Oregon Ducks Basketball, Jackson Shelstad Protect Perfect Road Record vs. Penn State

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team capped off their road trip with an 82-81 over the Penn State Nittany Lions. Oregon is still perfect on the road this season and saw themselves jump up in the AP Top-25 Poll on Monday morning.

The Ducks have a record of 15-2, their best through 17 games since the 2016-2017 season. That team ended up making it all the way to the Final Four.

Oregon Ducks Remain Undefeated on the Road

Jan 12, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions guard Freddie Dilione V (4) loses control of the ball during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Bryce Jordan Center. Oregon defeated Penn State 82-81. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

It’s been so far so good for the Oregon Ducks on the road this season. The Ducks are a perfect 4-0 with wins at Oregon State, USC, Ohio State, and Penn State. Their only losses this year have come at home vs. the UCLA Bruins and the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Over the past week, Oregon was able to just squeeze out two close ones over Ohio State and Penn State. This team has had a knack for finding ways to win close games. After coming from behind in the second half vs. Penn State and winning 82-81, Oregon is now 5-1 in games decided by 4 points or less.

Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad had a rocky start to the season, but has gotten back to playing like the guy he was last season and has averaged 21.3 points in the last three games. In the final minute of each the Ohio State and Penn State game, Shelstad knocked down the go-ahead bucket/free throws to give Oregon the lead.

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Ducks Jump to No. 13 in Country

Jan 12, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman looks on from the bench during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks now are ranked No. 13 in the AP Poll. They came into last week ranked No. 15, but road wins over the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions helped boost them up a few spots.

According to Bball Net, Oregon already has 7 quad 1 wins. Their resume looks very strong and gives them a great shot to get into the NCAA Tournament with a high seed. Prior to Sunday's win over Penn State, ESPN's Joe Lunardi had the Ducks slotted as No. 3 seed in his latest bracketology projection.

Oregon will now come home and get ready to take on the No. 18 team in the country, the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 12 p.m PT.

Purdue has won their last four games are a game out of first place in the Big Ten with a conference record of 5-1. Overall, the Boilermakers are 13-4. The Ducks are 4-2 in conference play so a win would give them the tiebreaker over Purdue in the standings.

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