**Editor’s Note: This story appears in the Emerald’s Duck Season magazine, a preview of the Oregon men’s basketball team’s season. It is available for free at all Duck Store locations in Eugene. 
Oregon men’s basketball surprised everyone last season when it went 26-10 and reached the Pac-12 tournament final and the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Behind senior Joseph Young, who averaged 20.7 points per game and was named Pac-12 Player of the year, the Ducks ended their season in a place few would have expected considering the sudden turnover their roster was hit with.
Now a year after Oregon head coach Dana Altman was forced to put three freshman and one junior college transfer into his main rotation, Altman has a considerably more experienced group. But he does lose his top scorer in Young which means this Oregon team won’t be a one-man show, like it was at times last year.
Here are three things to watch for as the season unfolds:
1) Who steps up in Joseph Young’s place? 
It appears that sophomore Dillon Brooks is ready to fill Young’s shoes. Brooks averaged 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last year as a freshman. In addition, this past summer he won a silver medal while playing for the Canadian Senior National team at the PanAmerican games. He scored a team-high 26 points in the team’s opening exhibition and said he feels really comfortable right now.
2) Recent recruits expected to make impacts early
Heralded as one of the top recruits in the country last year, freshman Tyler Dorsey is expected to make an impact for the Ducks in 2015. Dorsey, who averaged 30 points and 10 rebounds as a senior in high school, was ranked the 87th best player in college basketball this season, according to ESPN. He was the only Duck to make it on the list. In addition, junior college transfer Chris Boucher is expected to help the Ducks at the post.
With Jordan Bell nursing a foot injury, the 6-foot-10 Boucher will try to fill the void. And, due to Dylan Ennis’ injury, freshmen Kendall Small and Trevor Manuel will have “a little bit more” playing time than planned, said Altman.
3) How will rule changes effect Oregon 
Since Altman became head coach, Oregon has been known for playing in high scoring contests. Now, with the shot clock changing from 35 to 30 seconds, should we expect those scores to increase? The shot clock alteration is just one of 25 new rule changes incorporated into the game this year. Nearly all of them were instilled to speed up the pace of the game and increase scoring. Other changes include coaches having one less timeout and substitution breaks being shortened.
How that affects Oregon’s brand of basketball remains to be seen.
Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JustinFWise