The Oregon Ducks play in one of the toughest conferences in the land, the Pac-10. They finished 18-13 overall and 9-9 in conference play. Sure its not the best record in their conference but not the worst either.
Yes, they were seeded No. 9 in their region, and they may have not deserved that high of a seed, but the fact is the Oregon Ducks aren't that bad of a team. The Oregon Ducks have no reason to be ashamed of their record this year, with the Pacific Ten Conference getting increasingly better each year.
Lets not forget they were the Pac-10 Champions and made it to the Elite 8 in last year's dance in because of good play PAC-10 MVP 5-7 guard Tajuan Porter. They have 4 players averaging over double figures ( Malik Hairston 16.4, Maarty Leunen 15.2, Tajuan Porter 13.8, and Bryce Taylor 13 PPG.) and one of the best guards in the country with Tajaun Porter.
Not to mention the recruits they have coming in next year like 6-10 Michael Dunnigan from Farragut Academy. Dunnigan is ranked 21 in ESPN's Top 150. Kevin Garnett went to Farragut Academy and he turned out all right. Their next game is against Mississippi State which features left hander Lamont Gordon and defensive juggernaut Jarvis Varnado. I earlier chose the Connecticut Huskies as my tournament pick, but after reading information, I think they maybe disqualified.
If UConn is not eligible to be picked as a cinderella, I will take the Oregon Ducks. But if UConn meets the requirements than I am going back to UConn. Aside from that though, the Ducks should be able to go far into March, as their confidence has gone up after wins over Michael Beasley Kansas State, The Lopez Towers in Stanford, Cal, and James Harden and the Arizona State Sun Devils.
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4 months ago
Farragut's been a basketball powerhouse in the Chicago area for years now. My alma mater (Oak Park-River Forest, which Georgia Tech fans should know well for Iman Shumpert) never made it far enough to play them, but they always were a pretty well-seeded team come the IHSA playoffs.
This year was supposed to be a down year for Oregon. Don't blame the team for getting selected into the tournament–heck, it's not their fault the selection committee thought highly of them, unlike the most of America.
While I don't see Oregon getting past Memphis, stranger things have happened and, like you said, Oregon has been battle-tested in the Pac 10.
4 months ago
you mention last year and the recruits coming in next year, those both have nothing to do with this year! you say they shouln't be ashamed of their record? well how about going 1-8 against the top 4 teams in the conference and losing to oakland and nebraska? the ncaa should be embarrased that they let oregon in
4 months ago
As an Oregon Duck, I'm happy to see that Oregon has a shot at the NCAA Tournament. At the same time I recognize that they are a long shot for the title. I will be delighted if their level of play gets them to the Sweet 16--but, I hope that they surprise us. If college sports has shown us anything, it is that miracles still happen. So, go Ducks!
4 months ago
I'm a huge Duck fan, but I have to disagree that this was "supposed to be a down year for Oregon." They returned 3 senior starters. This was supposed to be the year. There's no amount of spin that will make this season anything other than a disappointment.
Now, with that said... everybody who's in the tournament gets a fresh chance, and if they play like they're capable of, who knows what they can accomplish?
4 months ago
This is one of the most wildly inconsistent teams I have ever followed. When Taylor, Hairston, Leuenen and Porter are all on their game this team can hang with almost anybody.
More often than not, only one has had a strong game at a time, which explains a lot of the bad losses. That said, Tajuan is playing his best ball of the year as of late, and he showed last year that he is fearless under the national spotlight in the Big Dance.
I say Ducks win over Miss. St. but have their hands full with Memphis.
4 months ago
A rather bold pick Sean.
You know the Pac-10 and yet still have gone way out on a limb here. But you have a solid selection for the glass slipper if Coach Kent can keep the heads of his players in the game for the full 40 minutes. That's been the Ducks problem all season. When they play as a team, within Coach Kent's system, they can beat anyone, anywhere. That includes Memphis.
The question is, will they be as ready to play tournament ball this year as they were last year?
My other question is, "How could you not pick Arizona for a Cinderella team?"
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