Despite senior center Nate Bittle making just one shot during the first half and the Ducks committing an embarrassing nine turnovers, Oregon built an eight-point lead over the Indiana Hoosiers in the second-round matchup at the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament.
To make up for Bittle's scoring woes, sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad stepped up big on the offensive end of the court, earning 12 points and one assist in the first half. Shelstad wasn't alone in sinking shots from deep as Bittle, Brandon Angel, and TJ Bamba also found their rhythm from beyond the arc.
As the two teams headed to their locker rooms at halftime, Oregon held a 37-29 lead over the Hoosiers, and head coach Dana Altman was pretty pleased with his Ducks.
"Well, we got some good looks, and our defense got us in transition there a little bit," Altman said. "I thought we finished the half really good. We're gonna have to start the second half the same way."
Bittle, who sank a three-point shot for his only points in the first 20 minutes, also contributed three rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block to the Ducks' first-half stats. The center was coming off a 36-point performance against the Washington Huskies in Oregon's final regular-season game.
"Nate [Bittle] is all about winning, he's all about winning," Altman said about his veteran center. "Everybody likes to score, but he wants to win."
One thing that Oregon needed to clean up after the first half was the turnover numbers. Nine turnovers in just 20 minutes was not sustainable, especially as the Ducks only forced six turnovers by Indiana in the first half.
Oregon shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the first half, and the commentators couldn't help but note that the "Ducks [were] starting to find their range" as the postseason unfolded.
While Oregon's place in the NCAA Tournament was fairly solidified after the regular season, a good run in the conference tournament to help build momentum would never hurt. Meanwhile, the Hoosiers were in desperate need of a few Big Ten Tournament wins to extend their postseason.