Who: Washington St. Cougars (16-14, 6-12) vs. Oregon Ducks (15-15, 7-11 Pac-10)
Time: 8:10pm PT
Location: Staples Center - Los Angeles, California
Media: FSN, Radio, Live Stats

Ernie Kent takes his Ducks, possibly for the last time, into action in the play-in game for the Pac-10 Tournament from Staples Center in Los Angeles. Beating a team twice in a row is hard enough but to nail them three games in a row? The winner of this game goes on to play Pac-10 Champ Cal early Thursday. If this is truly Ernie's last game, thank you for all the memories Coach. Let's hope for some good news on this day of bad football news.

And so it is.

Mac Court hosted its final Pac-10 game tonight, and the Ducks saw it off in style, with a 74-66 win over the Washington State Cougars.

Of course, all of this was overshadowed by a KVAL report that head coach Ernie Kent has already been let go. It was Kent's 145th win at the historic venue and 234th as head coach of the Ducks.

With the win, Oregon narrowly avoids the Pac-10 cellar, finishing tied for 8th place with Stanford. Unfortunately, because the Ducks were swept by the Cardinal this season, Stanford claimed the 7th seed (remember, USC will not be participating) in next week's Pac-10 Tournament. The tournament will kick off with a rematch between the Ducks and the Cougars at 8:00 p.m. PT on Wednesday night.

Continue reading this post »

Tipoff: 5:00 PM, TV (FSN and CSN), Radio, Satellite Radio, Internet (Live Audio/Video & Stats)

via espn.com

The final game.  This is the final game of the Pac 10 season for the Men's Basketball team.  This is the final home game.  This is Tajuan Porter's final home game.  This very well may be Ernie Kent's final home game.  And finally, this is McArthur Court's final Pac 10 game.

What can you say about a gym that has given so many memories to so many people.  My daughters' first basketball game ever was witnessed from the third balcony front row.  They watched Aaron Brooks fly up and down the floor and cheered along with the fans who were shaking the rafters so close to our heads.  My first game was witnessing Terrell Brandon control a game like a maestro controls an orchestra, and I was immediately hooked on Oregon basketball.  I'm not even sure what my father's first game was, but it had to be back in the Tall Firs era.  This gymnasium has spanned three generations of my family, and I am sure there have been more for others out there.

Tonight it will play host to Washington State in what is an undeserving game for such a majestic home, last place in the Pac 10.  Mac Court deserves a better send off than deciding who takes last place in this year's Pac 10 race. 

Continue reading this post »

Who: Washington Huskies (19-9, 9-7) at Oregon Ducks (14-14, 6-10 Pac-10)
Time: 7pm PT
Location: Mac Court, Eugene, Oregon
Media: Radio, Live Stats

Huskies are going for their 20th win on the season.  We're in the final week of Men's Basketball at Mac Court.  I think we would all agree that beating the Fuskies for the last time at Mac Court would feel really nice.  Just don't get your hopes up.  So as the game is going, and you start to feel a little depressed, just sing this little song...

I Hate Dawgs
Shoot 'Em in the Head
Set 'Em on Fire
Cuz I Hate Washington

Go Ducks!

Tipoff: 7:00 PM, Radio, Satellite Radio, Internet (Live Audio/Video & Stats)

The Oregon men's basketball team enters tonight's match-up with Washington riding a 2-game winning streak, and believe it or not, has a chance to earn the No. 7 seed in next week's Pac-10 Tournament, a huge advantage if the Ducks are serious about making a last-ditch run at an automatic NCAA Tournament berth.

But—maybe more importantly—the Ducks also have a chance to close down historic Mac Court this weekend with a pair of wins against their rivals to the north.

And if you're Ernie Kent, there shouldn't be any shortage of motivation. The embattled coach could very well be pacing Oregon's sidelines for the last time this weekend. Some think he's as good as gone. Whether or not that's the case, the man who built the program up from nothing needs to finish strong, not just for his job, but for his legacy.

Continue reading this post »

Who: Oregon Ducks (13-14, 5-10 Pac-10) at UCLA Bruins (13-14, 8-7)
Time: 2pm PT
Location: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California
Media: Radio, Satellite Radio (SIRIUS 219, XM 195), Live Stats

I admit it. The USC win surprised me. Do I expect history to repeat itself with a win against the Bruins at Pauley? Let's just say that I would be very surprised if that was the outcome. UCLA is coming off a win against Oregon State on Thursday and will look for revenge against the Ducks who beat them at Mac Court back in January. Oregon was able to turn around the Beaver-induced 5-game losing streak (their second streak of the season) against the Trojans on Thursday but let's be honest with ourselves. Oregon didn't play that well, USC just played a lot worse. UCLA is a 9 point favorate at home and I don't like those odds. Hopefully Nick will take that bet.

Go Ducks!

Who: Oregon Ducks (12-14, 4-10 Pac-10) at USC Trojans (16-10, 8-6)
Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
Location: Galen Center, Los Angeles, California
Media: Radio, Satellite Radio (SIRIUS 219, XM 195), Live Stats

Hard to get excited at this point in the season being 12-14. The Ducks have lost 5 straight heading into the Galen Center to take on a USC team still smarting from a surprise loss at Mac Court. I'm not confident in pulling out a win here. We haven't won at the Galen Center since 2006 and the Trojans should be looking to rebound to split the season series. We did break a 5 game losing streak earlier in the year against USC so I have some hope. We need a split to even have a glimmer of hope in ending the season at .500. Let's hope that starts tonight.

Go Ducks!

Who: California Golden Bears (17-9, 9-5 Pac-10) at Oregon Ducks (12-13, 4-9)
Time: 3:00 p.m. PT
Location: Mac Court, Eugene, Oregon
Media: TV (Comcast SportsNet regional), Radio, Satellite Radio (SIRIUS 219, XM 194), Live Stats

With a chance to gain a bit of momentum against a struggling team, the Ducks tanked, dropping what was seemingly their most winnable remaining game, a 72-65 loss to a road-win-less Stanford team on Thursday at Mac Court. Although the Ducks managed to handily win the rebounding battle, something they haven't done often this year, they negated it by shooting a paltry 23.8% from behind the arc. Tajuan Porter's shooting woes continued, finishing with 3 points on 1-of-7 shooting, including 1-of-5 from the 3-point line.

The good news is, the season is almost over. The Ducks have a chance to get a quality win against the Pac-10's leader, the Cal Bears. If they can pull it off, this might make up for an abysmal performance on Thursday night.

Here's to hoping.

GO DUCKS!