Improbable until the final minute. Not just because Oregon men’s basketball (10-17, 3-13 Big Ten) hadn’t won a Big Ten game against a team with a winning record all season, but because the Ducks should not have been in that game at all. 

Oregon shot 45% from the field overall, but just 25% on 3-pointers and 15 turnovers made the offense’s job a lot more difficult. 

The 7-0 run to win the game came from nowhere and included two free throws from senior center Nate Bittle, whose 14 points, 11 rebounds and four steals provided a steady foundation for the Ducks’ comeback, 71-70 victory over the USC Trojans (18-9, 7-9 Big Ten). 

Only having the final 15 seconds, Bittle backed his man down to the post, and drew contact, as veterans do in those situations. He found nothing-but-net on each of his free throws, Dezdrick Lindsay stripped the ball from Alijah Arenas on the other end and the Ducks ran off the floor in front of a stunned Galen Center crowd. 

It was their first win over a Power 4 team with a winning record all season. 

The Ducks got going offensively early, with aggressive play from point guard Drew Carter giving him a quick six points. Carter finished  

USC bided its time, and as Oregon started forcing more, it regressed back to the mean shooting-wise and shot 40% in the first half. The Trojans posted 38% from the field overall and 33% on 3-pointers in the opening half, which largely came down to Chad Baker-Mazara’s efficient 3/5 shooting from deep. 

Baker-Mazara scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half and he continued to make plays in the opening 10 minutes, and built as much as an eight-point lead off of his ability to just pull-up and convert from beyond the arc. 

Even despite the disparity in shooting percentages, the Ducks found ways to hang around by forcing turnovers on bad passes, which led to them collecting four steals in the first. 

Oregon started focusing on the interior game offensively, which led to the Ducks shooting 14 free throws during the first and making nine of them. USC only shot six shots from the line in the opening frame. 

Carter continued to be a spark for the Ducks, as his 11 points on efficient 4/6 shooting boosted them enough to go on a 20-9 run during the final eight minutes of the half. They came storming back and shut down the Trojans’ offense, leaving them scoreless for multiple two-minute stretches. 

The Ducks’ remained in control throughout the end of the first, and led 35-32 at the break. 

Over six minutes in the middle second half, the Ducks turned the ball over seven times and allowed the Trojans to take an 8-0 run into a five-point lead about halfway through the second. 

The Ducks totaled 15 turnovers total and allowed USC to score 25 points off of those giveaways, which marred what became a solid game defensively. 

Oregon closed that dismal stretch with an elbow triple from Kwame Evans Jr. who led the way, scoring 21 points on 4/9 shooting but adding 11 free throws for the game and eight in the second half alone. 

His 18 second half points provided the crucial spark Oregon used to come back in the contest. 

Takai Simpkins shot better in the second half, and his 10 points contributed to Oregon’s ability to hang around USC. A 7-0 Trojan run that spanned until the final five minutes of the contest sealed the deal until the final 90 seconds of the contest. 

The Trojans went cold from the field in the final two-and-a-half minutes and left the door open for an incredible Oregon turnaround. 

Simpkins knocked down a three then Evans converted on a layup on the next trip down the floor, which made it a four-point game. Carter stole the ball from USC’s Jacob Cofie which put the Trojans on the back foot and gave the Ducks a possession to cut into the lead. 

A scramble play found Simpkins with a drive opportunity, and he took it, drew the defense and miraculously found Evans on the wing for a wide-open three that he converted to put Oregon within one with under a minute to play. 

USC used a full shot-clock, missed its opportunity and the Ducks had a chance at the win with 15 seconds to go. Bittle backed down his man, got the foul and the fifth-year center sunk both with ease to give his team a shocking lead. 

Lindsay’s quiet night ended with the game-winning steal on the other end, and Oregon walked away with the win. 

The Ducks return to Matthew Knight Arena for an 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night matchup against the No. 24 Wisconsin Badgers.