Make it a great eight for Oregon men's basketball.
The Ducks kicked off the Big Ten Tournament with a second-round triumph Thursday over Indiana, the eighth straight victory for the UO men. The 72-59 win advanced eighth-seeded Oregon to the quarterfinals, and a matchup with top seed Michigan State on Friday (9 a.m. PT, BTN).
Thursday's game saw the Ducks surge into the lead with a 10-0 run to close the first half, then hold off the Hoosiers in the second. Indiana got within a basket five times in the second half, but Oregon never surrendered the lead at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers.
"We knew they were going to go on their run," UO sophomore Jackson Shelstad said. "Knew they had the crowd into it. But we've played in a lot of situations like that this season, where games came down to that towards the end of the game. We just know how to stick together towards the end and just keep trusting our teammates and coaches to finish the game."
Shelstad, still unbeaten in four career conference tournament games, led the Ducks with 18 points Thursday, and TJ Bamba added 17. Brandon Angel scored 14 and Keeshawn Barthelemy added nine, including a backbreaking three-pointer late in the game.
Four days after scoring a career-high 36 points at Washington, Nate Bittle had just seven Thursday. But he grabbed eight rebounds, dished out six assists, blocked two shots and altered many, many more.
"It shows great maturity when a guy gets 36 and 12 as a career game, and then the next one doesn't get the looks he wants or the shots he wants, and just plays through it," UO coach Dana Altman said. "That's a sign of a winner."
Jadrian Tracey's lone basket was also a huge second-half three-pointer, sparking a 9-0 run after the fifth and final time Indiana had closed within a basket. Kwame Evans Jr. continued to be an X factor, grabbing seven rebounds to go along with four points and leading the team in plus-minus on the afternoon, with the Ducks plus-18 during his 23 minutes.
"Coach is always saying we gotta rebound and play defense, and that stuck with me," Evans said. "Because I gotta find a way to play out there."
How It Happened: Indiana led for much of the first half, after scoring seven straight to take an early 7-4 lead. Shelstad ended that run with a three-pointer, and he scored again after the Hoosiers answered with a three of their own. But Indiana then scored another seven straight to lead 17-9.
Evans scored to end that spurt, after which Oregon's next 13 points were scored by the senior transfers Angel and Bamba. Angel hit consecutive threes to tie it, 23-23, and Bamba finally regained the lead for the Ducks with a free throw.
"Those two guys are old, you know, and you expect your experienced guys to make plays," Altman said. "And those two guys did."
After Indiana scored four points to retake the lead, Shelstad hit another three to tie it back up. The Hoosiers scored their final points of the first half with 2:45 to go, after which the Ducks went on a 10-0 run that included threes from Bittle and Bamba to lead 37-29 at halftime.
Indiana scored five straight out of halftime to make it a one-possession game, then another five in a row moments later to get within 41-40. But Oregon answered with a 6-0 run capped by Bittle, the last points of the game for him on a night he was even more impactful on the defensive end — Indiana shot just 39.6 percent on two-point attempts, and 36.2 percent overall.
"He makes such an impact defensively," Shelstad said. "All season long, we've been seeing him make an impact. Even if it doesn't show he has a lot of blocks, he alters so many shots, whether that's just getting guys to move their shot when they're in the air, deflections, stuff like that. He's just a huge advantage for us in there."
Again and again in the second half, Indiana closed within a basket, later at both 47-45 and 50-47. Each time the Ducks had an answer.
The last time it happened was at 56-54. Tracey hit his only basket of the game at the other end, sparking a 9-0 run capped by a Shelstad jumper for a 65-54 lead with 2:24 left. Indiana scored at the other end, but Barthelemy made sure the Hoosiers didn't get any momentum by draining a corner three in front of the UO bench.
Then it was time to celebrate, and advance Oregon's name to Friday's quarterfinals on the tournament bracket.
"I liked our togetherness," Altman said, "and we found a way to finish."
Notable: Oregon's eight-game win streak is the longest active streak in the Big Ten. … Altman's 47 career conference tournament wins are the most among active conference coaches. … The Ducks' two wins in 10 days were their first ever over the Hoosiers.
Up Next: The Ducks face Michigan State on Friday (9 a.m. PT, BTN).
