No. 15 Oregon will hit the road for Saturday afternoon’s Big Ten matchup against Minnesota in Minneapolis, hoping to continue its success away from home this season.
The Ducks (16-3, 5-3) are 3-0 in conference games away from Eugene, Ore., and 8-0 overall either on the road or at a neutral site.
Oregon is coming off an 82-71 home win Tuesday over rival Washington in a game in which guard TJ Bamba led the way with 21 points and Brandon Angel added 15.
The Ducks have shown an ability to come from behind and win, especially away from home. Down by as many as eight points in the first half against Washington, they broke open a close game down the stretch to win handily.
In previous recent games, Oregon trailed in the second half at both Ohio State and Penn State and rallied to win.
Ducks reserve big man Supreme Cook on Tuesday had one of his best games since his transfer from Georgetown before this season.
Cook, with season scoring leader Nate Bittle in foul trouble and not getting a lot of shots, scored 13 points off the bench, and his physical play down low was a factor.
Oregon’s depth is a big reason for the team’s success.
“Any given night we have five, six, seven, the whole team we know can score double digits,” Angel said. “You trust your teammates to step up and fill that void.”
In addition to Bittle’s 13.6 points per game, Jackson Shelstad (12.6) and Bamba (10.2) are scoring in double figures this season. Bittle also leads the Ducks in rebounds (7.7) and blocks (2.0).
Minnesota (10-9, 2-6) is near the bottom of the Big Ten standings heading into Saturday’s game. The Golden Gophers are 5-3 all-time against Oregon, although the teams haven’t played each other since 2002.
Minnesota appears to be turning things around. After losing their first six Big Ten games, the Gophers have won their last two, including an 84-81 overtime upset of then-No. 20 Michigan on Jan. 16.
Dawson Garcia sank a game-winning 3-pointer as time expired. Minnesota then defeated Iowa on the road, 72-67 on Tuesday.
“Winning obviously helps. Nobody really gets as tired when you’re winning. The injuries and all that stuff kind of go away,” Gophers coach Ben Johnson said. “There’s an energy. I think our guys really want to be in the gym now more than ever, not that they weren’t before.”
Minnesota has a tough stretch of games coming up, starting with Oregon. Next will be at No. 8 Michigan State on Tuesday, then in early February, at Penn State and at home against No. 17 Illinois.
The Gophers have struggled from the free-throw line this season, shooting only 64 percent.
Garcia’s averages of 19.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game lead the team this season, and guard Mike Mitchell Jr. is at 11.8 ppg with a team-best 31 made 3-pointers in only 12 games.
–Field Level Media
