Two nationally ranked teams riding hot streaks meet Friday morning in Indianapolis in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament when No. 23 Oregon battles No. 7 Michigan State at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Coached by Tom Izzo, the Spartans compiled a 17-3 record in conference play this season, 26-5 overall, 15-1 at home.
They've won their last seven games, while Oregon carries an eight-game winning streak into this morning's showdown. When the teams met in East Lansing in February, the Ducks jumped out to a 50-36 lead at halftime but faded after the break, shooting just 39 percent from the floor while getting outrebounded 40-27. It was a physical game-- the teams shot 50 free throws and were whistled for 43 personal fouls.
The rematch is a battle of legendary coaches. Izzo has been at Michigan since 1995, reaching eight Final Fours over a Hall of Fame career. The four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year has piled up four 30-win seasons, 700 career wins and a national championship in 2000. He's won the Big Ten Tournament six times, the regular season league title 11 times.
Altman is four years younger at 66. He coached at Creighton for 16 years before coming to Oregon in 2010. In his storied career his teams have won the conference tournament 10 times, six in the Missouri Valley Conference with the Bluejays, four PAC-12 tournament crowns as a Duck (2013, 2016, 2019, 2024.) The fiery, cerebral Altman is 75-30 in the month of March, the highest win total of any coach since taking over in Eugene.
MSU is a tough-rebounding team that's held four of their last opponents to 62 points or less. They're favored by 6.5 points according to ESPN Bet. When the teams met before the Ducks had four starters in double figures. They suffered their fifth loss in a row during that Michigan swing, turning their season around with eight straight wins immediately after.
A key to the game will be the battle of shooting guards, the Ducks Jackson Shelstad versus Richardson for the Spartans. Applying some defensive pressure and doing a better job on the boards are crucial. When the teams met before center Nate Bittle managed just one rebound and eight points on 3-8 shooting. Kwame Evans posted 10 points and 7 rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.