Previewing MSU-Oregon Big Ten Quarterfinal Matchup

The Michigan State Spartans have a date with the Oregon Ducks in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. After drubbing them in the regular season, the Spartans will need to mimic their performance from earlier this season.

Mar 4, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon head coach Dana Altman calls directs his team late in the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

The No. 7 Michigan State Spartans (26-5, 17-3) officially have their next opponent for the upcoming Quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis this weekend. They will take on the No. 8-seeded Oregon Ducks (24-8, 12-8) at 12 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon.

The Ducks earned a 72-59 win over the No. 9-seeded Indiana Hoosiers on Thursday afternoon in the second round of the conference tournament. They went on a 10-0 run to close out the first half to lead by eight and would cruise through the final 20 minutes to their first Big Ten tournament win.

Ducks sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad led the way with 18 points on 6-13 shooting while senior guard TJ Bamba posted 17 points and five rebounds. Oregon was filling it up from downtown, hitting 40% of their three-point shots (8-20).

Dating back to early February, Michigan State hosted the Ducks for their lone regular season matchup. The Spartans took a 14-point deficit into halftime and replied by outscoring Oregon by 26 points in the second half, earning an 86-74 win at the Breslin Center.

"The turnovers, we had nine at halftime, we only had three in the second half," Izzo said after the victory. "It seems like the blueprint is easy, we just got to do a better job of following it. If you defend, you rebound, and you run, and you take care of the ball, you got a chance."

It marked the breakout game for freshman guard Jase Richardson as he dropped a career-high 29 points to help the Spartans. He will be heavily relied on once again, along with the rest of the incredible depth that this team possesses.

One key area to focus on for Michigan State will be its rebound ability. It was +13 in the rebound margin in its first meeting with the Ducks. The Spartans must replicate that piece of the game as they square off with 7-0 senior center Nate Bittle, who is top 10 in the Big Ten in rebounds (7.3).

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