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INDIANAPOLIS — The Big Ten Tournament ended for Oregon men's basketball on Friday, but the postseason is far from finished.
The No. 8-seeded Ducks were victims of a second-half lull that allowed No. 1 Michigan State to pull ahead for the 74-64 victory in a quarterfinal game Friday morning inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
It was the first time Oregon was held below 70 points in their last 13 games.
"We made too many mistakes to beat a good team," coach Dana Altman said.
Nate Bittle led Oregon (23-9) with 22 points and 11 rebounds, and TJ Bamba scored 11 with five assists and four rebounds. They were the only players to score in double figures for the Ducks, whose eight-game winning streak came to an end against the last team that beat them.
In that 86-74 loss on Feb. 8, the Spartans dominated the entire second half.
This time around, it took them just one dominant stretch in the second half to turn the game in their favor.
With 15:36 to play in the second half, Oregon’s Keeshawn Barthelemy made a 3-pointer to cut the Ducks’ deficit to 44-43 and forced Michigan State to call a timeout.
The Spartans followed with a 15-0 run to take a 59-44 lead with 10:31 to play, and from then on the Ducks were cooked.
Oregon missed eight straight shots after Barthelemy’s 3-pointer and 11 of its next 12.
"We just took some quick shots, they got some buckets and we can't do that against good teams," Bittle said.
The Ducks’ deficit stayed in double digits for the majority of the final 10 minutes
It was a much tighter game in the first half, which featured four ties and six lead changes until the Spartans pulled away with a late run to lead 42-32 going into the break.
A 3-pointer by Bamba gave the Ducks a 28-27 lead with 6:22 to play in the first half, but then Michigan State outscored Oregon 15-4 to halftime.
The Ducks were outrebounded 36-29, including 10-6 on the offensive glass.
But in reality, it wasn’t that close, with Oregon getting a flurry of rebounds in the final two minutes when the game was no longer in the balance.
The Ducks were dominated on the glass in the first half as the Spartans held an 18-9 edge in rebounding, 7-0 advantage in offensive rebounds and 13-0 edge in second-chance points.
"We just didn't go after the ball," Altman said. "They picked up loose balls. Nate really gave us a presence in the second half but we didn't go after the ball."
Selection Sunday is coming quickly, giving the Ducks just a couple of days to lick their wounds back in Eugene before they learn their NCAA Tournament fate.
Oregon is a lock to make the tournament and will find out where and who it's playing next week when the bracket is revealed at 3 p.m. Sunday on CBS.
Oregon women's basketball: Where Ducks stand in updated March Madness bracket predictions
Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at [email protected] and you can follow him on X @chansen_RG
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon basketball loses to Michigan State in Big Ten men's tourney
Continue reading...
The No. 8-seeded Ducks were victims of a second-half lull that allowed No. 1 Michigan State to pull ahead for the 74-64 victory in a quarterfinal game Friday morning inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
It was the first time Oregon was held below 70 points in their last 13 games.
"We made too many mistakes to beat a good team," coach Dana Altman said.
Nate Bittle led Oregon (23-9) with 22 points and 11 rebounds, and TJ Bamba scored 11 with five assists and four rebounds. They were the only players to score in double figures for the Ducks, whose eight-game winning streak came to an end against the last team that beat them.
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In that 86-74 loss on Feb. 8, the Spartans dominated the entire second half.
This time around, it took them just one dominant stretch in the second half to turn the game in their favor.
With 15:36 to play in the second half, Oregon’s Keeshawn Barthelemy made a 3-pointer to cut the Ducks’ deficit to 44-43 and forced Michigan State to call a timeout.
The Spartans followed with a 15-0 run to take a 59-44 lead with 10:31 to play, and from then on the Ducks were cooked.
Oregon missed eight straight shots after Barthelemy’s 3-pointer and 11 of its next 12.
"We just took some quick shots, they got some buckets and we can't do that against good teams," Bittle said.
The Ducks’ deficit stayed in double digits for the majority of the final 10 minutes
It was a much tighter game in the first half, which featured four ties and six lead changes until the Spartans pulled away with a late run to lead 42-32 going into the break.
A 3-pointer by Bamba gave the Ducks a 28-27 lead with 6:22 to play in the first half, but then Michigan State outscored Oregon 15-4 to halftime.
Oregon Ducks dominated on the glass
The Ducks were outrebounded 36-29, including 10-6 on the offensive glass.
But in reality, it wasn’t that close, with Oregon getting a flurry of rebounds in the final two minutes when the game was no longer in the balance.
The Ducks were dominated on the glass in the first half as the Spartans held an 18-9 edge in rebounding, 7-0 advantage in offensive rebounds and 13-0 edge in second-chance points.
"We just didn't go after the ball," Altman said. "They picked up loose balls. Nate really gave us a presence in the second half but we didn't go after the ball."
What's next for Oregon Ducks men's basketball?
Selection Sunday is coming quickly, giving the Ducks just a couple of days to lick their wounds back in Eugene before they learn their NCAA Tournament fate.
Oregon is a lock to make the tournament and will find out where and who it's playing next week when the bracket is revealed at 3 p.m. Sunday on CBS.
Oregon women's basketball: Where Ducks stand in updated March Madness bracket predictions
Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at [email protected] and you can follow him on X @chansen_RG
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon basketball loses to Michigan State in Big Ten men's tourney
Continue reading...
