PAC-10 Conference: Oregon vs California
by Dave D
The California Golden Bears pursue an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament as they take on the Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Conference Tournament.
Oregon Ducks vs. California Golden Bears
Thursday, March 11th – approx. 5:40 PM ET
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Broadcast: Fox Sports Net
: California -10.5
The Week That Was: Oregon
Coach Ernie Kent spent part of the past week telling his players that he would not be retained for next season. Kent led Oregon to the Elite Eight in both 2002 and 2007, but due to two recent subpar seasons, Kent has come under fire in Eugene. UO Athletic Director Mike Bellotti chose to hand his basketball coach a pink slip this past week.
Against that backdrop of turmoil, the Ducks finished their regular season before coming to Los Angeles for the Pac-10 Tournament.
On Thursday, March 4, Oregon lost to Washington, 86-72. The Ducks allowed Washington to shoot 53 percent from the field and score 47 points in the second half. Oregon point guard Tajuan Porter led the Ducks with 18 points, but Washington’s Quincy Pondexter soared for 34.
On Saturday, March 6, Kent’s crew fought past Washington State, 74-66. The Ducks went 26 of 52 (50 percent) from the field while limiting Wazzu to 36 percent shooting.
Oregon happened to draw Washington State just four days later in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament. On Wednesday, March 10, the eighth-seeded Ducks topped the ninth-seeded Cougars in overtime, 82-80, to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Week That Was: California
The Golden Bears played only one game this past week, but it was both significant and successful for a number of reasons.
On Saturday, March 6, Cal stopped its archrival, the Stanford Cardinal, to claim the outright Pac-10 regular season championship. Cal clipped the Cardinal, 71-61, to move to 13-5 in the conference, one game ahead of 12-6 Arizona State. The conference crown and the rivalry-game victory were both sweet enough, but the 10-point triumph – made possible largely by strong offensive rebounding in the final four minutes of regulation – was also important because it gave the Bears extra leverage with the NCAA Tournament’s selection committee.
Cal has beaten only one top 50 team in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) this season, and that team is Washington. The Bears lack a lot of quality wins, so they needed an outright Pac-10 title to bolster their resume and beef up any arguments they’re able to make. Many people feel that Cal is already a lock to make the NCAA Tournament even if it loses early in the Pac-10 Tournament. Others feel that Cal must reach Saturday’s Pac-10 final in order to feel truly comfortable about its prospects on Selection Sunday.
Outlook & Pick:
The Oregon Ducks finished the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament – otherwise known as the 8-9 game – just before 11 p.m. local time on Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Having defeated Washington State by a very narrow margin, Ernie Kent’s club must now get some sleep and prepare itself for a game that will start at roughly 2:40 p.m. on Thursday in L.A.
Cal isn’t a great team, but the Bears are the Pac-10 regular-season champions; they should be able to handle Oregon in the quarterfinals and shore up their credentials.
It’s not as though beating Oregon will punch Cal’s ticket to the NCAA Tournament; it won’t. What matters, though, is that a loss to Oregon could put California in serious danger of missing the NCAAs altogether. The primacy of this game for Cal – not to mention the larger urgency of the situation the Bears face – should carry the No. 1 seed to victory on Thursday afternoon.
