The Oregon Ducks are peaking at the perfect time. As everyone turned their calendar to March and the madness of the month flew into focus, the Oregon men's basketball team blew out the USC Trojans in an 82-61 victory.
With the win, the Ducks extended their winning streak to five games in a row and improved their conference record to 10-8.
Leading Oregon to victory was senior guard Keeshawn Barthelemy, who sank four three-point shots and secured 20 points for the Ducks. Sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad wasn't far behind as he contributed 19 points to the Ducks' total as well as four assists and two steals.
Senior center Nate Bittle was his usual excellent self as he brought in 15 points and led the teams in blocks with five denials as well as seven rebounds, all off the defensive glass.
Both Bittle and senior guard Jadrien Tracey have been granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA, Tracey for starting his career at the JUCO level and Bittle for missing extended periods of his collegiate career due to injury or sickness.
I hope he wants to come back. I want guys who want to work," Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. "So I sure hope Nathan [Bittle] wants to come back. He's been a big part of our program. I hope he wants to. I'm sure our staff wants him, that's for sure. He's been great to work with."
Oregon has relied heavily on Bittle throughout the 2024-25 season as usual offensive stars like Shelstad have gone through shooting slumps.
Bittle is one of the few big men in college who can reliably knock down three-point shots and then fly to the other end of the court to block an offensive attempt by Oregon's opponent.
The Ducks will host the Indiana Hoosiers in their second-to-last game of the regular season. Currently, Oregon sits at seventh in the Big Ten standings and would receive a first-round bye in the conference tournament.