the road in one of the toughest, loudest venues. Pick: Oregon 34-10

▶ Madeline Kenney: Michigan State left Saturday’s loss to No. 3 Ohio State with the feeling that it left a lot of points on the board. The Spartans moved the ball early on and seemed to match the Buckeyes’ intensity out of the gates, but that momentum faded as a loaded Ohio State team wore Michigan State out. But come Sunday, the Spartans’ motto was to “flush” the loss and turn their focus to Oregon, an opponent Jonathan Smith knows all too well. It’s been engrained in Smith since his playing days at Oregon State to view the Ducks as a rival, but he said on Friday that he’ll have a neutral approach to Oregon this time around. If Michigan State can limit the turnovers, execute better in the red zone and get third down stops, then the Spartans might be able to make the Ducks sweat a bit. Oregon, on the other hand, had started the season off slow, but has improved each week. Dillon Gabriel has been ultra reliable, and the offense the past two games has seemed to have found its stride. Pick: Oregon, 34-17

▶ John Niyo: The schedule won’t let up, and neither will the injuries. That’s a huge problem for Michigan State as it hits the road for a second straight week against a top-10 team. The Spartans haven’t shown they can play mistake-free football, as only Auburn has committed more turnovers among Power 4 teams this season. And they’re not capitalizing on their opportunities, either, with only seven touchdowns to show for their 18 red-zone chances. That won’t get it done against an Oregon team that’s both talented and efficient. Even though the Ducks aren’t hitting the big plays, they’re doing just about everything else right, as Dillon Gabriel’s 82% completion rate shows. Pick: Oregon, 38-17

▶ Bob Wojnowski: The Spartans’ brutal schedule stretch continues, although No. 6 Oregon hasn’t been quite as explosive as expected. Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel is efficient more than anything, with nine touchdown passes and one interception. Just like last week against the Buckeyes, MSU can hang around if it can hang onto the football. The Spartans’ running game shows promise with Kay’ron Lynch-Adams, and receivers Jaron Glover and Nick Marsh can make big plays. All analysis about the Spartans at this point centers around QB Aidan Chiles, who can scare a defense and scare his own team, with eight interceptions. If the Spartans’ battered offensive line holds up and they run the ball, they can keep it moderately close. Pick: Oregon, 42-16

Michigan State at Oregon

▶ Kickoff: 9 Friday, Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Ore.

▶ TVradio: FOX/760

▶ Line: Oregon by 23 1/2

The Oregon Ducks are 6-0 in Friday night games in Autzen Stadium – An impressive statistic that Oregon (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) has a chance to extend this week.

The No. 6 Ducks will host a their first home Big Ten conference game on Friday night at 6 p.m. PT against Michigan State (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten). Oregon is welcoming a familiar foe in Michigan State coach coach Jonathan Smith, who led rival Oregon State for the past six years prior to taking over with the Spartans.

“Generally, I would always say success points back to preparation, right?” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said of Oregon’s Friday night winning streak. “They’re obviously on a short week. We’re on a short week as well. But, you know, our guys came out there again to work today, did a really good job, and it’s about stacking the next few days as well, continuing to improve.”

“Obviously, our fans’ support in Autzen is unbelievable, right? When you have the fans that we have, they make a huge impact on that game,” Lanning continued.

Another interesting streak for Oregon… The Ducks will aim to continue their recent success in night games as they prepare for Friday’s 6 p.m. start. The Ducks are 6-0 under coach Lanning in games that begin at 6 p.m. PT or later. Another testament to the preparation coach Lanning referenced.

Coach Lanning noted some similarities between this Smith-led Michigan State team and Smith’s former Oregon State teams.

“There’s definitely some similar pieces,” said coach Lanning. “I think they always do a good job of challenging you in the run game, creating different pictures than maybe what you see. Across college football, they always do a great job of that. Defensively a little bit different than what they were last year at Oregon State, but still really, really sound and do some things that challenge you as well.”

Coach Lanning and Coach Smith battled the last two seasons, splitting with a 1-1 record between Oregon and Oregon State.

In order for the 4-0 Ducks to extend their streak and stay undefeated in for the 2024 college football season, look for quarterback Dillon Gabriel to stay efficient. Gabriel currently leads the nation with an 81.5 completion percentage and is the only FBS quarterback above 80 percent.

On the flip side, Michigan State dual-threat quarterback Aidan Chiles (who played at Oregon State for Smith) has a 56.3 completion percentage with five touchdowns but eight interceptions. Chiles is averaging almost 212 passing yards per game and the Ducks are allowing 154.8 passing yards per game. Oregon must force Chiles into turnovers.

Friday night will also be an emotional game for coach Lanning and his family. The Oregon football team will be wearing a bright yellow “Heroes” uniform combination is designed by coac Lanning and his family. The uniforms are designed to represent triumph and to show support for those who have battled cancer. Oregon and coach Lanning want to “stomp out cancer” and raise awareness in the fight for the cure.

Coach Lanning’s wife, Sauphia, completed treatment for bone cancer in 2017.

MORE: How To Watch Oregon Ducks vs. Michigan State: Channel, Streaming, Preview, Prediction

MORE: Oregon Ducks Recruiting Pushing To Flip USC Trojans Four-Star Commit

MORE: Largest College Football Stadiums: Ranking Oregon Ducks In Big Ten Conference

MORE: Justin Herbert Injury Update After Excessive Pressure Percentage By Kansas City Chiefs

MORE: Oregon Ducks Injury Update: Will Terrance Ferguson Be Available for Michigan State?

MORE: Oregon Ducks, Ohio State Kickoff Time Released: Schedule, Network, Prime Time