Purdue @ Oregon Game Overview

The Ducks (15-2, 4-2) are tied for fifth place in the conference, though they are one of only two Big Ten teams with 15 wins overall, joining Michigan State (15-2, 6-0).

Oregon has won three straight games, with their most recent loss coming at home to then-No. 22 Illinois on Jan. 2. They have beaten two ranked teams this season, both in the Players Era Festival -- then-No. 20 Texas A&M on Nov. 26, and then-No. 9 Alabama four days later.

The Ducks are led by 7-foot center Nate Bittle, who has become a focal point of their offense because he can score inside and outside and rebound well. Bittle paces Oregon in average points and rebounds per game at 13.7 and 7.8, respectively.

The Ducks have had to rally for wins in the second half of recent games. At Penn State on Sunday, they trailed by seven with 7:20 to play but took the lead for good with 47 seconds left in an 82-81 victory. At Ohio State on Jan. 9 and at home against Maryland four days earlier, Oregon trailed at halftime but came back for victories.

Point guard Jackson Shelstad has come up clutch in late-game situations for the Ducks. Shelstad averages a team-high 31.4 minutes per game and 12.5 points.

Oregon's record through 17 games is the program's best since the 2016-17 season. That team went to the Final Four.

"We've just been starting out kind of slow (in games) this season, and I feel like we haven't been together on defense really out the gate all year," Ducks coach Dana Altman told SI.com. "Second half, we've been, you know, finding our way, sticking together towards the end of the game."

Purdue (14-4, 6-1), which reached the national championship game last season, falling to UConn, is rolling after a 69-58 win over Washington in Seattle on Wednesday. It was the Boilermakers' sixth straight win and fifth consecutive Big Ten victory.

All six of Purdue's wins during its current streak have come by double digits. The last time Purdue won five straight Big Ten games by 10 or more points came from Feb. 21 to March 5, 1988.

Purdue is 21-2 in the month of January since the 2022-23 season, winning 11 straight games in the month.

The Boilermakers' leader this season, Trey Kaufman-Wren, averages teams highs of 17.6 points and 6.2 rebounds a game, and sharpshooters Braden Smith (15.1) and Fletcher Loyer (14.1) also are scoring in double figures.

Smith and Loyer attempt the most 3-pointers on the team, and both have made more than 40 percent of those shots, with Loyer at 48.7 percent and Smith at 41.4

Purdue is 1-2 all-time against Oregon.

"If you just look at their schedule and their record and all the people they've played and beat, it speaks for itself," Purdue coach Matt Painter said of the Ducks after the Boilermakers' win at Washington. "If the (NCAA) Tournament was right now, they'd be a two- or a three-seed. (Dana Altman) is a fabulous coach. ... Just a really, really good coach. They have good players. Great team."

--Field Level Media