Indiana men’s basketball (18-11, 9-9 Big Ten) is riding a three-game winning streak and has snagged victories in four of its past five games entering a 9 p.m. tipoff Tuesday against Oregon (21-8, 10-8 Big Ten).
That’s one reason for the Hoosiers to feel good about themselves entering Eugene, Oregon. There’s another for Indiana head coach Mike Woodson.
The last time the Hoosiers faced the Ducks was Dec. 28, 1978. Indiana won 68-60 behind 36 points and nine rebounds from Woodson, who was then a junior wing and the team’s best player.
Now poised to coach his final regular season road game at Indiana, Woodson is the engine behind Indiana’s late-season push toward the NCAA Tournament — a mission that may be close to fulfilled if the Hoosiers can walk out of Matthew Knight Arena with a victory.
Meet the Ducks
Led by 15-year head coach Dana Altman, who’s the winningest coach in program history, Oregon has won five straight games. Before their winning streak, the Ducks lost five consecutive contests, capped by a 12-point loss at Michigan State on Feb. 8.
Sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad is Oregon’s top scorer, averaging 13.4 points per game while shooting 39.7% from 3-point range. Senior center Nathan Bittle follows closely behind, notching 13.3 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game.
The Ducks also have a pair of senior guards scoring double figures. Keeshawn Barthelemy scores 10.2 points per game and is the team’s best 3-point shooter, knocking down 43.2% of his triples. TJ Bamba averages 10.1 points and leads Oregon with 2.9 assists per game.
Oregon is 11th in the Big Ten in scoring offense, posting 76.8 points per game, and 10th defensively, allowing opponents to score 71.4 points per contest.
During its five-game winning streak, three of Oregon’s wins have been by 6 points or fewer. However, the Ducks are fresh off their biggest win in conference play, topping USC 82-61 on Saturday.
Indiana’s hot streak
After Indiana Athletics announced Feb. 7 that Woodson will step down at the end of the season, the Hoosiers lost their next game — a 70-67 defeat to Michigan on Feb. 8 — but have won four of the five games since.
Two of Indiana’s victories were over ranked teams, as it topped No. 8 Michigan State on Feb. 11 and strolled past No. 18 Purdue on Feb. 23. The Hoosiers’ last loss was Feb. 14 to UCLA.
Junior forward Malik Reneau has been central to Indiana’s success. After missing five games due to an ankle injury suffered Jan. 2 against Rutgers, Reneau averaged only 5.25 points per game in his first four contests back on the floor.
But in five appearances dating back to the Hoosiers’ loss to Michigan — he didn’t play against Penn State on Feb. 26 due to food poisoning — Reneau is scoring 17.2 points per game. He had a team-leading 22 points in Indiana’s 78-62 win over Washington on Saturday night.
Between Reneau’s resurgence and an urgent push from a team full of players — and coaches — facing uncertain futures, Indiana is starting to string together wins. It may make March Madness as a result.
Matchup history
Indiana and Oregon have met only three times, with the Hoosiers winning each game. The two sides haven’t played since 1978.
The odds say...
Indiana has a 28.4% chance of winning, according to ESPN Analytics.
Broadcast information
Tuesday night’s game will be televised on Fox Sports 1 with Guy Haberman as the play-by-play announcer alongside color analyst Casey Jacobsen.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
