It seems everyone around here is in shock at the four-game losing streak the Ducks find themselves on.
Hands are wringing everywhere I turn, and the sound of gnashing teeth is deafening around Mac Court.
But Duck fans should have been prepared for this. Come on. Even with four returning starters, you had to know that the Pac-10 schedule this year would be a meat grinder.
I wouldn’t have it any other way, because though the Ducks have been coming out on the losing side of things lately, the last three games have all been thrilling.
And it can’t last forever, right? Something’s got to give, push will come to shove, the other shoe will drop, et cetera, ad nauseum and this team is capable of pulling off a nice win streak given a little momentum shift.
If you don’t believe me on that, how about USC coach Tim Floyd, who was asked in his teleconference Tuesday about how the Ducks managed to lose four straight with such a talented lineup.
“It’s about the league more than anything else, because that’s a fine team and a well-coached team,” he said. “That’s what this league is about. It comes down to one-or two-point games. They’re a team that could go on a six- or seven-game win streak, they’re that talented … A basket here and a basket there and they’re 7-1 (in conference) and ranked in the top-10.”
Would you rather the Pac-10 were weak this season, and the Ducks could just roll right through with nary a test?
Sure, the national ranking and media hype would be nice, (who doesn’t like to flip on SportsCenter and see a package on the Ducks) but how would that serve this team come tournament time?
It wouldn’t, but losing these games will. These Ducks will be truly battle-tested and tournament-ready if they should reach that point. They haven’t played their way out of the field of 64 yet, but they need to get it together, and quick.
To do that, this team needs to find its identity. I didn’t want to summon the spectre of Aaron Brooks to the page again this season, (his appearance at the UCLA game last week was almost cruel in terms of how badly the Ducks have needed him recently), but it just has to be done. In any of the last three games, would Brooks have been dribbling … and dribbling … and dribbling around at the top of the key wasting precious time? Or would he have incessantly pump-faked open shots, only to pass the ball back to the chronic dribbler? Do you think he would have lurked, arms limply akimbo, in the corner while the dribbler dribbled?
Um, no.
As much as we all want to move on, until someone steps up and leads this team, we can’t.
The main question surrounding this team all season has been, how will they replace Aaron Brooks? Or more succinctly, whose team is it?
This is the challenge for the Ducks, and it’s a stiff one. If you’ve read my column at all this year you know how I feel about underdogs and insurmountable odds: I love them. I can (and have before in this column) sum up my attitude in one sentence. “Without huge deficits, we’d never have amazing comebacks.”
That’s where the Ducks find themselves approaching the halfway point of the Pac-10 season. They’re squarely behind the eight-ball, backs against the wall, hanging by a thread, (et cetera, ad nauseum), and this story now goes in one of two directions: The Ducks continue to struggle in late-game situations and fade down the stretch, or they find a way – nay, an identity – and rip off a string of conference wins followed by another trip deep into the tournament.
That is my favorite kind of story, and here’s to hope.
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