Winning on the road in the Big Ten is one of the toughest tasks in college basketball - and Tom Izzo knows it better than most. Even some of his most battle-tested Michigan State squads have stumbled in hostile conference environments.
That’s not a knock on the Spartans - it’s just life in the Big Ten, where road wins are earned, not given. The atmospheres are electric, the competition is relentless, and the margin for error is razor-thin.
Next up for Izzo’s group? A visit from Oregon - a team that may not be sitting near the top of the Big Ten standings, but still brings the kind of grit and fight that can make life difficult for any opponent.
The Ducks have been navigating a rough stretch, made even more challenging by a string of injuries that’s left them shorthanded. And just when it looked like things couldn’t get much worse, they did.
Oregon gave Michigan a real scare over the weekend, even taking a lead into halftime before eventually falling by 10. That’s notable considering they were without two of their biggest offensive weapons.
Nate Bittle, the team’s leading scorer, was already ruled out for about a month. Then came the absence of Jackson Shelstad - the Ducks’ second-leading scorer and a dynamic backcourt presence averaging over 15 points per game.
Initially, there was some hope that Shelstad’s injury wasn’t long-term. But that optimism took a major hit after the game, when head coach Dana Altman delivered a tough update.
Shelstad is now expected to miss the rest of the season due to tendon and ligament damage in his right hand. Surgery is on the table, and while nothing has been finalized yet, the timeline being discussed is six to eight weeks - effectively ending his year.
For a team already reeling, this is a gut punch. Shelstad hasn’t played since December, and the Ducks have struggled mightily in his absence. They’re currently riding a four-game losing streak, including three lopsided defeats and an overtime loss to a Rutgers team that’s had its own share of struggles.
This wasn’t how the season was supposed to go for Oregon. Expectations were high back in the fall, with a veteran core and a talented backcourt that looked ready to make noise in their new conference. But injuries have a way of rewriting the script - and right now, the Ducks are trying to stay afloat without their top two scorers.
For Michigan State, this matchup is still one that demands focus. Oregon might be down, but they’re not out - and in the Big Ten, no game is a gimme. The Spartans will need to bring their usual defensive intensity and avoid any letdowns against a team that’s desperate to stop the bleeding.
But make no mistake: Oregon’s margin for error just got even thinner. Losing Bittle was bad enough.
Losing Shelstad too? That’s the kind of blow that tests a team’s identity - and its resolve.