No. 9 Oregon prepares for a big early season test in the Big Ten Conference on Thursday night when 22nd-ranked Illinois makes the trip to Eugene.
And to hear guard Jackson Shelstad tell it, the Ducks (12-1, 1-1 Big Ten) have a considerable distance to go to reach their ceiling.
“We feel like we haven’t put a full 40 minutes together all season,” he said Sunday after they blasted Weber State 89-49 to finish 11-0 in nonconference games. “We’ve been winning games but we haven’t played our best basketball all 40 minutes.”
While Shelstad says there’s still another gear to Oregon, numbers suggest this version is pretty good, particularly on the defensive end. The Ducks are top 25 nationally in defending the 3-pointer and also boast top 100 steal and turnover rates, enabling them to convert defense into offense.
On that end, the Ducks display balance. They had five double-figure scorers against Weber State, led by Shelstad’s 16 points, and enter this game with five players averaging double digits for the season. Center Nate Bittle leads the way at 13.2 points to go along with 8.5 rebounds.
“I think that does help us,” said Oregon coach Dana Altman of the team’s balanced attack. “I think it’s great because defenses can take out one or two guys but if you’ve got five, six guys that can score … that makes a difference.”
Shelstad chips in 10.8 points while Villanova transfer TJ Bamba adds 10.4. Stanford transfer Brandon Angel scores 10.3 and Keeshawn Barthelemy hits for a career-high 10. Three other players contribute between 6.5 and 9.3 points.
While the Ducks spread out their scoring, the Fighting Illini (9-3, 1-1) call on their big guns for a little more production. Kasparas Jakucionis fires in 16.3 per game to lead four men in double figures, while 7-foot-1 center Tomislav Ivisic adds 14.7 on 54 percent shooting.
Ivisic lit up hapless Chicago State on Sunday for a game-high 23 points in a 117-64 rout, leading six men in double figures. Jakucionis’ backcourt mate, Arizona transfer Kylan Boswell, logged his first career triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It was the first triple-double for an Illinois player since Marcus Domask pulled it off in the first round of last season’s NCAA tournament against Morehead State.
“It’s a heck of an achievement,” said Illini coach Brad Underwood. “It speaks to the unselfishness. It speaks to the winning attitude. I left him in a couple of minutes longer than I hoped to but he deserved that opportunity. It’s really hard to do.”
Illinois averages 86.4 points per game, 18th in Division I, but might be more impressive on the defensive end. It ranks third in defensive 3-point percentage at 26.9 and sixth against 2-pointers at 42.5 while also limiting opponents on the offensive glass.
This will start a two-game West Coast swing for the Illini, who head north after the game to play Washington on Sunday.
Illinois owns a 4-2 lead in the all-time series, although the Ducks won the last meeting, 77-70, on Dec. 13, 2014, in Chicago.
–Field Level Media
