Oregon Duck Basketball: Hitting Their Stride at Just the Right Time

After two disappointing seasons as the Pac-10's biggest loser, the Oregon Duck basketball team has made it back.

Back to the AP Top 25 standards? Of course not. At barely above .500, the 12-11 Ducks won't probably see a bid into the NCAA Tournament.

But back to the standards of its loyal fans all across the Pacific Northwest? Boy, you'd better believe it.

The Ducks, after losing their first four Pac-10 games by an average of 14 points, are back in business by winning five out of their last seven, the last of which over conference rival No. 20 Washington. 

Now, what has sparked this new formula for success?

Is it because of the new $200 million arena that they moved into a month ago? Some may argue this, but the Duck men have been able to get it done on the road at tough venues like rival Oregon State and Stanford (a win that broke a 25-year losing streak at Maples Pavilion). 

Yes, it should be noted that the opening of Matthew Night Arena has inevitably added a new spark surrounding the team and the fan base. These are "new-look" Ducks, as they look a whole lot less like a mediocre team full of young talent and more like a team on the rise, ready to take the Pac-10 Conference by storm.

As I expressed earlier, this isn't a team destined for greatness this season, but a team for the future.

As a first-year coach, Dana Altman has brought in a recruiting class that has sparked much excitement around Eugene, especially with the signing of Jabari Brown, the highest-rated shooting guard on the West Coast out of the 2011 class.

With all this optimism surrounding the program, the newly revived Ducks are on their way up in the college basketball world. A nice change from the last two dismal seasons the Ducks experienced.