UO. Colorado meet in NIT
The Ducks and Buffaloes
meet Wednesday in the first
round of the NIT Wednesday
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
Oregon knew long ago it would
need to win the Pacific-10 Conference
_ Tournament
n/||:A|fC tosecureabid
iwlCil into the NCAA
BASKETBALL
- The Ducks
didn't, bow
ing out to Stanford on Friday.
Oregon's consolation? A berth into
the National Invitational Tournament
against Colorado at McArthur Court
on Wednesday at 9 p.m., which was
announced Sunday after the Big
Dance claimed its teams.
The game will be televised national
ly on ESPN2.
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"I don't know if there was any
doubt," Oregon forward Mitch Platt
said after the Ducks met late Sunday
night. "It's another day, which is a good
thing for this program and this school."
The NIT is a chance for the Ducks to
start anew, get a grasp on a season that
seemingly tortured them.
The NIT is chance for Oregon to
make amends for a 3-5 finish to the
season . It's a chance for seniors Luke
Jackson, James Davis, Jay Anderson
and Andre Joseph to get another crack
at a win in an Oregon uniform.
As much of a disappointment as
the NIT can be for a program that has
seen NCAA success in the past few
years, it is very much a chance to
show the rest of the country the sea
son hasn't been a total loss.
"We're just going to play as hard we
can and try to get a win," Jackson said.
"I'm excited about the NIT and we'll
be in it to win it."
As one of just four Pac-10 teams
to end with a winning record this
season, Oregon is the only confer
ence program to appear in the NIT.
Stanford, Washington and Arizona
all earned bids to the NCAA Tour
nament earlier on Sunday.
"If we weren't in the NIT, it would
have been extremely hard to watch it
today, especially with the success this
program has had the last couple
years," Oregon head coach Ernie
Kent said of watching the selection
for the NCAA Tournament. "This is
an opportunity for us to continue to
play and grow."
The biggest opportunity, said the
Ducks (15-12 overall), is that the game
will allow Oregon's younger players —
such as Platt, Aaron Brooks, and, to an
extent, Ian Crosswhite — a chance to
get more playing time. That's espe
cially the case for Platt and Brooks,
Turn to NIT, page 12B
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2825 Willamette
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Going back to HIT
isn't true benefit
to improved UO
Ernie Kent will talk about Oregon's
NIT berth as a sign that the Ducks are
headed in the right direction.
The head coach will say that three
straight postseason berths put Oregon
up there in the grand scheme of
things. The NIT, after all, gets Oregon
noticed by recruits, prognosticators
and fans across the nation.
Hey, if the Ducks win this thing,
they could be
the 66th-best
team in the na
tion, behind the
likes of Coppin
State, Mississip
pi Valley State
and Eastern
Washington.
Now that's
something for
the media guide
next season.
All kidding aside — and yeah, Ore
gon could beat a few NOVA Touma
ment-bound teams — the NIT should
be a disappointment for a Pacific-10
Conference program that can boast
having serious talent over the last
three years.
Freddie Jones was just the first step,
Luke Ridnour the second and Luke
Jackson will become the third. Jack
son could prove to be the best of the
three in the NBA. He has arguably the
best all-around talent of the group
and, not surprisingly, the least flash.
For Jackson to miss the NCAA
Tournament his senior season is a
shame. He knows it, Kent knows it
and so do the rest of the Ducks. A
team that looked to be in the upper
echelon of the Pac-10 entering the sea
son, Oregon proved otherwise when
all was said and done.
It did finish in the upper echelon,
but only because of the ineptitude of
the rest of the conference. A 6-8 record
in the last 14 games of the season —
the Pac-10 Tournament included — is
more symbolic of the season than the
Ducks' 9-4 start.
Little depth beyond the starters,
even less composure in the post play
and mind-boggling bad decisions at
times are more indicative of the sea
son than Jackson's 22 points and sev
en rebounds per game.
Oh no, the Ducks won't call the
NIT a desirous result after a down sea
son. But at the same time, they most
assuredly will claim the NIT as
something better than nothing.
"This is a wonderful opportunity
for our program," Kent said Sunday.
"I really realize the growth you get out
of postseason play. Just to have an op
portunity to be one of four teams in
the Pac-10 Conference with a winning
record, to be back to postseason three
years in a row and now four out of the
last five years, this is huge for our pro
gram."
Hank Hager
Behind the dish
Momentum,
the Ducks will
argue, can be
carried through
the off-season
after a decent
showing in the
NIT. Momen
tum will carry
to workouts, re
cruiting and fan
interest.
Its time to ay foul.
As much confidence as the NIT
could potentially give Oregon, it
could work entirely in reverse
Say Colorado comes into McArthur <
Court and takes a bite out of Oregon's
offense. What if the same team em* .
barrasses Oregon's defense much like
Pac-10 teams did all season?
What then?
Granted, the Ducks should be play
ing in the NIT. That's a given. Any
time a team has a chance to extend its
season, it should take it.
Just don't call it momentum, a ben
efit to the program or a step to bigger
things. Don't compare the NCAA
Tournament to the NIT in any way,
shape or form.
Call it a basketball tournament for
the next best 40 teams.
Teams like Oregon. Teams like Col
orado that thought they were close,
but had the mg pulled out from be
low. Or teams that never really had a
chance to get to the Big Dance and
where a .500 record or better is some
thing to celebrate.
That isn’t Oregon. Don't mistake
the Ducks for that. After the past two
seasons, the NCAA Tournament is the
only acceptable answer.
Any argument to the conUary is an
insult to Kent, Jackson and the pro
gram itself.
Contact the sports editor
at hankhageti@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
Huskies, Sun Devils
kept from tourney
without good reason
Three Pacific-10 Conference teams
found their way into the Women's
2004 NCAA Tournament, as did at
least tour teams
with just 17
wins and at
least 12 losses
from other
leagues.
So why were
Arizona State
and Washing
ton — Pac-10
programs with
17-11 and 17- -
12 records, re
spectively — left out of the March
Madness masquerade?
Very few reasons lend themselves to
Washington and Arizona State being
left out. The Huskies and Sun Devils
have Ratings Percentage Indexes (RPI)
within the top 55, which should have
garnered them more support from the "
selection committee considering their
Mindi Rice
The girl and the game
Pac-10 member
ship.
In contrast,
UCLA — the
third Pac-10
team to get a
berth — has an
RPI of 51.
Washington's is
52 and Arizona
State's is 46.
On the other
side, schools
with higher RPIs — Colgate (159),
Marist (104) and Pennsylvania
(128) — all earned berths to the
NCAA Tournament.
Turn to RICE, page 5B