3 Things To Watch As Indiana Plays Oregon In Big Ten Tournament

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Postseason play is here, and Indiana approaches a crucial game Thursday against Oregon.

As of Wednesday morning, the Hoosiers were listed as one of the last four teams in the NCAA Tournament, according to Joe Lunardi, and 108 of 109 projections on bracketmatrix.com included Indiana in the 68-team field. A win would likely punch Indiana’s ticket to the big dance, but a loss would mean a nervous Selection Sunday in Bloomington.

Indiana wrapped up the regular season Saturday with a 66-60 home win over Ohio State, a fellow bubble team. That landed the Hoosiers the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and a first-round bye, setting up a matchup against Oregon at noon ET Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Hoosiers and Ducks played a back-and-forth game on March 4, but Oregon pulled away late with a 10-0 run to end the game and win, 73-64.

Here are three things to watch in the second matchup.

1. Will Indiana get a friendlier whistle?

Coach Mike Woodson was as visibly upset as he’s been all season in the postgame press conference after Indiana’s loss at Oregon, because of the officiating. Oregon finished with a 21 to seven advantage in free-throw attempts, a margin that was 17 to two in the second half.

“We had our chances. But listen guys, in a physical game like this, it can’t be 21-7,” Woodson said on March 4. “You gotta be kidding me. 21-7 on f—--- free throws is b—----. It just can’t be, not in a physical game. They’re a physical team, and it can’t be that lopsided. It’s impossible.”

There were several plays where Indiana bigs Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo appeared to absorb contact inside, but Ballo didn’t attempt a free throw and Reneau went 0 for 3. On the other end, Oregon center Nate Bittle went 8 for 8 at the line. Bittle made the third team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Defensive team, while Ballo and Reneau received All-Big Ten honorable mentions during Tuesday’s awards show.

The first matchup came down to the wire, and KenPom favors the Ducks by just two points ahead of Thursday’s game. Woodson and the Hoosiers will hope for a more even foul and free throw distribution this time around.

2. Who can slow down Jackson Shelstad?

Shelstad didn’t have an efficient night in his first game against Indiana, shooting 5 for 13 from the field and 2 for 7 from 3-point range. But he hit the shot that swung the game in Oregon’s favor, a roughly 35-footer at the end of the shot clock over Indiana’s Anthony Leal.

Shelstad led the Ducks with 17 points and made 5-of-6 free-throw attempts. His speed has been tough for opponents to contain all season, part of the reason he made the All-Big Ten third team. For the season, Shelstad is averaging 13.3 points per game while shooting 37.9% from 3-point range.

Leal will likely draw the matchup on Shelstad to start, and he’s been Indiana’s best perimeter defender of late. Saturday against Ohio State, he spent the most time on Bruce Thornton, who finished with nine points on 2-for-11 shooting. Indiana could also rotate Trey Galloway and Myles Rice on Shelstad, a key matchup in this game.

3. Mackenzie Mgbako, the X factor

Mgbako’s up-and-down season has reached a lower end of the curve recently. Over the last three games, he’s made just 6-of-22 shots from the field, or 27.3%. Against Oregon, he went 2 for 10 from the field in a tough matchup against TJ Bamba, the Ducks’ second member of the Big Ten All-Defensive team.

Some of Mgbako’s struggles have been alleviated by the strong play of Luke Goode, Indiana’s leading 3-point shooter at 40.3%. But it’s still easy to see why Indiana’s ceiling is raised when Mgbako is at his best. He’s a tough cover for any team, given that he’s 6-foot-9 and can get his shot off from a variety of spots.

Indiana’s offense becomes a bit predictable when Mgbako is off his game, as it usually resorts to running the pick and roll with Galloway. If Oregon is able to limit Indiana’s bigs for a second time, Mgbako needs to step up as a primary scoring option.

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