■■■■■ "
Adam Amato Emerald
Oregon’s Shaquala Williams (3) battles for a rebound against Stanford’s Cori Enghusen (51) and Sebnem Kimyacioglu (33) at Mac Court
earlier this season. The Ducks need a good showing at the Pac-10 Tournament to get noticed by the NCAA.
Pac-10 women trying to gain
attention for Big Dance bids
■as or now, No. z btantord
is the only Pac-10 team that
seems to be guaranteed a spot
in the NCAA Tournament
By Adam Jude
Oregon Daily Emerald
Unless the Oregon women’s bas
ketball team has an impressive
showing at the inaugural Pacific-10
Conference Tournament, the Ducks
may miss the NCAA Tournament
for the first time in eight years.
The same could be said for prac
tically the entire Pac-10.
“Every team in the (Pac-10)
tournament, except Stanford, has
to do something to get into the
NCAAs,’’ USC head coach Chris
Gobretch said.
Regardless of what it does this
weekend at McArthur Court, No. 2
Stanford (28-1 overall, 18-0 Pac-10)
will be invited to the Big Dance
— and will likely be a top seed.
“I think we have to win the tour
nament to be a No. 1 seed,” Stanford
head coach Tara VanDerveer said.
Getting any NCAA seed for any
other team in the Pac-10 is a differ
ent story.
Stanford is the only Pac-10 team
ranked in the Ratings Percentage In
dex top 69, and the Pac-10 may have
a tough sell at getting more than one
team into the Big Dance. At 21-8
overall, Arizona State (No. 69 in the
RPI) has a legitimate chance to ad
vance later this month but needs a
good showing this weekend.
“Obviously we’d like to play
some more basketball,” Arizona
State head coach Charli Turner
Thome said. “In my mind, we have
to win on Saturday (against Ari
zona). We’re going to Oregon to win
the conference tournament.”
Washington (17-10, 12-6), an
Elite Eight team last year, is also on
the bubble.
“The stakes are high for all 10
teams involved (in the Pac-10 Tour
nament),” Washington head coach
June Daugherty said. “It’s important
that you focus on the things you
can control, and that’s preparing for
your first opponent.”
Last year, the Pac-10 sent four
teams — Oregon, Stanford, Arizona
State and Washington —- to the
NCAA Tournament.
This year, seven teams have
winning records, but Oregon
State, USC, Arizona and Oregon
most likely need to advance to the
Pac-10 championship game to gar
ner attention from the NCAA se
lection committee.
While the speculation could run
on until Selection Sunday (March
10), the only guarantee for any team
not named Stanford this weekend is
to win the Pac-10 Tournament,
which gives the winner an automatic
trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Oregon game to be televised
Oregon’s first-round game
against Washington State, the first
game of the Pac-10 Tournament,
will be televised locally on KEZI at
6:30 p.m. Friday.
Fox Sports Net will broadcast
the two semifinal games on Sun
day and the championship at 7:30
p.m. Monday.
Hey, you look familiar
Of the four games already estab
lished in the first round (Stanford
and Washington await winners of
the two Friday games), three feature
teams that played each other with
in the last week.
Oregon defeated Washington
State, 88-47, in Pullman on Feb. 21.
No. 8 seed UCLA and No. 9 Califor
nia met last Friday, with the Bruins
coming out on top, 58-48.
And in one of the bigger sur
prises of the year, Arizona defeat
ed rival Arizona State on Satur
day, 72-66. With the win, the
Wildcats earned the No. 6 seed in
the conference tournament and
will play the Sun Devils at 2:15
p.m. Saturday.
“So much is at stake for us,” Ari
zona head coach Joan Bonvicini
said. “I thought (the Arizona State
win) was one of our best games as
far as intensity. We changed some
things around, and we were very
fortunate that some things worked.
“You definitely make adjust
ments — and we will. ”
E-mail sports editor Adam Jude
at adamjude@dailyemerald.com.
Hockaday
continued from page 11
slowly building that foundation.
The list continues. Oregon will
renovate an already legendary
venue in Hayward Field. Autzen
Stadium is currently getting a
major facelift. McArthur Court
could be the next historic build
ing to experience its own renais
sance rebuilding.
And what about that moun
tain? What if the Ducks never
come down the other side? What
if Bellotti stays forever, Ridnour
recruits some fresh talent before
leaving, the volleyball and soccer
recruits keep waltzing through a
revolving door with “Oregon”
printed over it?
Right now, it certainly feels like
the Ducks will stay on the summit
forever. Enjoy the view. Take some
pictures. Have some trail mix.
Time to end this metaphorical
roller-coaster.
Tonight the Oregon men’s bas
ketball team faces a very important
matchup with USC. Watch it. En
joy it — win or lose.
Thousands of Duck fans have
gone before you. Mostly they’ve
lived in the middle ages. So enjoy
the renaissance.
Carpe the diem.
E-mail sports reporter Peter Hockaday
at peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com.
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