Five takeaways from Indiana’s loss at Oregon

Indiana’s three-game winning streak was snapped as the Hoosiers fell 74-63 to Oregon on Tuesday night at Knight Arena. Indiana is now 18-12 and 9-10 in the Big Ten ahead of Saturday’s regular season finale against Ohio State.

Here are five takeaways from the loss to the Ducks:

Second-chance points prove costly for Indiana

Oregon shot poorly, 39.3 percent for the game, but Indiana’s inability to secure defensive rebounds was an issue.

The Ducks rebounded 39.5 percent of their missed shots and scored 23 second-chance points in their win against the Hoosiers.

The offensive rebounding percentage Indiana allowed was the highest for a Hoosier opponent since the Maryland loss on Jan. 26.

Rebounding on both ends has been a strength for Indiana throughout the season as the Hoosiers rank eighth in the league in offensive rebounding percentage (30.7) and seventh in defensive rebounding percentage. Big Ten opponents are grabbing 28 percent of their missed shots against Indiana.

But on Tuesday, that was not the case. In a game that was back-and-forth through most of the second half, the Ducks outscoring IU 23-13 on second-chance points was a significant factor in the game’s outcome.

Late-game execution issues reappear

Indiana has been on the wrong end of close games numerous times in Big Ten play. A few examples are home losses to Maryland, Michigan and UCLA and a road loss at Purdue.

On Tuesday, Indiana’s inability to get a stop when it mattered most and poor shooting down the stretch kept the Hoosiers from recording a key Quad 1 victory.

Ahead by one, 64-63, with under two minutes to play, Indiana played a tremendous defensive possession. But Jackson Shelstad, who has hit tough shots all season, played better offense. Shelstad’s deep 3-pointer with 1:30 to play gave the Ducks the lead for good at 66-64.

Indiana did not score again. The Hoosiers missed 10 of their final 12 field goal attempts and struggled to handle Oregon’s defensive pressure.

“I thought we were right there, man,” Mike Woodson said postgame. “We were up one with three or four minutes on the clock. I mean, the kid hits a big bucket, and then we just didn’t regroup from that point on.

“And you gotta give them credit because their defense picked up when it needed to. They got a big steal out of our possession, and we threw it away. So I mean, that was the difference in the game, I thought, coming down the stretch.”

Woodson unhappy with the free-throw differential

In a hotly contested, physical game by both teams, the free-throw differential drew the ire of Woodson in his postgame comments with the media.

Oregon got the line 21 times and connected on 19 of its attempts. Indiana attempted just seven free throws, making only three. The Hoosiers took only two free throws in the second half.

“We had our chances. But listen guys, in a physical game like this, it can’t be 21-7. You gotta be kidding me. 21-7 on f***ing free throws is bullshit. It just can’t be, not in a physical game. They’re a physical team, and it can’t be that lopsided. It’s impossible.”

Through 19 Big Ten games, Oregon ranks in the top four of the conference in keeping its opponents off the line.

Oregon’s opponent free throw rate (FTA/FGA) in league play is 28 percent. On Tuesday, Indiana’s free throw rate was only 10.8 percent.

Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako struggle to finish

Two of Indiana’s best offensive players had off nights in Tuesday’s loss.

Mackenzie Mgbako, who has been inconsistent but had scored in double figures in the last two games, shot just 2-for-10 against the Ducks.

Mgbako missed all five of his 2-point attempts and had his shot blocked twice by Nate Bittle.

And Malik Reneau, coming off arguably his best game of the season at Washington, had issues finishing against Bittle.

Reneau shot 4-for-11 on 2s in the loss as Bittle’s size and shot blocking ability at the rim bothered him. Bittle’s other two blocked shots came against Reneau, who tried to force the issue at the rim multiple times rather than getting the ball out to a teammate.

Mgbako and Reneau combined to shoot 6-for-22 in 47 minutes.

Loss sets up a pivotal game on Saturday against Ohio State

Just one regular season game remains for Indiana and it will be pivotal for the program’s NCAA tournament chances.

A win against Oregon likely would have secured a March Madness berth, but a loss means there’s still work to do.

The Hoosiers host Ohio State on Saturday at 3:45 p.m. ET for senior day in Bloomington. The Buckeyes survived a double-overtime thriller against Nebraska on Tuesday in Columbus.

Indiana won the first matchup between the two teams, 77-76 on Jan. 17 in overtime in Columbus.

Both teams are squarely on the tournament bubble and are 9-10 in the conference. The loser will be headed to Wednesday of the Big Ten tournament with the winner going to the 8-9 game on Thursday.

“We are playing for something, just like everyone else in the Big Ten,” Woodson said. “We go home and have a tough Ohio State team coming in and we have two days to prepare and get ready for them.”

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

Category: Five Takeaways

Filed to: Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau, Oregon Ducks