The Oregon Ducks are heading into Saturday’s matchup against No. 3 Michigan without two of their most important pieces-and it’s hard to overstate just how big of a blow that is.
Head coach Dana Altman confirmed that both starting center Nate Bittle and starting point guard Jackson Shelstad will be sidelined when the Ducks (8-9, 1-5 Big Ten) host the Wolverines (15-1, 5-1) at Matthew Knight Arena. That’s Oregon’s top two scorers-both preseason All-Big Ten selections-out of the lineup against one of the most explosive teams in the country.
Let’s start with Bittle. The senior big man went down with a lower leg injury early in the Ducks’ loss to Nebraska earlier this week.
Altman said it happened on the team’s second offensive possession, yet Bittle still gutted it out for 25 minutes, scoring 10 points. But it was clear something wasn’t right-he logged just six minutes in the second half and was visibly limited.
“He wanted to play on it,” Altman said. “But you could tell right when we started the second half that it was really bothering him.”
The good news? Tests showed no fractures.
The bad news? Bittle is expected to miss at least a month, possibly longer.
That’s a massive void for Oregon. Bittle leads the team in scoring at 16.3 points per game and is also pulling down 6.7 rebounds while swatting 2.3 shots a night. He’s been the focal point of the Ducks’ offense all season, and as Altman put it, “He’s been the guy we’ve been going through.”
And now, he’s out-again. Bittle already missed two games earlier this season with an ankle issue. For a senior in his final year, it’s a tough setback at a critical point in the season.
Then there’s Shelstad. The junior point guard will miss his fifth straight game with a lingering hand injury that’s proven tricky to diagnose and even tougher to shake.
The issue stems from a hard bump he took against Omaha back on December 28. Since then, the pain hasn’t gone away, and despite multiple tests and evaluations, there’s still no clear timeline for his return.
“He wants to go,” Altman said. “But his hand, we’ve had different tests, we’re doing another test today.
He can’t get it feeling right. It’s his right hand, so dribbling, shooting have been a problem.”
Shelstad is second on the team in scoring at 15.6 points per game, and he leads Oregon in assists (59) and steals (17). He’s the engine of the Ducks’ backcourt, and without him, the offense has struggled to find rhythm or flow.
Now, with both Bittle and Shelstad out, Oregon faces a Michigan team that doesn’t just sit near the top of the Big Ten-they dominate it. The Wolverines lead the conference in scoring (93.8 PPG), rebounding (43.2 RPG), blocks (6.1 BPG), and point differential (+25.1). They’ve got firepower, size, and momentum, and they’re coming into Eugene with eyes on continuing their tear through the league.
“They’re a very explosive offensive team,” Altman said. “Defensively, we’re gonna have to get back and put our defense together. Guys are going to have to play awfully hard.”
That’s the challenge in front of this Oregon team. With their two offensive anchors sidelined, the Ducks will have to lean on depth, grit, and maybe a little bit of desperation. Altman acknowledged that the offense is going to look different-less structured, more improvised-and that other players will need to rise to the occasion.
“We ran so much through Nate and Jackson,” he said. “Other guys are just gonna have to pick that up.
But that being said, we have some guys that wanted to play more, so here’s their opportunity. We’ll see how they handle that opportunity.”
This is the kind of moment that tests a team’s resolve. The Ducks have been hit hard by injuries and are staring down a powerhouse opponent.
But as Altman said, “You’re judged by how you handle adversity.” Saturday will be a gut check-and an opportunity-for a short-handed Oregon squad trying to find its footing in the Big Ten.