Improvement away from
Mac Court key for Ducks
Oregon needs solid defense
to escape a repeat of last
year's 2-7 away record
BY BRIAN SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
The Ducks are a road trip and a
homestand into the Pacific-10 Confer
ence season, and one thing has be
come clear.
Home is where the victories are.
The road is a whole different story.
In order for the Ducks to finish in
the upper half of the Pac-10, they will
have to improve on last year’s 2-7
mark in conference games away from
McArthur Court.
Under the current tenure of head
coach Bev Smith, the Ducks have
gone 9-18 and have never won more
than four conference games in each
of the last three years on the road.
So far in the 20C4-05 season, only
three teams in the Pac-10 have records
at .500 or above on the road. Confer
ence front-runner UCLA (9-3 overall,
3-0 Pac-10), second-place Stanford (11
2, 3-1) and Arizona, (10-3,2-1) which
is tied for third. All three teams are ex
pected to contend for this year’s title.
“We have to win on the road,” Ore
gon senior Andrea Bills said. “We have
to be more aggressive offensively. ”
Some of the Ducks’ biggest road
tests are still to come. Oregon rou
tinely has trouble playing both Ari
zona schools and still has to face
Stanford and California in the final
two games of the year.
One of the biggest keys to stealing
a few games on the road and contin
uing to win at home will be the
Ducks’ defensive play for the rest of
the season.
The self-proclaimed hallmark of the
team by players and coaches alike, sol
id defense will keep an inconsistent
As of late,
Oregon’s
Andrea Bills
has been
quiet in terms
of scoring. In
Tuesday’s loss
to UCLA, she
recorded only
four points
even though
she averages
10.8 points
per game.
Erik R. Bishoff | Photographer
Hurt nffpncp in thp cramp
Hofnnca -mrl nn
The Ducks rank sixth in the Pac-10
in scoring offense, averaging 68.2
points per game. They also rank last
in the conference in offensive re
bounds, which means Oregon relies
on many one-and-done opportunities
to score points.
Only two Ducks, senior Cathrine
Kraayeveld and Bills, are averaging
double-figures in points for the
season, with 16.1 and 10.8 per game
respectively.
“ (At times) we are going to strug
gle,” Kraayeveld said of the team’s of
fense. “We just gotta bring it out of
ourselves. It’s a matter of pride.”
For much of the beginning of the
year, the Ducks showed pride both
held George Washington to 40 points
at the annual Pap£ Jam in December,
the lowest point total by a Duck op
ponent since Boise State scored 29 in
the 2000-01 season.
In the second conference game of
the year against Pac-10 powerhouse
Stanford, the Ducks held the Cardinal
to 52 points in their upset of the No. 5
team in the country.
However, during its current three
game road trip, the Duck defense has
n’t been up to par, as Oregon has given
up 151 points against Southern Califor
nia and UCLA combined.
“We didn’t play defense,” Oregon
junior guard Chelsea Wagner said
WOMEN, page 6B
Men: Crosswhite, Platt must remain strong
Continued from page 2B
include freshman forward Maarty Le
unen, guard Chamberlain Oguchi and
sophomore transfer guard Kenny Love.
“The intensity is a lot higher,” Le
unen said. “Guys are giving it their
all because that’s how you make it
to the NCAAs.”
To balance their strong perimeter
play, the Ducks will need to continue
improving their play down low. Ju
nior center Ian Crosswhite and soph
omore forward Mitch Platt have
shown flashes of dominance lately
and can help the Ducks’ offense.
“The biggest thing for us right now
is getting our rhythm back, getting a
little bit of our swagger back,” head
coach Ernie Kent said. “I have to con
tinue to remind myself that this is a
young team. I sit down and have a
conversation with Malik, and it re
minds me that I’m talking with some
one who is just 17 years of age. ”
On paper, Oregon is far too young to
compete for one of the top spots in the
conference and a berth in the NCAA
Tournament. On the court, Oregon can
look like a young, confused team that
has no business playing with the big
boys. But there are times when Oregon
looks like it can run or shoot any team
in the country out of the gym.
Will Oregon compete for the con
ference title?
Will the Ducks earn a spot in the
NCAA Tournament?
Depends on which team shows up.
jonroetman@ dailyemerald, com
mid-town
\ Jat*y**‘4'*
• nictro. Co*!•S^JS'SSS^
-sss&sgssss
,h8. U9ht Dinner* DaW?
Breakfast, U>n*&T*!
c^«2fStfJS*2S« gggSft
vork-style da" sandwich' 9°urm
, YorK-sxy* Eugene
^"^■European
Authentic New
,nthe heart of ***£»«
^Rapuf Refitt Ink
Tired of paying too
much for inkjet &
laser toner cartridges?
Reuse your empty cartridge!
Save 40-70%
Drop Box Locations on Campus
• U of O Book Store
• Digital Duck
• EMU
• Law school
Visit one of our four locations or use any of the
over one hundred Drop Boxes around town.
830 Willamette St. Valley River Center 1925 River Road 3570 West 11th
541.334.4465 541.345.4465 541.689.3513 541.686.4651
www.RapidRefilllnk.com
824 Charnelton • Eugene, OR • 97401
Sun-Wed: 11 am-1 am Thur-Sat: 11 am - 2 am
Eugene
686-5808
T^SPizzci \
Pipeline
Eugene
686-5808
14" Pepperoni
2 free drinks $^99
824 Charnelton • Eugene, OR • 97401
Not valid with any other offer expires 1/9/0;
Eugene'
686-5808
a 11 vi way ui
824 Charnelton. Eugene, OR • 97401
Not valid with any other offer
16 Two-topping
2 free drinks $ gg
Any side item §
824 Charnelton. Eugene, OR
Not valid with any other offer
97401
expires 1/9/05
JL^_IL