Indiana walked into the hostile confines of Matthew Knight Arena on Tuesday night knowing the stakes.
The Hoosiers had fought their way onto the NCAA Tournament bubble with a three-game winning streak, and after dispatching Washington to open their West Coast swing, they had an opportunity to further solidify their case.
Standing in their way was a battle-tested Oregon team, a group projected as a No. 6 seed and ranked in the top 10 earlier this season.
The Hoosiers didn’t just hang around. They were right there, leading in the final minutes, before a single moment changed everything.
With just under two minutes remaining, Indiana was in the midst of one of its best defensive possessions of the night. The Ducks were scrambling, the shot clock was winding down, and then Jackson Shelstad did the improbable.
The sophomore guard caught the ball well beyond the arc—nearly 35 feet from the basket—and, with a late contest from Anthony Leal, let it fly.
As the ball splashed through the net, Shelstad held his follow-through for an extra beat. His prayer had been answered. Oregon had regained the lead, and the Hoosiers never recovered.
“Jackson [Shelstad] has shown he can make shots and beat you. He did. It was a big shot when we were up one,” Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said postgame. “The kid hits a big bucket, and then we just didn’t regroup from that point on.”
Shelstad’s triple was just the beginning of a 10-0 Oregon run to close the game. Indiana, once in control, suddenly couldn’t buy a bucket, missing 10 of its final 12 shots.
The final score, 73-64, doesn’t tell the full story. For nearly 39 minutes, Indiana matched Oregon blow for blow. The Ducks never led by double figures, and their largest lead came at the final buzzer.
“I thought we were right there,” Woodson said. “We were up one with three or four minutes on the clock.”
Despite the late collapse, Woodson couldn't blame his team’s fight.
“I can’t fault our effort tonight,” he said. “I have no complaints. These guys have been fighting, fighting and fighting.”
That fight has put the Hoosiers in position to make the NCAA Tournament. Coming into the week, a 2-1 finish in their final three regular-season games seemed to be the magic number.
Indiana handled its business against Washington. It played Oregon tough on the road. Now, it all comes down to Senior Day against Ohio State. A win, and Indiana likely punches its ticket—whether that means avoiding the First Four in Dayton remains to be seen.
But if the Hoosiers do get into the tournament, they’ll enter believing they can compete. After all, despite the result, they already proved it against Oregon.
“We are playing for something,” Woodson said. “We are in the mix of a battle.”
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