Friday, March 14
9:00 AM
University of Oregon
24-9,12-8Big Ten
64
vs
74
Michigan State
27-5,17-3Big Ten
1
2
F
Oregon
32
32
64
Michigan St.
42
32
74
Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
Ducks Fall To Top-Seeded Spartans
03/14/25 | Men's Basketball
Oregon now awaits its NCAA Tournament destination after being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
INDIANAPOLIS — The script was different, but the result ultimately was the same.
A month after Oregon dominated the first half at Michigan State before the No. 7 Spartans rallied back to win, the No. 23 Ducks fought MSU to a draw in the second half Friday but couldn't dig out of a halftime deficit. The top-seeded Spartans advanced in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals with a 74-64 win over eighth-seeded Oregon, which now turns its attention to the NCAA Tournament.
"We made too many mistakes," UO coach Dana Altman said. "Too many defensive mistakes, didn't rebound the ball … we made too many mistakes to beat a good team."
A day after making his biggest impact on the defensive end, Nate Bittle led the Ducks with 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. TJ Bamba added 11 points but nobody else scored in double figures, with the UO men going 4-of-19 from three-point range.
"Shooting the ball's a big part of the game," Altman said. "We needed somebody to hit some threes, and we just didn't do it."
The Ducks were scheduled to return to Eugene following the game, and take Saturday off before learning their NCAA Tournament destination on Selection Sunday.
"We know what we gotta do to win," Bittle said. "It starts with rebounding the ball, getting stops on defense, and then the offense is going to come. If we do those things, we'll be good."
How It Happened: After Oregon's hot first half in East Lansing, Mich., on Feb. 8, this time it was the Spartans who started well, opening the game on an 8-0 run. A basket by Brandon Angel and a three-pointer from Keeshawn Barthelemy cut the UO deficit to one at 10-9, and the Ducks took their first lead on a layup by Bamba that made it 17-15.
A three-point play by Angel got Oregon back in front at 25-24, and a three from Bamba put the Ducks up again at 28-27. All told, though, the UO men led the game for just 86 total seconds.
Michigan State ended the first half with an 11-2 run to lead 42-32 at halftime. The Spartans had 13 second-chance points in the half, while the Ducks had zero.
"They picked up loose balls, they were quick to it," Altman said. "We had to have everybody on the boards, and we didn't."
The second half was played to a 32-32 draw. The Ducks scored the first six points out of halftime, and made it an 11-2 run overall to close within 44-43 on a Barthelemy three-pointer with 15:36 left in the game. To that point Michigan State didn't have a field goal in the second half, but that changed 20 seconds later, sparking a 15-0 run for the Spartans.
"We had three, four possessions in a row there where we took really contested shots driving to the paint, and didn't kick it out," Altman said. "We have to make better decisions than that. And then we weren't getting stops."
Down 16 at that point, the Ducks couldn't get back within single digits until a three-point play by Bittle with 4:30 to play. They got as close as seven in the final minute.
"We fought hard as a team," Bittle said. "We know what we gotta do going forward."
The Ducks now have some time to regroup, rest up and focus on those things as they prepare for the Big Dance.
"That's a good team," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "That team's going to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament, if you ask me."
Up Next: The Ducks await news of their NCAA Tournament berth on Selection Sunday (3 p.m., CBS).
A month after Oregon dominated the first half at Michigan State before the No. 7 Spartans rallied back to win, the No. 23 Ducks fought MSU to a draw in the second half Friday but couldn't dig out of a halftime deficit. The top-seeded Spartans advanced in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals with a 74-64 win over eighth-seeded Oregon, which now turns its attention to the NCAA Tournament.
"We made too many mistakes," UO coach Dana Altman said. "Too many defensive mistakes, didn't rebound the ball … we made too many mistakes to beat a good team."
A day after making his biggest impact on the defensive end, Nate Bittle led the Ducks with 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. TJ Bamba added 11 points but nobody else scored in double figures, with the UO men going 4-of-19 from three-point range.
"Shooting the ball's a big part of the game," Altman said. "We needed somebody to hit some threes, and we just didn't do it."
The Ducks were scheduled to return to Eugene following the game, and take Saturday off before learning their NCAA Tournament destination on Selection Sunday.
"We know what we gotta do to win," Bittle said. "It starts with rebounding the ball, getting stops on defense, and then the offense is going to come. If we do those things, we'll be good."
How It Happened: After Oregon's hot first half in East Lansing, Mich., on Feb. 8, this time it was the Spartans who started well, opening the game on an 8-0 run. A basket by Brandon Angel and a three-pointer from Keeshawn Barthelemy cut the UO deficit to one at 10-9, and the Ducks took their first lead on a layup by Bamba that made it 17-15.
A three-point play by Angel got Oregon back in front at 25-24, and a three from Bamba put the Ducks up again at 28-27. All told, though, the UO men led the game for just 86 total seconds.
Michigan State ended the first half with an 11-2 run to lead 42-32 at halftime. The Spartans had 13 second-chance points in the half, while the Ducks had zero.
"They picked up loose balls, they were quick to it," Altman said. "We had to have everybody on the boards, and we didn't."
The second half was played to a 32-32 draw. The Ducks scored the first six points out of halftime, and made it an 11-2 run overall to close within 44-43 on a Barthelemy three-pointer with 15:36 left in the game. To that point Michigan State didn't have a field goal in the second half, but that changed 20 seconds later, sparking a 15-0 run for the Spartans.
"We had three, four possessions in a row there where we took really contested shots driving to the paint, and didn't kick it out," Altman said. "We have to make better decisions than that. And then we weren't getting stops."
Down 16 at that point, the Ducks couldn't get back within single digits until a three-point play by Bittle with 4:30 to play. They got as close as seven in the final minute.
"We fought hard as a team," Bittle said. "We know what we gotta do going forward."
The Ducks now have some time to regroup, rest up and focus on those things as they prepare for the Big Dance.
"That's a good team," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "That team's going to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament, if you ask me."
Up Next: The Ducks await news of their NCAA Tournament berth on Selection Sunday (3 p.m., CBS).
Team Stats
Oregon
MSU
FG%
.472
.463
3FG%
.211
.467
FT%
.714
.586
RB
29
36
TO
15
12
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's BasketballOregon Men's Basketball | Who Woulda Thought - Episode 2
Monday, September 08
Oregon Men's Basketball | Who Woulda Thought - Episode 1
Friday, August 22
Dana Altman | Selection Sunday
Sunday, March 16
Keeshawn Barthelemy & Jadrian Tracey | Selection Sunday
Sunday, March 16
