A 15-4 run by the USC Trojans (21-8, 10-8 Big Ten) in the first 3:44 against the Oregon Ducks (14-15, 6-12 Big Ten) forced Dana Altman to call a quick timeout.
“I just didn’t like our activity at all defensively,” Altman said of his message at that timeout.
They heard him loud and clear, only allowing 46 points from that point on. The Ducks played terrific on-ball defense, stealing the ball 13 times and forcing 16 total turnovers.
“People always say we’re smaller than everybody, but we use our quickness and we get after people,” Keeshawn Barthelemy said.
In their last two games, the Ducks went on extended runs to either put themselves back in the game, or take the other team out of it. In the Wisconsin game, it was a 16-2 run over the final 6:15 of regulation to send the game to overtime. Against USC on Saturday, it was a 16-0 run late in the second half to push their lead from seven to 23 and put the final nail in the coffin.
The shot-making in these runs is entertaining, but the defense is what’s driving them. USC went 0-for-7 in that 4:55 stretch, including three blocks by Nate Bittle. The Ducks’ big man was there to clean up anything that the perimeter let slip through, finishing with five blocks.
“He owned the paint,” Altman said of Bittle.
In both matchups between these two teams this year, the Ducks’ defense has been effective throughout. In the second half of both games, they have taken it to another level. In that first matchup, the Trojans shot just 31 percent in the second half, and in Saturday’s game, 23 percent. The level of activity that the Ducks have shown on the defensive end in these two matchups has been remarkable. They have held USC to 61 and 60 points, well below its 76.9 season average.
The Ducks’ defense has been inconsistent this year, but has shown flashes of dominance recently. They allowed only 57 points to Rutgers on Feb. 16, which was the fewest points a conference opponent has scored against them since 2023. The defense has really shined in the last two games, particularly down the stretch. In the Wisconsin game, it was the full court press that forced the Badgers into the most turnovers they have had all season. On Saturday, there was no scheme shift, just intense, high-energy play. The Ducks seemed to feed off a Matthew Knight Arena crowd that Barthelemy said was as loud as he had ever heard it.
Oregon has won five in a row and is playing just as well as early in the season when it beat Texas A&M and Alabama, two of the best teams in the country, in the same week. The Ducks getting off to a hot start was somewhat surprising, but it feels like Altman teams always get hot heading into the postseason.
The question is no longer if Oregon will get into the NCAA tournament, but how far it can go. A study by March Madness Live writer Daniel Wilco suggests that teams who are better on offense than defense fare better in the tournament. This seems like a function of having players who can consistently get their own shots late in games.
Oregon may not have a superstar like some other teams, but Jackson Shelstad, Barthelemy and Bittle have all proven themselves in big moments this year. The Ducks actually have a better offense than defense in season-long statistics, but lately it has been their defense that has made the difference. Having one side of the ball where you are playing as well as any team in the country is massive, and if the Ducks keep it up, a deep run can’t be ruled out.