Ducks hit road in search of season's first win
The Ducks anticipate a strong
performance in Redmond
this weekend in the Oregon
Classic despite 0-3 record
Scott Archer
Freelance Reporter
Gone is Oregon's tough nonconfer
ence schedule. *
In are new expectations for a sea
son nearly half gone.
It's a precar
ious situation
for the Oregon
wrestlers this
weekend as
- they travel to
Redmond in
the annual Oregon classic. But, as the
DUCK
WRESTLING
Ducks have said time and again, this
won't be a down year.
If Oregon hopes to make some
noise in the Pacific-10 Conference
this year, there is no better opportu
nity or outlet to do it than this week
end's competition.
The Ducks enter the tournament
with a 0-3 record on the year. What
goes unnoticed, however, is the cal
iber of competition the Ducks have
competed against during the season.
Oregon has wrestled against No. 1
Oklahoma State and No. 5 Nebras
ka, along with a match against rival
Oregon State.
The Ducks don't want to have to
justify their record. They want results.
"We will be going out and per
forming and taking charge," head
coach Chuck Kearney said. "(We are
going to) apply what we learned,
and show up and compete. We want
a take-charge attitude, we will look
to see what happens. *
Now is the time for the Ducks to
take the hard knocks of2003 and turn
them into stepping stones for 2004. It
is not an easy task, but with competi
tion on the horizon — which doesn't
include two top five teams nationally
— things look a little easier.
"This month is the bulk of our
season," redshirt sophomore Chet
McBee said. "We are facing some
good nonconference competition,
especially Army."
Although the tournament will fea
ture 11 teams, Oregon enters it fac
ing only Air Force, Army and Cal
State-Fullerton.
The Ducks are led by No. 20 Jason
Harless, who is 4-4 on the season.
Cal State-Fullerton is a Pac-10
wrestling team, and the two teams
have met only once before at the re
spective tournament. Overall, Ore
gon has won the last four matches
and has an overall record of 9-1
against the Titans.
While the Ducks are done facing
top five teams, they aren't done
wrestling against top five wrestlers.
Such is the case with junior Leonel
Sanchez of Cal State-Fullerton,
whose 17-4 record has him ranked
third in the nation in the 174-pound
weight division.
Air Force enters the tournament
with momentum after winning its
dual meet against Utah Valley, 35-3.
Oregon beat the Falcons when the
met for the first and only time during
the 1981-1982 season when most of
Oregon's wrestlers were either just be
ing bom or hadn't been bom yet.
Rounding out the Ducks' compe
tition this weekend is Army. It is the
first time the teams will meet. Army
features All-American Phillip Simp
son in the 157-pound weight class.
Simpson is 11-1 this season, but
more impressively, carries a career
record of 85-12. Currently ranked No.
7 in his respective class, Simpson fin
ished third in the nation a year ago.
"This will give some guys a chance
to see up-and-coming teams in the
Pac-10," McBee said. "I'm sure some
are ranked ahead of us, but this isn't
a down year."
Scott Archer is a freelance reporter
for the Emerald.
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CIVIL WAR
continued from page A7
confident heading into the first Civil
War game of the season, even with the
myriad injuries they've suffered so far
this season.
"It's hard to get in a good rhythm
with all your players as a team, espe
cially when each guy is kind of going
down week by week and you have to
get a new set of players in there,"
Oregon forward Luke Jackson said.
"But I think we've adjusted well and
our players kind of adapt to that and
accepted their roles pretty well as far
as who's been down and who has to
step up."
The Beavers are coming off a 91-82
loss at the hands of USC. Chris
Stephens, who leads the Beavers with
15.8 per game, had 19 in the loss.
"He's definitely playing well," Ore
gon guard James Davis said. "I see
that in his first two games. I don't
know what his average is, but he shot
the ball real well."
The Beavers match up well with
Oregon on the perimeter, having
made at least 30 percent of their three
point attempts in four of their last five
games. Sophomore Lamar Hurd runs
the offense and has started at the
point guard position in each of the 40
games he's played in his career for
Oregon State.
Hurd averages 4.4 assists per game,
including a season-high eight in the
Beavers' 82-80 loss to Boise State on
Dec. 20.
"1 know he's taller (now) and he
just runs the show, usually," Davis
said. "They've definitely got a good
perimeter game now. They're shoot
ing the ball and getting up and down
from the little film I've seen. It's defi
nitely going to be a tough game."
Where the Beavers don't match up
well is down low. Both teams have
three players that stand 6-foot-10 or
taller, but where Oregon gets consis
tent production from Ian Cross
white and Matt Short; only Kevin
Field and Derek Potter have seen ac
tion for the Beavers.
Field and Potter combine to aver
age 3.5 points per game. Crosswhite
and Short, combined, average 15.4.
"Our team chemistry is good and
they understand they've got a lot to
learn still," Oregon State head coach
Jay John told the Corvallis Gazette
Times after the loss to UCLA. "But
they've been ready to compete, and
from that standpoint I've been real
pleased with them."
Of course, matchups go out the
window when the Ducks and Beavers
meet. Even though the Ducks have
won the last nine games between the
teams, no contest has been tilted too
much in Oregon's favor.
A 91-62 Oregon win at McArthur
Court two years ago represents the
largest margin in the last five years.
The last time Oregon State won?
That would be Jan. 30, 1999, a 48-45 *
victory in Corvallis.
"These are always tough games for
us," Kent said. "These are never ever i
easy basketball games. I expect this
wouldn't be any different.
"The success has been we've had an
opportunity to just pull games out. I
think we've shot it well when we've
gone over there and played and when
we play (at McArthur). But at the same
time, with Jay putting his system in,
maybe we've had a little bit more con
tinuity in place. All of a sudden now,
the/ve continuity in place as well."
Contact the sports editor
at hankhager@dailyemerald.com.
SLUMP
continued from page A7
place. Oregon, on the other hand,
was picked to finish fourth but sits in
a tie for last with Washington State.
Along with their impressive start,
several Beavers are close to finding a
place in team history. Estavan needs 40
assists and Chaney needs five blocks to
become the all-time leaders at Oregon
State in their respective categories. Also,
Chapman is 45 points short and Esta
van 63 of becoming the 13th and 14th
players in team history to score 1,000
career points.
Shetters said the Ducks need to
overcome their slow start if they are
going to beat the talented Beavers.
"It's in the past," Shetters said.
"Like the coaches said, we can't do
anything about 0-4, you just have to
learn from it every game. You can't
dwell on the past or you're not go
ing anywhere."
After Saturda/s game, Oregon is on
the road for five of its next seven
games. If the Ducks have any aspira
tions of an NCAA tournament bid, a
win Saturday is essential.
"It's a big game, but we just want to
go out and make sure we have a lot of
fun and treat it like any other game,"
Steen said. "We're not worried about
who we're playing. We just need to
worry about getting done what we
need to."
Contact the sports reporter
at jonroetman@dailyemerald.com.
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