Five takeaways from Indiana’s loss to Oregon

Indiana’s stay in the 2025 Big Ten tournament ended with a disappointing 72-59 loss to Oregon on Thursday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Here are five takeaways from the loss to the Ducks:

Indiana’s offense was stifled by Oregon’s length and athleticism

It was a dreadful offensive performance by Indiana on Thursday afternoon in Indianapolis.

And Oregon’s defense had plenty to do with it. The Ducks are long, quick and athletic at nearly every position. Their ability to challenge shots bothered IU’s offense all afternoon.

The Hoosiers shot a dismal 36.2 percent from the field and managed .838 points per possession, their lowest output since an early January loss at Iowa and second-lowest of the season.

Indiana shot 21-for-53 on 2s, good for only 39.6 percent and was 4-for-16 on 3s.

“They’re a good defensive team,” Trey Galloway said postgame. “But I think not being able to finish around the rim, we had a lot of open, easy looks that we normally make, and we didn’t.”

Indiana’s 59 points were a season low.

3-point shooting carries Oregon’s offense

Indiana was ice cold from the perimeter, but Oregon extended its winning streak to eight games on the strength of perimeter shooting.

On an afternoon where Nate Bittle scored only seven points on 2-for-8 shooting, the Ducks were hot from the outside.

Oregon shot 8-for-20 on 3s as six different players made a triple.

Brandon Angel, who scored only four points in the first meeting between the two teams last week in Eugene, knocked in both of his 3-point attempts on his way to 14 points.

Most of Oregon’s damage from distance came in the first half. The Ducks were 6-for-12 from deep in the opening 20 minutes, which helped them build a 37-29 advantage at the break.

Oregon’s big runs were too much for IU to overcome

Surrendering runs due to prolonged scoring droughts has been a theme for the Hoosiers in Mike Woodson’s fourth and final season in Bloomington.

And on Thursday, Indiana allowed two significant runs in each half that proved too much to overcome.

The Ducks closed the first half on a 10-0 run as Indiana did not score in the final 2:45 of the half.

And in the second half, Oregon put the game away with a 9-0 spurt that saw the Hoosier offense go 5:29 without a point. By the time Malik Reneau made a layup with 2:04 to play, the game was over as the Ducks had built a double-figure lead.

“You’ve got to give them credit,” Mike Woodson said postgame. “I thought right before the half, that was a big momentum builder for them.

“Then we regroup, we came out after the half, and we were back in the ballgame. It’s just the little things. We missed two front ends of a one-and-one, a two-possession game, those are huge. They come down, and they make us pay for it on both possessions.”

Indiana didn’t do the little things necessary to win

Missed free throws. A failure to capitalize on turnovers. And not enough second-chance points. All of these factors led to Indiana coming up short in a key spot on Thursday afternoon.

The Hoosiers shot 5-for-10 from the line and Anthony Leal missed the front end of 1-and-1s twice in the second half. Oregon shot 12-for-15 from the stripe.

The Ducks committed 14 turnovers and Indiana only managed 14 points from those mistakes.

The Hoosiers also pulled down 13 offensive rebounds but scored only nine second-chance points.

“It’s a tough loss. I thought we competed in stretches, but we just couldn’t finish it,” Woodson said. “They were the better team tonight, I thought.”

Indiana now awaits its postseason fate

If Indiana’s last impression in front of the NCAA tournament selection committee has any bearing on its inclusion in March Madness, the Hoosiers are on shaky ground.

The loss to the Ducks falls into Quad 1, but the opportunity to beat a tournament team on a neutral court would have solidified their positioning for next week’s tournament.

The Hoosiers will have to sweat it out and await their fate on Sunday evening when the bracket is officially announced.

Most of the current projections have Indiana narrowly in the field, but conference tournaments are still in full swing around the country. The more wins other bubble teams collect the rest of the week, the less secure Indiana should feel about its chances to dance.

“We know that we should be a tournament team,” Galloway said postgame “I think just those crucial losses that we had that were just so tight, one-possession games. The way we’ve been playing the last month and a half, we’ve been playing like a tournament team.”

If Indiana is selected, the Hoosiers will likely be in Dayton for a First Four game. If the Hoosiers are not selected, the 2024-25 season – and the Woodson era – are likely over. It would be a surprise if Indian accepted a bid to a secondary postseason tournament.

Category: Five Takeaways

Filed to: Oregon Ducks