Oregon Ducks Basketball

Oakland's Johnathon Jones scored a career-high 32, including 10 in overtime, to lead Oakland of Michigan to an 82-79 victory over Oregon on Monday, Nov. 17. The Ducks dropped to 1-1 overall with the loss played at McArthur Court in Eugene. The Grizzlies evened their season mark to 1-1.

Erik Kangas had 18 points for the Golden Grizzlies (1-1), who ended the Ducks' (1-1) 16-game non-conference winning streak at McArthur Court. Jones made 13-of-23 shots, including a baseline fadeaway jumper with eight seconds left in OT to put the Grizzlies up 82-77.

Sophomore forward LeKendric Longmire scored a career-high 18 points, all in the first half for the Ducks, who couldn't get coach Ernie Kent the school record of 213 wins. Junior guard Tajuan Porter, who sent the game into overtime with three free throws in the final seconds of the game, finished with 17 points in a team-high 43 minutes of action.

Freshman center Michael Dunigan had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while junior forward Joevan Catron added 13 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. It was Dunigan's first double-double of his collegiate career. Catron tallied his fourth career double-double, first of the 2008-09 campaign. Freshman guard Garrett Sim came off the bench to score nine points in 18 minutes of action.

The Ducks hit just 38.5 percent of their field goal attempts, making 25-of-65 from the field. UO was 11-of-29 on three-pointers (.379) and 18-of-26 from the free throw line (.692).

Oakland made 31-of-72 field goal attempts for 43.1 percent. The Grizzlies hit only 4-20 three-point attempts (.200) and 16-of-25 free throws (.640).

Oregon outrebounded Oakland, 45-39, while also holding an advantage in the assist category at 16-11. The Ducks were forced into 18 turnovers, while OU turned the ball over 12 times in the contest.

The most visible eyesore after two games this season has been the number of turnovers that Oregon has committed. This is mainly due to the fast-paced game that the Ducks play, similar to that of the Golden State Warriors.

While the Ducks probably should have won this game, this is no reason to believe that the season is lost. Remember that this Oregon team is a very young team. Half of the roster is made up of freshmen.

Rest assured, there will be growing pains, but at the end of the season this Oregon team will have improved tenfold and will definitely be ready to make a NCAA Tournament run the next season. 

After a mediocre last year for the veteran Ducks, the 2008-09 campaign seems to lack luster.

Going into the 2007-08 season, a lot of people had high hopes for Oregon, but tough non-conference losses to St. Mary's and Oakland put a damper on the beginning of the season. A four-game losing streak in Pac-10 play made things worse.

Regardless, the Ducks snuck into the Big Dance with a nine-seed and lost to Mississippi State.

Well, it's a new year, and with few key returners, 2008-09 will be somewhat of a rebuilding year. Freshman Michael Dunnigan is a solid recruit from Farragut Academy (Garnett went there).

Coach Ernie Kent has been recruiting more towards the Midwest since getting Malik Hairston and Tajuan Porter out of Detroit, and they both turned out pretty good. Dunnigan is the future of this team.

But it's going to take time. The starting five throughout the season will most likely feature three guards in LeKendrick Longmire, Tajuan Porter, and Churchill Odia, with forward Joevan Catron, and Dunnigan at center.

That lineup features two sophomores and three freshmen. Oregon proved that they have very little experience in an overtime loss at home to Oakland. It won't be surprising if the Ducks lose a few games this year and likely hover around the bottom of the Pac-10. 

Don't worry, though, Ducks fans—they won't be there long. Tajuan Porter can stroke it from beyond the arc, and now he needs to learn to be a leader. Last season he was just a freshman phenom, but Porter will undoubtedly be faced with a leadership role this year, as he's the only returning starter. 

If Dunnigan can have a big impact, the Porter-Dunnigan duo could be one that thrives for the next couple of seasons. I look for this year to simply be one that establishes the bond between these two young guys.

Let's not forget that Ernie Kent just signed a contract extension, and he'll be coaching in Eugene for years to come. Who knows if that'll be a good choice looking back, but for now, he's the coach at Oregon.

Dunnigan posted a double-double in the OT loss to Oakland, and Porter had 17 points on 4-6 shooting from the perimeter. If he can continue to shoot like that from downtown, I see Oregon being a serious threat after the initial development of this young squad happens. 

As for this season, I'm not expecting much to go down in Eugene. I look for mediocrity or slightly below for the Ducks this year, but excellence in the coming years.

Sophomore forward LeKendric Longmire registered 15 points, five rebounds, and four steals to help lead the University of Oregon men's basketball team to a 66-64 win against Northern Colorado in Eugene on Friday.

The Ducks, playing their season opener in front of 8,273 people at McArthur Court, improved to 1-0 overall with the win. The Bears dropped to 0-1 on the year.

Down 66-63 in the final seconds of the game, Northern Colorado's Yahosh Bonner was fouled by UO sophomore guard Kamyron Brown on a last-second three-point attempt. After sinking the first free throw to close within two points, Bonner missed the second attempt—requiring an intentional miss on the third attempt. Freshman center Michael Dunigan grabbed the final miss to seal the win for the Ducks.

Dunigan was UO's only other player to score in double figures, finishing with 13 points while adding seven rebounds in his first collegiate game. Fellow freshman Garrett Sim came off the bench to contribute nine points in 18 minutes of work.

Northern Colorado's Jefferson Mason scored 15 points for the Bears, who shot just 35.5 percent from the field and turned the ball over 20 times. UNC's Robert Palacios added six points and 11 rebounds.

Longmire hit his first shot two minutes into the game, and then sparked a 13-4 run with a lay-up and a dunk with 5:47 left in the first half that helped the Ducks take a 28-24 lead. Oregon went on to lead 30-28 at halftime.

The teams went back and forth, exchanging the lead several times over the opening minutes in the second half. Northern Colorado's largest lead in the second half was three points, holding a 42-39 advantage at the 13:20 mark.

A three-pointer by senior guard Churchill Odia gave the Ducks at 38-36 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining. Oregon then went on a 13-3 run over the next four minutes to build up their largest lead of the contest, 61-49.

The Bears would narrow the lead to a single basket on two occasions down the stretch. UNC trailed 61-59 with 3:11 left in the game, and 66-64 with three seconds left.

Although many expected Oregon to win this contest by a much larger margin, you cannot take this victory away from this very young Ducks team. With freshmen making up more than half of the roster, a team this young will experience major growing pains.

For young teams, the top item on their to-do lists should be to get their first win. This Oregon team did just that. Now they can focus on progressing as a team.

Oregon returns to the floor on Monday night when the Ducks host Oakland. Tip-off is slated for 7:07 p.m. (PST) at McArthur Court in Eugene. The game will be televised by the Oregon Sports Network and broadcasted on radio by OSN.

Tonight marks the start of the 2008-09 NCAA men's basketball season for the Oregon Ducks, who take on the Northern Colorado Bears at 7:30 p.m. PST at McArthur Court in Eugene, OR. That being said, it comes time to analyze this current Ducks team. Do they have what it takes to win it all this season?

When you live by the three, inconsistency follows, and that is what happened to the 2007-08 Oregon Ducks. Still, the team managed to slip into the NCAA Tournament, but the expectations were much higher. The lack of an interior presence has plagued the Ducks during the coach Ernie Kent era and that might continue to be a problem and keep Oregon underachieving.

WHO'S OUT

Malik Hairston was supposed to bring great things to the program. An Elite Eight appearance a couple of years ago was not bad, but overall his time in Eugene was a disappointment to most fans. The 6'6" wing had a solid senior campaign and averaged 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.

The absence of Bryce Taylor means the team will be looking for another scorer to fill his role. Taylor tallied 12.8 points per game and, like Hairston, was a threat from long range. Speaking of outside shooters, Maarty Leunen hit 49.2 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. The 6'9" forward also led the team with 9.2 rebounds per contest. Big men Mitch Platt and Ray Schafer have also wrapped up their collegiate careers after seeing limited action as seniors.

WHO'S IN

Just like four years ago when Hairston and company came to town, this year's class is creating plenty of buzz and hope, and most of that is centered around 6'10" Michael Dunigan, who could finally give the team a legitimate post threat. But the Chicago, Illinois product is more known for his shot blocking ability. It has been a while since Oregon has had a shot blocking presence and having Dunigan will make this team look very different than it has in past years.

Fellow Chicago native Josh Crittle is a bruiser who will immediately add some strength to the roster. The Chicago pipeline continues with the highly recruited Matthew Humphrey. The 6'5" guard is a great athlete and will be a great scorer once his outside shot becomes more consistent.

Drew Wiley and Teondre Williams will add more size to the perimeter. Williams is a great athlete who could work his way to the regular rotation as a freshman. Garrett Sim is quick, and will develop into a solid scoring point guard before his days in Eugene are over. Ben Voogd, a transfer from LSU, and redshirt freshmen John Elorriaga and Nicholas Fearn will add even more depth to the perimeter.

WHOM TO WATCH

Tajuan Porter is ready to emerge as the leader of the Ducks. His sophomore season did not go as well as his freshman year, but the 5'6" guard averaged 13.9 points per game and is always a dangerous threat to knock down a ton of three-pointers.

The success of Porter depends on the emergence of Kamyron Brown. When Porter is able to play off the ball, he is much more productive, and Oregon needs Brown or Sim to be able to handle running the show. Brown, who did start eight games as a freshman, has the experience and ability, but he is not much of a scorer. As long as Porter's shot is falling and the team can find another scorer on the wing, it will not matter if Brown scores or not.

LeKendric Longmire and Churchill Odia are options in the backcourt, but will have to compete with the talented newcomers for playing time.

FINAL PROJECTION

It will not just be the newcomers who man the frontcourt. Joevan Catron is a decent scorer around the basket, and will do the dirty work in the paint. At 6'6", he is a little undersized for a power forward in the Pac-10, but he makes up for it with his toughness.

Frantz Dorsainvil gives the team some slightly experienced depth in the frontcourt, but neither Catron nor Dorsainvil will be the leaders of the unit. They are more suited to do the dirty work while somebody else does the scoring.

If the frontcourt can find a consistent shooting threat and Porter can play off the ball, the Ducks will be an NCAA Tournament team. But that might be asking a little too much of a young team.

PROJECTED POST-SEASON TOURNAMENT

NIT

PROJECTED STARTING FIVE

PG: Kamyron Brown, Sophomore, 4.2 points per game

SG: Tajuan Porter, Junior, 13.9 points per game

SF: Matthew Humphrey, Freshman, DNP last season

PF: Joevan Catron, Junior, 8.8 points per game

C: Michael Dunigan, Freshman, DNP last season

If you have any hopes of Oregon Ducks Basketball rising to national prominence, you better start waiting for four more years.

Ernie Kent, the head coach of the Oregon Ducks Men's Basketball team, has been given a contract extension that will keep him around until 2012.

Before the contract extension, it would have been all too easy to get rid of Kent. It only would have taken a handful of the university's biggest donors to pitch in enough money for a buyout of his contract.

Why didn't this happen?

Sure, the Ducks have made it to the big dance two years in a row. The more successful season was two years ago, when the Ducks made it to the Elite Eight before getting eliminated by the eventual champion, the Florida Gators.

Last year, the Ducks were knocked out in the first round by the Mississippi State Bulldogs after a horrible coaching performance by Kent.

I will give Kent credit for one thing only: He knows how to recruit. He can bring in highly touted recruits such as Malik Hairston, Bryce Taylor, Maarty Leunen, TaJuan Porter, Michael Dunigan, Matthew Humphrey, Garrett Sim, Teondre Williams, and Drew Wiley.

However, the biggest question with the most obvious answer surrounding Kent, is just how good of a coach he is.

Kent does not know how to coach, period. Hairston was regarded as the best high school basketball recruit in the nation as a senior. He was contemplating entering the draft, and going straight into the NBA.

Instead, he signed an LOI with Oregon, bolstering its recruiting class for that season. But just how much did Hairston progress and improve as a player? If he did, Kent sure didn't have anything to do with it.

Kent sticks to recruiting, while he leaves the biggest responsibility, coaching and teaching the players, to his assistants.

Oregon has had many chances to can Kent, and hire someone better. Not only a better coach, but a better recruiter, too. Former Golden State Warriors Head Coach, and current Stanford Cardinal Head Coach Mike Montgomery was interested in the possible coaching vacancy. We passed him up.

Mark Few, the head coach of the Gonzaga Bulldogs, and great friend of Oregon Athletic Director Pat Killkenny, was passed up as well.

This may be sacrilegious, but even though the Oregon State Basketball team finished dead last in the Pac-10, losing every single conference game, I will give the Beavers more credit in one area: former coach Jay John.

Jay John could out coach Kent any day, but he couldn't recruit half as well. Even though John couldn't bring in great players, he made them so much better after three or four years of coaching them.

This is the reason why in years past, Oregon has either lost to Oregon State in basketball, or beaten them by a very small margin.

Jay John outcoached Ernie Kent in every single game they faced each other.

So Duck Fans, what will it be?

Would you like to stay stagnant and let all this talent that Kent brings in go to waste, or will you finally come to your senses, donate to the Athletic Fund, and send Kent packing?

Until the Ducks can get rid of Kent, all the money that we have spent getting the great players we have, will be wasted.

Until we can actually tap into the full potential of the players, every season will pretty much be the same: no Pac-10 title, a spot in the big dance, with a first-round elimination sure to follow.

Moving on through the Pac-10, let's consider what the future might hold for the Cal Golden Bears and Oregon Ducks.  Can those two animals co-exist?

Not likely.  Even in the world of college basketball, there are many reasons why these two programs are incompatible. 

University of California, Berkeley

Those wily Cal Bears are ready to go on the prowl.

One of the best changes of head coaches for any basketball program was implemented in Berkeley.  Too often the importance of upgrading is not taken seriously when bringing in a new head coach.

Look at Indiana.  They fire first and then looked to select second.  That doesn't look to be the case at Cal.

A familiar face returns to the sidelines in the Pac-10.  Mike Montgomery will be the new man looking to put a new style on Bear hoops.

What a tremendous pick up.  He has a successful history in the conference while coaching at Stanford.  Heck, virtually all of Montgomery's teams have enjoyed success.  His career record reveals a winning percentage of about 70%.  That is outstanding! 

During his 18 years at Stanford, Montgomery was the Pac-10 Coach of the Year four times.  Four times!

He's a legend in his own time.  Montgomery received the John R. Wooden "Legends of Coaching" Lifetime Achievement Award.  Last look, Coach Montgomery is still in this lifetime, too.

Coach Ben Braun was fired for doing less with more.  Cal's administration and fans felt that Coach Braun had much more talent on his teams than their record suggested. 

Perhaps.

If the truth be known, the Bears have enjoyed an excellent group of starters for many years.  However, they have been thin when it comes to bench strength.

While the talent cupboard isn't "Bear" for Coach Montgomery, he certainly would have relished the chance to have Ryan Anderson knocking down shots.  Rightly so, Anderson is moving on to the NBA where he will enjoy a brief career as a spot player. 

The Bears have a couple of terrific players coming back in the persons of Jerome Randle and Jordan Wilkes.  Randle is an outstanding play-maker.  Wilkes is capable of filing the role played by Anderson last year.  Along with those two, Patrick Christopher is a wonderful player who brings energy and athletic ability to the team.

Along with the current scholarship players, two more guards are scheduled to arrive on the Berkeley campus.

Garrett Sim is a nice point guard who is highly regarded by those who watched him play up in Portland, OR.  The other scholie is going to D. J. Seeley.  Seeley is rated as one of the very best shooting guards coming out of high school this year.  He is instant offense and has a knack for creating shots.

Don't think that Coach Montgomery will hang a Pac-10 championship banner next year at the end of conference play, but if he stays in Berkeley, that will be a ceremony in the very near future.  However, Cal will move into the top half of the Pac-10 next season.

University of Oregon

With a boatload of seniors coming back for this past season, Coach Ernie Kent was faced with high expectations from both school administration and fans.  The Ducks made a great run the year-before-last in the NCAA Tourney.   Four of the five starters from that team were returning to Eugene.

But things didn't work out very well if you were expecting championships.

For the second year in a row, Coach Kent and the Ducks were invited to the Big Dance—the tenth appearance in school history.  Five of those ten appearances were under the leadership of Coach Kent.

Impressive stuff.

There will be new faces wearing the ugliest uniforms in the country and playing for Oregon next season.  They will be the key to how much success the Ducks will enjoy.

Michael Dunigan comes in with lots of potential and is rated as one of the top centers to come out of high school.  This kid held offers from Florida, Georgetown, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin...just to name a few.

Dunigan chose the Ducks over some of the elite programs in the country.  So if any fans in Duck Nation had doubts about Coach Kent, forget about it.

There are four other top high school players moving to Eugene this fall.

Team experience and leadership will probably come from ultimate hoops warriors Tajuan Porter and Joevan Catron.  Those two are solid players that any coach would love to have on their team.

Will they be enough though?  That's the question.

This coming season will be one of gaining experience for the young Ducks.  In a conference that is laden with talent, Duck Nation will have their patience and loyalty tested.  They need to be prepared to see their team come out on the short end of some close, tough games.

Coach Kent is going to have his hands full coaching, but he's the man for the job.

Oregon won't be in the top half of the Pac-10 this coming season.  But the future is bright for Duck fans who are willing to hang in there.

Next up in Part 3, we'll take a look at Oregon State and Stanford.

Meeting for the third time this season, Washington State and Oregon squared off on the basketball hardwood in the Pac-10 Tournament. The first two games between these two teams resulted in Cougar victories. This time around, the Ducks had different ideas.

Early on, it was all Washington State. We're talking complete domination. In the opening minutes Oregon players were talking to themselves as they repeatedly headed to the sidelines after timeout was pleaded for by Coach Ernie Kent.

About the only way Coach Kent could slow down the high powered assault being waged by Coach Tony Bennett and the Cougs was to ask for "TIME!"

As the first half progressed, the Ducks stopped shaking their heads and talking to themselves. Yes, things got worse. They were dejection personified. How could this be happening to them? A 20 point deficit to the lowest scoring offense in the Pac-10? In the first half? Come on. Are you kidding?

With less than a minute left in the first half, their fortunes brightened ever so slightly after a WSU turnover with three seconds left on the clock. LeKendric Longmire launched a controlled desperation shot from about 30 feet that found it's way through the bottom of the net.

That shot to end the half did something that 19:57 of first basketball couldn't do for Oregon. The Ducks didn't wander off to the locker room, they flew there as if escaping a cold winter in the northwest.

How good were the Cougs in the first half? They were 16 of 26 from the field, a blistering 61.5%. Those stats were driven by superb three-point shooting where WSU lit up the Ducks for five of seven attempts. Heck, WSU wasn't even that good from the free throw line where they were five of eight!

As good as it got for Washington State in the first half, things were almost that good for Oregon in the second twenty minutes of play.

Instead of coming out and continuing to blow away the Quack Attack in the second half, WSU focused on what earned them 23 victories already. Their game plan for the second half? Methodical.

However, methodical became predictable from a coaching standpoint. Coach Kent was able to take advantage of game film study and come up with defensive schemes that denied Washington State good looks at the basket as their shot clock wound down. Suddenly slow play had WSU shooting themselves in the foot.

The Cougar offense sputtered and misfired.

The Ducks began flying down the court with confidence, running their offense. Unlike the first half, they were getting good looks and making that pay off.

With about nine minutes to go, the double digit lead of Washington State headed south.

Oregon continued to peck away at the Cougar lead.

The tremendous throng of WSU fans had a mood swing from nervous to panic. Suddenly the crimson and gray clad fans were bemoaning calls made by officials. Yes, they were even screaming about calls not being made by officials. And out from behind duck blinds popped up vocal Oregon fans inspired by the way their team was migrating the ball up and down the court.

The enthusiasm of loyal Oregon fans obviously pumped some 20 gauge adrenaline into their team.

The nervous concern of WSU fans fell on deaf ears along the Cougar sidelines.

In the end, Coach Bennett inspired his team to do what they do best. The Cougars tightened up their defense and continued to run their offense. In running their offense, WSU also ran a lot of time off the clock. A lot of time off the clock.

When Tajuan Porter was allowed to make an uncontested layup and close the score to 70-66 with :41 left to go in the game, there may have been worry all across Cougar Nation.

Not so with Coach Bennett and his team. The dapper coach was beaming with confidence. Kyle Weaver had his typical engaging smile on display. Taylor Rochestie was obviously thrilled to be in that place and time. Derrick Low looked as if he was dreaming of those beautiful Hawaiian sunsets.

With less than a minute to go in the game, the only seriously nervous folks were the bookies who were placing the Cougs at a 3.5 point favorite. The smart money was on WSU. The smart money won and were cashing in on a very nice effort by the No. 3 seed Washington State.

The Cougar fans on hand went wild with jubilant choruses of cheers as the final buzzer sounded after Kyle Weaver blocked the last Oregon shot attempted.

Final score, well, read for yourself in the image above.

Quarterfinal team Washington State advances to the semi-finals tonight on the floor of Staples Center. They will face the Stanford Cardinal and the twin towers Lopez.

Getting back to last night. This Cougar team clearly has confidence. They know what they have to do to win, then focus on execution. Sound almost like seasoned veterans?

After all, they start three seniors and two juniors. When the game was over, this Cougar team was anything but stoic. They were loving the moment. Midway through the first half of the second game, the Cougars returned from the locker room to a standing ovation from thousands of Cougar Nation fans who remained.

These kids were definitely in the moment. Minutes later, they were making their way through the center court sections filled with Cougar fans. Smiles, high fives, back slapping and a general outpouring of affection was making it's way through the crowd.

Oh yeah, Stanford was struggling with Arizona then, too.

The Pac-10 quarterfinals are history. All seeded teams held their serve. Tonight the first game pits No. 1 UCLA against No. 4 USC. No. 3 Washington State will play No. 2 Stanford.

GO COUGS!!!

When it comes to making tournament bracket predictions a few weeks out I'm glad that this blogger doesn’t seem to have a clue.  Sure, did manage to predict Oregon State would finish 10th.  Oh, here’s a grand prognostication.  My picks of UCLA to finish 1st and Stanford to come in 2nd turned out to be correct as well.  That’s it folks.  The way the rest completed conference play came as a surprise. Or did it?

Wait a minute.  The prediction garbage is over.  Now it’s time to look at the real deal.

If you’re a Coug you have to be pleased with the way the brackets worked out for the Pac-10 Tournament.  Washington State won’t face UCLA unless they reach the finals. First up for the Cougars are those Fightin’ Ducks from Eugene. Oregon came on strong at the end of the season because of some very nice sharpshooting from outside.  WSU knows how to beat this Oregon team because they have already accomplished that feat twice this year. 

Sorry, but this blogger doesn’t buy into all the history of Oregon and Coach Ernie Kent dominating WSU in recent years.  That was then.   We’re trying to take a look at the reality of today.  If ever there was a team ripe to knock off the Cougs because of losing a couple in a row to them, it’s the Huskies.  After the double overtime win last Saturday, WSU has a streak of seven in a row over the Dawgs.  This Cougar team will be coached to perfection by Coach Tony Bennett.  Will they execute his game plan?  You bet.  Cougs will make it three in a row over Oregon.

Looking at the bracket Washington State is in, the first game is an early Christmas present for Arizona.  The ‘Cats get to beat up on the Beavers one more time, mercifully ending the nightmare for Oregon State called the “2007-2008 season”.

The reward for Arizona?  No, it’s not settling the impending controversy raised by the return of Coach Lute Olson next season.

The ‘Cats get another crack at Stanford.  The Cardinal have managed two nail-biting wins over Arizona during conference play.  Can they do it again?  Will the Lopez towers dominate?  Nope.  No sir.  Stanford can be beaten by teams that can drain threes.  Arizona will do that very thing.

As match-ups go, Coach Bennett and his team would’nt mind getting another crack at the Wildcats.  WSU lost both games to Arizona during the regular season.  In fact, Arizona blew the Cougs away in Tucson.  Coach Bennett has yet to come up with a way to slow down Chase Budinger.  Then again, very few coaches have figured that one out.  If the WSU defense can keep the combination of Budinger and Jerryd Bayless under 30 combined points, they have a chance of winning.

Will the third time be the charm for Washington State?  You bet!  They advance to the finals where anything can happen.

On the other side of the tournament bracket, Cal should be able to handle the Huskies.  Losing Jon Brockman is a serious blow to the UW.

Cal will then be taken seriously by UCLA this time around and sent packing.

The other game on this side of the bracket matches USC and ASU.

USC has been playing up to their potential at season end.  Given the athletic talent of their club, that’s saying something.  Trojans will defeat Arizona State to set up another Pac-10 classic.

If the Trojans can stay out of foul trouble, this has the potential to be the best game of the tournament.  UCLA is much deeper than USC.  Coach Ben Howland will have his troops do their best to frustrate Coach Tim Floyd and company.  This time of the year, defense usually wins.  UCLA has arguably the best defense in the Pac-10.  This one should be another Bruin victory any way you look at it.

There you have it.  Final game UCLA-WSU.  Prediction?

Are you kidding me?

GO COUGS!!!

When it comes to making tournament bracket predictions a few weeks out, glad that this blogger doesn't seem to have a clue.  Sure, did manage to predict Oregon State would finish 10th. 

Oh, here's a grand prognostication.  My picks of UCLA to finish first and Stanford to come in second turned out to be correct as well. That's it folks. The way the rest completed conference play came as a surprise. Or did it?

Wait a minute.  The prediction garbage is over.  Now it's time to look at the real deal.

If you're a Coug, you have to be pleased with the way the brackets worked out for the Pac-10 Tournament.  Washington State won't face UCLA unless they reach the finals.

First up for the Cougars are those Fightin' Ducks from Eugene. 

Oregon came on strong at the end of the season because of some very nice sharpshooting from outside.  WSU knows how to beat this Oregon team because they have already accomplished that feat twice this year. 

Sorry, but this blogger doesn't buy into all the history of Oregon and Coach Ernie Kent dominating WSU in recent years.  That was then, we're trying to take a look at the reality of today.  If ever there was a team ripe to knock off the Cougs because of losing a couple in a row to them, it's the Huskies. 

After the double overtime win last Saturday, WSU has a streak of seven in a row over the Dawgs.  This Cougar team will be coached to perfection by Coach Tony Bennett.  Will they execute his game plan?  You bet.  Cougs will make it three in a row over Oregon.

Looking at the bracket Washington State is in, the first game is an early Christmas present for Arizona.  The 'Cats get to beat up on the Beavers one more time, mercifully ending the nightmare for Oregon State called the "2007-2008 season."

The reward for Arizona?  No, it's not settling the impending controversy raised by the return of Coach Lute Olson next season. 

The 'Cats get another crack at Stanford.  The Cardinal have managed two nail-biting wins over Arizona during conference play.  Can they do it again?  Will the Lopez towers dominate?  Nope.  No sir.  Stanford can be beaten by teams that can drain threes.  Arizona both can and will do that very thing. 

Arizona-WSU for the third time this season.

As match-ups go, Coach Bennett and his team wouldn't mind getting another crack at the Wildcats.  WSU lost both games to Arizona during the regular season.  In fact, Arizona blew the Cougs away in Tucson.  Coach Bennett has yet to come up with a way to slow down Chase Budinger.  Then again, very few coaches have figured that one out.  If the WSU defense can keep the combination of Budinger and Jerryd Bayless under 30 combined points, they have a chance of winning. 

Will the third time be the charm for Washington State?  You bet!  They advance to the finals where anything can happen.

On the other side of the tournament bracket, Cal should be able to handle the Huskies.  Losing Jon Brockman is a serious blow to the UW. 

Cal will then be taken seriously by UCLA this time around and sent packing. 

The other game on this side of the bracket matches USC and ASU. 

USC has been playing up to their potential at season end.  Given the athletic talent of their club, that's saying something.  Trojans will defeat Arizona State to set up another Pac-10 classic. 

UCLA-USC. 

If the Trojans can stay out of foul trouble, this has the potential to be the best game of the tournament.  UCLA is much deeper than USC.  Coach Ben Howland will have his troops do their best to frustrate Coach Tim Floyd and company. 

This time of the year, defense usually wins.  UCLA has arguably the best defense in the Pac-10.  This one should be another Bruin victory any way you look at it.

There you have it.  Final game UCLA-WSU.  Prediction?

Are you kidding me?

GO COUGS!!!

At 15-10 overall and 6-7 in the Pac-10, the Oregon Ducks have some serious work to do if they want to make the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

While the Selection Committee evaluates teams and not conferences, the importance of the conference standings cannot be overstated.

Why?  Because it is awfully hard for the Committee to justify taking a seventh place team over a fifth place team from the same conference when the emphasis is on a team’s entire body of work.

With that in mind the Pac-10 race takes on a great deal of importance as five teams, all within a half game of each other, battle for fourth through eighth place.  And that's not to mention the higher you place the better your seed will be for the conference tournament.

Although seeding is not as significant as the final standings it is not like there are going to be any easy games in the conference tournament besides Oregon State.

Beaver-bashing aside, the Ducks have five games left and in only one game will they be a significant favorite. You guessed it, that game happens to be at Oregon State.

The other games include the Southern California road trip this weekend and visits from the Arizona schools to close conference play.

After dropping a game they absolutely had to win against Washington State last Saturday, the Ducks face almost a must-win Thursday at USC.  It is highly unlikely that the Ducks will beat UCLA on Saturday, so Thursday’s game takes on extra importance.

A week from Saturday the Ducks will almost certainly send the Beavers to 0-16 and then the Ducks will have a crucial home stand against the Arizona schools.

Earlier this year the Ducks had the lead in the final minutes against ASU, but lost the game late. They rebounded, however, to defeat Arizona two days later. That win came with a major caveat though, because Arizona was without the services of super frosh Jerryd Bayless.

Realistically, the Ducks need to go 3-2 down the stretch to have any chance, whereas a 4-1 finish would likely get them in the Big Dance.

They have a decent shot to beat SC's injury riddled squad—the Trojans played only six players on Sunday against UCLA and made only two substitutions in the entire game.

Basically, it is easiest to assume a loss to the Bruins and a victory against the Beavers. That would leave the Ducks with what amounts to three toss-up games.

If they win all three they should get in no matter what they do in the Pac-10 tournament.

If they win two of them, Oregon would likely need a win or two in the conference tournament.

If they lose two of three then, the Ducks would need an extended run in the Pac-10 tourney.

If the Ducks lose all three, it is probably time to start printing the NIT tickets.

In summary, there are so many ifs it is hard to definitively say anything at this point. The only certainty is that the Ducks need to start playing better basketball if they are going to make the NCAA Tournament, and it must start Thursday night at the Galen Center.