So, what did you do on your Sunday afternoon?
My only hope was that you didn’t have to suffer through one of the most ghastly basketball games that my two little eyes have ever witnessed.
Seriously, it was pitiful.
Only two days after dominating the seventh-ranked team in the nation in magnificent fashion, the Oregon men’s basketball team stumbled, bumbled and crumbled into mediocrity in a 99-72 defeat to the 2-7 Arizona State Sun Devils.
For those 8,863 people in attendance at McArthur Court, you deserve an apology — and don’t worry, you got one.
“I first want to apologize to these fans here because this team should never come out and play with that type of effort,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said. “There is no excuse for the way we played. We just flat-out shut down … shut down mentally, shut down physically.”
Not even ‘Mama could have predicted there’d be days like this.
Arizona State shot a blistering 61.9 percent from the field and held Oregon to just 38.5 percent, including an abysmal 4-for-22 showing from beyond the arc. The Ducks were out-rebounded 40-27 and out-hustled in many key situations.
Oregon (12-7 overall, 3-6 Pacific-10 Conference) was only down by 10 at halftime, but Arizona State scored 21 of the first 25 points in the second half to put the Ducks away.
Oregon’s lethargic play had many Ducks fans scratching their head in disbelief as if thinking, “Is this the same team that just knocked off Arizona?”
And that’s what made this game so frustrating to watch. Everyone in the building Sunday knew what type of team Oregon can be. We all saw the talent, the poise and the determination in Thursday’s 79-67 victory against No. 7 Arizona — a game that now seems like forever ago.
After that win, the players admitted that their upset heroics wouldn’t mean a thing if they didn’t get the job done against the Sun Devils.
Well, they didn’t. And now a team that appeared on the verge of making some noise in the Pac-10, must look themselves in the mirror and decide which team they will be: Thursday’s version or Sunday’s?
“You gotta just throw it away,” junior guard Freddie Jones said. “We’ve been through this a few times this year. It’s not the first time we’ve dealt with a loss like this. We all have to be as one and let it hit us and bounce back from it.”
It’s tough for returning Oregon players such as Jones, who experienced last season’s trip the NCAA Tournament, to deal with defeats like Sunday’s. But it’s time to forget about the Big Dance for now. It’s still not completely out of the picture, but an invitation to the NIT is still well within reach.
Today is February 5, 2001.
Flash back with me to February 5, 1999.
Oregon had just been beat by UCLA for its seventh loss in nine games and was only 2-8 in league play. Things looked grim to say the least, but then it happened. The Ducks came together and pulled off a big road win at Southern California to begin a streak of five wins in six games.
Suddenly there was hope, and Oregon ended up hosting opening round games of the NIT en route to a Final Four appearance at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The two years since have produced many glorious moments, including a 22-win regular season in 2000, but now it appears that Oregon has come full circle.
I view the two year anniversary of the Ducks’ 2-8 start as a positive. I think it’s a good chance for them to reflect on where they’ve been and what they’ve accomplished, and provide a spark for the rest of this season.
Oregon just needs to have fun again because we all know that when a team has fun, good things usually follow. Sunday’s game was definitely not fun, but as was evident Thursday, these Ducks know how to play with fire and passion.
They must go back to their free-wheelin’ attitude that they’ve played with ever since February 5, 1999, and simply enjoy themselves.
Here’s hoping for a happy anniversary, Oregon.