ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In an intense match on Wednesday night, No. 24 Michigan narrowly defeated Oregon with a final score of 80-76. Will Tschetter was key in the victory, scoring a season-high of 17 points, while Danny Wolf contributed with a strong first-half performance, adding 10 of his 15 points before the break. Vladislav Goldin also stepped up, scoring nine of his 15 points after halftime to secure the win for the Wolverines.
With this victory, Michigan improves to a record of 17-5 overall and 9-2 in the Big Ten Conference, marking their third consecutive win. This streak has propelled them into a tie for second place with No. 9 Michigan State, trailing only No. 7 Purdue. Conversely, Oregon’s performance has hit a rough patch, as they now possess a record of 16-7 overall and have lost four straight games, marking their first losing streak since the 2013-2014 season.
Jackson Shelstad led Oregon’s effort with 18 points, while his teammates Nate Bittle, Keeshawn Barthelemy, and TJ Bamba added 16, 15, and 13 points, respectively. In the first half, Wolf significantly influenced the game by leading an 11-0 run that pushed Michigan ahead by double digits after they initially trailed. The Wolverines built a 14-point lead in the first half, but they had to rely on free throws late in the game to secure the win after the Ducks mounted a comeback.
For Oregon, this marks a notable decline from their earlier season success. They had started strong with a record of 13-1 and even held a spot in the top 10 rankings during December, bolstered by victories over highly ranked teams like Alabama and Texas A&M. However, they have struggled recently, managing to win only one of their last six games.
On the other hand, Michigan continues to enjoy a perfect home record of 11-0 in this season, under the leadership of first-year head coach Dusty May. The team will face a challenging match against Purdue in their next home game, where they will seek to maintain their unbeaten status at home.
A crucial moment of the game came when Wolf executed a brilliant step-back jumper that extended Michigan’s lead to double digits during the first half. A noteworthy statistic from the game shows that the Wolverines outscored the Ducks 36-24 in the paint, demonstrating their dominance in close-range scoring opportunities.
Looking ahead, both teams are scheduled to return to the court on Saturday. Oregon will face No. 9 Michigan State, where Spartans’ coach Tom Izzo is on the verge of tying former Indiana coach Bob Knight’s record of 353 Big Ten victories. Meanwhile, Michigan will travel to play against Indiana.
