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big ten basketball

Michigan State’s Second Half Onslaught Takes Down Oregon

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Eugene, OR – For around the first 30 minutes, Oregon hung tight with #10 Michigan State, with a Wei Lin three-pointer getting Oregon within 1-point at the 10:43 mark. Over the next few minutes, Michigan State’s Carson Cooper, Jeremy Fears, Jr., and Coen Carr went on a 12-1 run that led to a double-digit lead. It was a 68-52 final, with Oregon losing the second half 40-26. This happened even with Oregon holding Michigan State’s leading scorer on the season, senior Jaxon Kohler, to a single basket. Oregon also kept turnovers to a minimum, only 10 on the game, but really had a difficult time getting offense going, as seen by the final score.

Michigan State is now only behind Nebraska, being tied with powerhouse Michigan in the Big Ten ranks at 7-1. The leader of the charge tonight was senior center Carson Cooper, whose size, ability to get position and touch were on display against the smaller Oregon team. Cooper finished with 19 points (8-10 FG, 3-4 FT), 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks, while being a +26 on the game during his time on the floor. He was able to get deep post position, showed a soft turnaround fade, and on defense kept verticality quite well.

Spartans’ junior Coen Carr, known for his elite vertical athleticism, did a nice job showing off his perimeter ability in this one. He was 3-of-5 from three, had a midrange make, and a couple of layup finishes where he showed off the hang time he is well known for. He finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists, along with two blocked shots. Carr is still only shooting 25.6% on 3’s on the season, but it was a positive to see his confidence from long range and becoming more of an offensive factor, as defense has been his calling card.

It took sophomore Jeremy Fears, Jr. a while to get going, as one of the top floor generals in the nation was held to 2 points and 1 assist in the first half. He was able to close the game strong, finishing with 14 points and 5 assists. Fears, the older brother of 2025 draftee and current New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jeremiah Fears, is second in the NCAA in assists  this season at 8.4 per game. He helped put the game out of reach and was a steady hand in keeping it there with his handle, court vision, and poise.

For Oregon, Takai Simpkins was the one real bright spot, finishing with 15 points, 7 rebounds, a steal and a block. He is a threat off movement as a shooter, while being able to create midrange opportunities, and finish with some craft. No one else besides him could get much going, with Wei Lin finishing with 7 points (2-5 3PT, 1-2 FT), and Kwame Evans, Jr. with 6 (3-13 FG). 

Some positives for Oregon came in the first half with their team defense, as they created three shot clock violations. They have also taken care of the ball, while taking fewer risks, showing more awareness. Outside shooting is still not seen as a strength, as they finished 7-of-20, identical to that of Michigan State. The Ducks have had a tough time creating opportunities close to the basket without Jackson Shelstad and Nathan Bittle in the line-up. Their lack of size typically puts them behind in the rebound battle, as they lost it 31-24 against the Spartans. 

Oregon dropped to 1-7 in Big Ten conference play, and 8-11 on the season. Their next game is January 25th in Seattle against the Washington Huskies, who are relatively close in the conference standings. Michigan State will play Maryland January 24th and Rutgers January 27th, before what should be a huge in-state rivalry game with Michigan on January 30th in Ann Arbor.

This article was written by Michael Visenberg,  a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Instagram, or on twitter.

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Oregon Runs Away from Indiana Late for 6th Straight Win

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Eugene, OR – The Oregon Ducks, looking to extend their winning streak to six games, took on an Indiana squad looking to cement an NCAA Tournament bid with a win. The game was close throughout until Oregon scored the last ten points of the game to come away with aa 73-64 win. Jackson Shelstad made a long three-pointer at the end of the shot clock to give Oregon a late 66-64 lead and the Ducks ran away from there. Shelstad led Oregon with 17 points while Nate Bittle added 14 points (8-of-8 FT’s), seven rebounds, six assists and four blocks.

In quite a few games this year the Ducks have gotten off to a poor start. In their last game against USC, the Trojans took an early 15-4 lead. Tonight, Oregon was crisp on offense from the start, making over 50% of the field goal attempts and half their three-point attempts after the first 12 minutes of play. They kept a small lead through most of the first half, leading 25-19 at the under-12 time out. Indiana helped by two three-pointers from Kanaan Carlyle, then went on a 13-2 run to take a 32-30 lead. The Ducks came right back and took the lead on a three-pointer from Kwame Evans Jr.  Oregon went into halftime with a 35-32 lead.

Evans Jr. played the best for Oregon in the half, finishing with eight points (2-of-3 3’s) and four rebounds in ten minutes of action. Bittle also scored eight for the Ducks. Oregon cooled off after a solid shooting start, making only two of their last ten three-point attempts to finish the half at 5-of-16. Indiana shot only 3-of-10 from deep and gave up some points at the free throw line, hitting only 1-of-5.

Indiana came out hot in the second half converting on their first four of five 3’s to take a 50-47 lead. The Hoosiers’ three-point shooting and offensive rebounding helped them retain a small lead at 59-57 at the under-8 time out. At that point the Ducks were 0-of-6 on 3’s in the half. The teams were tied at 61 at the under-4 time out with Oregon 0-of-8 from deep at that point. A three-pointer from Trey Galloway gave Indiana a 64-63 lead with 1:57 remaining.

Shelstad then hit their first three-pointer of the half, a 30-footer at the end of the shot clock to give the Ducks a two-point lead. Bittle then came up with a steal, was fouled, and made both free throws to give Oregon a 68-64 lead. Oregon kept Indiana scoreless for the rest of the contest.

The Ducks had a +7 rebounding edge and won despite shooting only 6-of-25 from deep. Trey Galloway led the Hoosiers with 16 points. Indiana shot 9-of-25 from deep, 6-of-15 in the second half.

Oregon (21-8, 11-8) will finish their regular season on the road against Washington on Sunday at Noon local time. Indiana (18-12, 9-10) will finish their regular season at home against Ohio State, an important game in deciding whether they will get an NCAA Tournament berth.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

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Oregon Rolls Past USC

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Eugene, OR – The Oregon Ducks took on the USC Trojans this afternoon in Eugene looking for their fifth-straight win. The Ducks came on strong in the second half, outscoring the Trojans 43-27 to get the 82-61 win. Keeshawn Barthelemy connected on 4-of-6 3’s and led Oregon with 20 points. Jackson Shelstad added 19 points, hitting 3-of-6 from deep, and added four assists. Nate Bittle dominated the smaller USC team inside and finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots. Rashaun Agee had a career-game for USC, finishing with 29 points, 14 rebounds, six blocked shots and three steals.

USC started the game strong, pulling out to a 15-4 lead. Oregon came back quickly on a nine-point run to tie the game at 17-17.  The teams battled evenly for most of the remainder of the half before the Ducks pulled away late and took a 39-34 halftime lead. Oregon took the lead despite shooting only 1-of-7 from deep. They got the lead by forcing USC into 10 turnovers and scoring 10 points off those turnovers. Shelstad led Oregon in scoring at the break with nine points while Bittle had eight. Agee led USC with 15 first half points, scoring 10 of the Trojans first 12 points, including two three-pointers.

Oregon extended the lead to 10 points early in the second half before USC closed the margin to five points. The Ducks put the game away on a 16-0 run later in the half, finishing up the run with back-to-back-to-back three-pointers, two by Barthelemy and one by Shelstad. That extended their lead to 76-53 and the Ducks coasted to the win from there.  Oregon connected on 9-of-20 three-pointers in the second half while they held the Trojans scoreless on ten three-point attempts. They forced USC into 16 turnovers in the game and had a 19-10 edge in points off turnovers. Oregon’s defensive intensity improved in the second half.

Oregon (21-8, 10-8) will stay home and next face Indiana on Tuesday evening at 6pm on senior night. They will finish the regular season next Sunday at Noon at Washington.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

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Kyei Leads Oregon Women Past Rutgers in Home Finale

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Eugene, OR – The Oregon women played their final home game of the season, facing the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Rutgers came into the game with a 2-14 Big Ten record, but it took the Ducks awhile to pull way for a 77-58 victory. Rutgers has no player remotely close to the size of the Ducks’ 6’8” center Phillipina Kyei. Kyei, a senior in her final home game, dominated in the paint and had one of the best games of her career, leading the way with 20 points and a career-high 25 rebounds. Deja Kelly led Oregon with 19 points while Payton Scott contributed 15 points, all in the second half.

The teams played a close first half with Rutgers leading 17-14 at the end of the first quarter. The Ducks took a 27-24 lead on a three-pointer by Kelly and went into the halftime break with a 34-26 lead after five quick points from Ari Long. Kyei had a first half double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Oregon held onto their lead at the close of the third quarter at 51-44 despite shooting only 2-of-14 on three-pointers. Kelly (12 second half points) and Payton Scott (15 second half points) picked up their scoring in the fourth quarter to help the Ducks pull away. The Ducks outscored Rutgers in the final quarter by a 26-14 margin. Oregon won despite shooting on 3-of-16 on 3’s. They outrebounded Rutgers 45-34.

Oregon (19-9, 10-7) will finish the regular season on the road, facing Washington next Sunday afternoon (March 2nd) as they try to improve their seeding in the Big Ten Tournament which starts on March 5th.  The Ducks finished the home season with a 15-3 record.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

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Oregon Pulls Away From Rutgers in Second Half

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Eugene, OR – The Oregon Ducks took on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a Big Ten contest with only a handful of games remaining in the regular season. The Ducks took control of the game in the second half with hot shooting from downtown and tremendous play from the duo of Jackson Shelstad and Nate BIttle, who combined to score 34 points. Shelstad led with a game-high 19 points while Bittle pitched in 15 points and ten rebounds along with five blocks to lead Oregon to a 75-57 win at Matthew Knight Arena in front of 8,635 fans.

Rutgers was able to capitalize on the Ducks early miscues led by Dylan Harper, a highly talented NBA prospect for the 2025 Draft. The 6’6” freshman is dynamite with the ball in his hands and creates his own shot, whether getting to the basket or stepping back for the 3-pointer. On the season he averages 18.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists. Harper made some impressive baskets to give Rutgers a 27-22 lead and contributed to team’s 56 percent first half shooting. Harper did have a tough game shooting the ball overall, only going 5-of-14 from the field to score 13 points (2-of-8 3PT) and added three rebounds.

After trailing for most of the first half, TJ Bamba’s aggressive play started a late half run, in which he finished with a solid overall performance. The senior had 11 points (4-of-9 FG), six assists and four rebounds and showed signs of confidence shooting from the outside, making two jumpers. The 16-6 scoring run ended with a Shelstad’s lay-in with a few seconds remaining to give Oregon a 38-33 halftime edge. Keeshawn Barthelemy and the Ducks had one of their best shooting performances of the season. Barthelemy netted both of his two 3-point attempts in the first half and Oregon for the game shot 59 percent on 13-for-22 shooting from deep.

The second half was the Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad show, as they scored 23 of the team’s 37 second half points. The 7-foot Bittle started out the half with a 3-pointer and tip-in second chance basket. Shelstad was on fire shooting the ball including knocking down a couple of tough 3s with a crossover dribble and step back move. Shelstad has been Oregon’s best player this season as he scored 19 points (3-of-6 3PT) on 8-for-13 from the field and dished out three assists. The game was out of reach when Bittle had a rim rocking jam followed by hitting a spot up 3-pointer to give Oregon its biggest lead of the game at 69-50 with only a few minutes remaining.

Rutgers’ other potential Top-5 NBA selection Ace Bailey had an off night shooting by rushing several shot attempts. The 6’10” wing went 3-for-14 to score 8 points, well under his season average of 19.1 points per game. The bright spot for the Scarlet Knights was big man Lathan Somerville who had a team high 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting. Rutgers rough shooting was in part to the Ducks applying pressure on the defensive end, holding Rutgers to just 10 percent on 3s (1-for-10) in the second half. Another key stat was Oregon only turned the ball over three times in (9 total turnovers) in the final 30 minutes of the game while handing out 16 assists on 28 made field goals to cruise to the 75-57 win.

Oregon (18-8, 7-8) will go on the road to try and improve their spot in the conference standings against Iowa (14-11, 5-9) on Wednesday evening. Rutgers (12-14, 5-10) heads up north to take on Washington (13-12, 4-10).

This article was written by Chad Mart, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

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