Ducks Beat 2nd Quality Opponent, Crack Top 10

Once again last night point guard Aaron Brooks was the late-game hero for the Oregon men's basketball team, floating a layup high off the glass with four seconds remaining to beat Arizona on the road, completing the Desert Sweep and wrapping up ten days in which the team also beat previous #1 UCLA. It was just about the only high-profile sporting contest on TV last night after two great NFL games, and as such the nation got a chance to see the Pac-10 at its best.

They must have liked what they saw, particularly from the Ducks--because the AP has them at 9th, while CNN/USAToday and the Coaches' Poll anchors them in 10th. At 16-1 and with three or four very solid wins under their belts, the ranking is deserved. Now the Ducks come home for what appear to be a couple of winnable games, and their most difficult contests over the remaining 14 games appears to be rematches with UCLA on their turf, and USC on Eugene's. Giving those games away but otherwise barring a collapse, the Ducks should be shooting for 26-27 wins, which should definitely slot them in the 3-4 seed range for the tournament.

Woot! Go Ducks!