by Rob Moseley

Editor, GoDucks.com

If the excitement for Tuesday's men's basketball exhibition opener is like anticipating a holiday, the Ducks unfortunately will find that the present they unwrap is missing a couple of key parts.

The UO men will unofficially open the 2015-16 campaign when they host Northwest Christian in Matthew Knight Arena (7 p.m., Pac-12 Networks). The offseason growth provided by Dillon Brooks' international experience and the prolific scoring potential of freshman wing Tyler Dorsey will be on display for Oregon fans, but so too will the Ducks' efforts to account for the absence of injured veterans Jordan Bell and Dylan Ennis.

Bell, who set a UO record with 94 blocked shots last season, and Ennis, a senior transfer expected to play major minutes at point guard, both are sidelined with foot problems. Neither has a definitive timeline for return.

“We may be looking at a long stretch here where we're going to be short-handed,” UO coach Dana Altman said. “We've just got to make the adjustments.”

Having Bell and Ennis on the sideline will put even more of an onus on returners like Brooks, Elgin Cook and Dwayne Benjamin to contribute. They'll help account not only for the scoring production provided last season by the departed Joseph Young, but also Bell's defense and rebounding, and Ennis' ball-handling and leadership.

Brooks, who played for the Canadian national team this summer, is eager to put his development on display beginning Tuesday. He, Cook and Benjamin all stand 6-foot-6 or 6-7, and while they're not the explosive defensive presence Bell provides in the post, they can help account for his absence.

“We all know we can score buckets,” Brooks said. “It's just about getting to the defensive end — rebounding and getting stops.”

With Bell and Ennis sidelined, the Ducks will lean more heavily than initially anticipated on freshmen Trevor Manuel and Kendall Small. Manuel is a 6-9 forward and Small is a point guard, making each fit the profile of one of the two injured vets.

Altman said Dorsey already had proven himself worthy of a significant role for this season. His freshman classmates “are the two that will get out there a lot more than we anticipated,” the coach added.

Sophomore guard Casey Benson also figures to draw a few more minutes with Ennis sidelined, although again the versatility of Brooks, Cook and Benjamin will help.

“Obviously Dylan brings a ton of leadership,” Benson said. “Everybody's got to pick up slack and give everything.”

Tuesday's exhibition will be followed by another Sunday evening, against Southern Oregon at MKA. The Ducks, who fell one spot shy of the initial Associated Press top 25 released Monday, play their regular-season opener Nov. 13 against Jackson State, and host No. 22 Baylor on Nov. 16.

“We just need to get some guys on the floor,” Altman said. “We haven't done a lot of scrimmaging, just because of our numbers. … But we've got to get a sense of urgency. We've got a lot of steps to take here in the next two weeks.”