Oregon Ducks Vs. Indiana Hoosiers Preview: 3 Keys To Victory In Big Ten Tournament

The Oregon Ducks' mens basketball team ended the regular season with a 23-8 record and finished 12-8 in Big Ten conference play to land themselves a first-round bye and the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament.

Oregon will face off against Indiana in the second round of the tournament on Thursday, March 13 at noon. The winner will take on the No. 1 seed Michigan State the following day.

Here are the three keys to victory the Ducks and coach Dana Altman will need if they want to move on to the quarterfinals in their inaugural season in the conference.

1. Ducks must find success in the paint

Oregon’s Nate Bittle center, battles for position against USC’s Rashaun Agee, left, and Wesley Yates III during the second half. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ducks need to take control of the paint on both sides of the court if they want to not go one-and-done in the tournament. In their first matchup, a 73-64 win for the Ducks on March 4, Oregon held Indiana's front court starters, center Oumar Ballo and forward Mackenzie Mgbako, to just 18 combined points.

Ballo is a threat to go for big game on any given night due to his talented offensive skillset, so Oregon's breakout big man, Nate Bittle, has to have one of his best games in a Duck uniform. It's imperative for the Ducks that they play sound defense and rebound well.

Oregon out-rebounded Indiana, 43-36, in their win during the regular season and will need to come

2. Dana Altman needs to win the coaching battle

Feb 19, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman reacts during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Altman is a winner in March. Year after year, the Ducks continually find themselves in the mix in both their conference tournaments and in March Madness. He's been coaching for a long time and usually, experience wins in must-win situations, however, Indiana coach Mike Woodson is no slouch.

The Hoosiers have been hot to end of the season. They are winners of four of their last five games and will be riding into the conference tournament with plenty of momentum.

It will be up to Altman to be able to rally the troops and not let the moment get too big for the Ducks as they go against a historical Big Ten powerhouse.

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3. Get production from the bench

Feb 19, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Jadrian Tracey (2) and forward Supreme Cook (7) react during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Ducks had three-starters finish in double-digit points in their win over the Hoosiers. Off the bench, Oregon only had 18 combined points with forward Kwame Evans Jr. finishing with 10 points. It's not for a lack of talent for the Ducks as Evans averages 6.3 points per game and guard Jadrian Tracy averages 7.2 points. Additionally, Oregon has another guard in Supreme Cook who is averaging five points a night.

If they win games, Oregon will need to dig deep into their bench due to the daily game format of the tournament. The Ducks must get more well-rounded efforts if they want to make any noise in March.

1. Ducks must find success in the paint

2. Dana Altman needs to win the coaching battle

3. Get production from the bench

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