It’s March, and Oregon is playing its best basketball. That’s a statement that can be made pretty much annually under head coach Dana Altman, whose program is seemingly at its best when the calendar flips to the biggest month of the season.
At the same time, Indiana also appears to be playing its best basketball. That makes for a riveting Big Ten clash between the Ducks (21-8, 10-8 Big Ten) and the Hoosiers (18-11, 9-9) Tuesday night in Eugene, Ore.
According to the university, Oregon leads the nation in wins during March since Altman took over in 2010-11. Altman’s 73rd such win happened Saturday against Southern California, which ran Oregon’s winning streak to five games. Senior center Nate Bittle has averaged 17.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.6 blocks during this streak.
Oregon has clinched a first-round bye in the conference tournament, but its chances of climbing from eighth place to fourth this week and claiming a double bye are astronomically low. Nonetheless, the Ducks want to keep their momentum going.
“We’ve just gotta come out ready to play Tuesday for Senior Night,” guard Keeshawn Barthelemy told Oregon’s athletics website. “One of those nights we’ve just gotta put it all out there.”
Indiana is considered on the NCAA Tournament bubble at present, so wins in the Hoosiers’ final two regular-season games and perhaps another one in the Big Ten tourney would certainly help their cause.
The Hoosiers have won four of their last five games and three straight, with upsets of then-No. 11 Michigan State and then-No. 13 Purdue during that stretch. Center Oumar Ballo leads Indiana with 13.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, but a different player has led them in scoring in each of their last four games as they’ve evolved into a balanced group.
“These guys are learning how to win close games,” head coach Mike Woodson told the Daily Hoosier. “We’ve been playing much, much better basketball.”
–Field Level Media
