A seven-game winning streak has Oregon back in the rankings at No. 23 as the eighth-seeded Ducks open the Big Ten tournament Thursday against ninth-seeded Indiana in Indianapolis.
Oregon (23-8) closed the regular season Sunday with an 80-73 overtime win at Washington, getting a career-high 36 points and 12 rebounds from center Nate Bittle.
“We’ve got the longest collegiate sport,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “We started October 1 and we’re in our sixth month. And for the guys to stay together, it shows a lot of character. A lot of teams fold. A lot of teams give into it. I’m glad this group didn’t.”
Oregon’s best win in that stretch was a 77-73 overtime decision on Feb. 22 at then-No. 11 Wisconsin. The Ducks have relied on balanced scoring and tough perimeter defense. Four players score in double figures, led by Bittle’s 14.1 points per game, and the team only allows opponents to make 31.5 percent of their 3-pointers.
Most of Oregon’s wins in this stretch have been close games in which it has made plays late in games to make the difference.
“We’re all going out there playing for each other,” said guard TJ Bamba on March 4 after a 73-64 win over Indiana. “Forget what happened in the past, let’s move forward. I think the connectivity and the brotherhood we have right now is at an all-time high.”
Jackson Shelstad (13.3), Bamba (10.2) and Keeshawn Barthelemy (10.2) also score in double figures for the Ducks, with Bittle hauling in a team-high 7.3 rebounds.
Indiana (19-12) also enters this game on a roll. The Hoosiers are looking to send departing coach Mike Woodson out the door with an NCAA Tournament berth after winning 66-60 Saturday against Ohio State.
Trey Galloway scored 16 points and dished six assists, while Malik Reneau came off the bench for 16 points against the Buckeyes. It was the fifth win in seven games for Indiana, which beat Big Ten regular-season champ Michigan State and Purdue in that stretch.
“We’ve known we have what it takes in the locker room,” said senior forward Luke Goode. “We have the right guys with the right mentality. When we have a collective effort, it all comes together into something good.”
Four players average in double figures for the Hoosiers, led by Oumar Ballo’s 13.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Reneau chips in 13.1 points per game, while Mackenzie Mgbako adds 12.2 and Myles Rice contributes 10.4.
Indiana relies heavily on an inside-out attack, reflected by the fact that it hits just 32.3 percent of its 3-pointers, which ranks 276th in Division I. That might be one reason why Woodson was so incensed after the March 4 loss at Oregon, where the Ducks took three times as many foul shots despite each team attempting 25 3-pointers.
“In a physical game like that where both teams are battling, you can’t punish one team and put one team at the line for 21 times and the other team only gets there seven times,” Woodson said. “That’s awful.”
The winner meets top-seeded Michigan State Friday in a quarterfinal matchup.
–Field Level Media
