Winning on the road in the Big Ten is not for the mentally weak. Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo has seen some of his best teams lose road games in the Big Ten that they had no business losing. It happens every year, but that’s because the home atmospheres in this conference are special, for the most part.
And Big Ten teams are tough.
Oregon is one of those tough teams, and they’re next up on Michigan State’s schedule. While the Ducks aren’t exactly one of the best teams in the conference — in fact, just the opposite — but they’ve been playing short-handed for a few weeks now, and things just got worse for them.
After giving Michigan all it could handle on Saturday, even holding a lead at the half, Oregon just couldn’t keep up with the Wolverines, losing by 10 without a couple of star players.
It was reported before the Michigan game that Nate Bittle, the team’s leading scorer, would be out for about a month, and the Ducks were going to be without star guard Jackson Shetland against the Wolverines. It didn’t sound like a long-term injury for the guard who averages over 15 points per game, but Oregon got some horrible news over the weekend.
Oregon will be without a second star against Michigan State
After the Michigan loss, Oregon head coach Dana Altman spoke to the media about his injured players, and gave a not-so-pleasant update on his veteran guard and second-leading scorer.
Shelstad could be undergoing surgery on his hand, and will miss the rest of the season.
Jackson Shelstad is likely out for the year, Dana Altman says. Tendon and ligament damage to his right hand, may need surgery, TBD. 6-8 weeks timeline.
— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) January 17, 2026
This is a massive blow to a team that had already been reeling. He had been out since December, and the Ducks are on a gross four-game losing streak that includes three blowouts and an overtime loss to a really bad Rutgers team. The preseason expectations are now wild to look back on.
This team simply cannot catch a break. Losing your leading scorer and then finding out that your second-leading scorer would miss the rest of the season in the same week had to have been brutal.
Michigan State is a heavy favorite on Tuesday, and this injury development is a good reason why that is.