Oregon unravels late, falls to unranked Minnesota
Oregon may have gone undefeated in nonconference play, but Dana Altman’s Ducks have had all sorts of trouble inside the Big Ten. With 3 losses already entering Saturday, Oregon fell to unranked Minnesota on the road, 77-69.
The game featured an electric start for Ben Johnson’s squad with the Golden Gophers racing out to a 21-6 lead across the first 5 minutes of the game. However, Oregon woke up to make things 44-38 at the break, and the Ducks had their chance to grab control late in the game.
With 1:33 left in the game, Jackson Shelstad delivered an and-1 to cut the score to 70-68. However, the Ducks would score just 1 point the rest of the way with 3 turnovers and a missed free throw in the final 1:15 of the game.
The Golden Gophers ultimately iced things with a dunk from Dawson Garcia, and the court storm was on:
COURT STORM IN THE BARN @GopherMBB ⛈️ pic.twitter.com/0uCtlpViUi
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 25, 2025
After clawing hard to get back into this one, it was a particularly horrific ending for the Ducks. They now fall to 5-4 in Big Ten play, but losing on the road to Minnesota is an especially bad look.
Meanwhile, the Gophers are winners of 3 straight after beginning B1G play 0-6. In that stretch, Minnesota has a pair of top-20 wins at home against Michigan and now Oregon.