The Oregon men's basketball team now has a losing record in Big Ten play after the Ducks failed to capture a comeback victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sunday night.
Now sitting at 5-6 in conference play and 16-6 overall, the Ducks have taken a drastic turn downhill after starting their season so strongly. Oregon has lost three games in a row against Big Ten opponents – the unranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, the unranked UCLA Bruins, and the unranked Cornhuskers.
Despite the valiant second-half performance, the Ducks fell short of the complete comeback and Nebraska walked away with a 77-71 victory over Oregon.
Final at MKA. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/StR9eyq3zl
— Oregon Men's Basketball (@OregonMBB) February 3, 2025
With the loss at Matthew Knight Arena, Oregon dropped to a highly disappointing 8-4 record at home with four of the Ducks' wins coming on the road and four taking place at neutral locations.
In the loss, Jackson Shelstad led the Ducks' scoring effort as they put 43 of their points on the board during the second half. Shelstad recorded 16 points and 3 assists to lead Oregon's offensive efforts. Transfer players Brandon Angel and TJ Bamba joined Shelstad in double-digit scoring with a combined 28 points.
Senior center Nate Bittle struggled from the field as he contributed just 4 points and only brought down 4 rebounds. Keeshawn Barthelemy, who had been on a shooting hot streak for the Ducks, also struggled offensively and only scored 4 points in the matchup.
Oregon will look to turn around its sinking ship in Big Ten play on Feb. 5, when the Ducks visit the Michigan Wolverines.