With Selection Sunday less than two weeks away, Oregon head coach Ernie Kent has reason to be nervous about his team’s potential stance in the Big Dance.
In this week’s version of Bracketology on ESPN.com, the Ducks are projected as a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, falling a spot from last week’s projected field even though they swept USC and UCLA last weekend in the final home games of the season.
That position doesn’t bode well for another run to the Elite Eight, where Oregon ended its season last year.
ESPN prognosticator Joe Lunardi has the Ducks as the No. 9 seed in the South with a first-round rematch against No. 8-seed Seton Hall on March 20 in Oklahoma City. Seton Hall ended Oregon’s 2000 season in the first round with a 72-71 overtime victory.
If the Ducks (20-7 overall, 10-6 Pacific-10 Conference) defeat Seton Hall in this mock bracket, they would face No. 1-seed Texas — which Oregon defeated in the Sweet 16 last year — in the second round.
The reason the Ducks are projected in the bottom-half of the bracket? Because they are ranked No. 48 in the Ratings Percentage Index, and their strength-of-schedule rank is No. 124.
“Does it concern me that we’re so low? A little bit, and that’s why I feel we have to continue to win games,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said.
A No. 9 seed in the Big Dance is tough to swallow for an Oregon team that was ranked as high as No. 5 in the national polls this season after a Dec. 7 win over Kansas. Kent also used wins over Minnesota, Stanford and Pepperdine to boost his team’s schedule strength.
“I felt like we had a very tough preseason schedule,” Kent said. “Some of those teams, like Pepperdine, have faltered because of injuries. Our expectations were so high, we started the season so high, and we got blown out in a couple games there, and people started to go away from us.
“But if we can get into the tournament, we’re a very dangerous team.”
The Ducks close out the Pac-10 season this week on the road against Arizona State (17-10, 9-7), the team Oregon will face first in the conference tournament, and No. 1 Arizona (23-2, 15-1). A sweep in the desert would surely raise the Ducks’ seed — but that’s easier said than done.
“We don’t want to leave it up to the selection committee,” point guard Luke Ridnour said. “We want to play for a higher seed. These are NCAA-type games, and they get you ready for the tournament.”
Oregon recruit named All-American
Seattle native Aaron Brooks, the highlight of Kent’s incoming recruiting class, was named a high-school All American last week, one of only 24 players in the country to earn such recognition.
Brooks became just the fifth prep hoopster from Washington to earn All-American status. In 2000, Ridnour, of Blaine, Wash., was the last Washingtonian to be named to the team.
“Oh, man,” Brooks told The Seattle Times shortly after learning about the announcement on Thursday. “I am so honored. I can’t believe I made it. I was surprised.”
A 6-foot senior guard at Franklin High School, Brooks is averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 assists and 3.3 steals for the Quakers, the state’s top-ranked Class 4A team. He will play in the McDonald’s All-American Game on March 26 at Cleveland’s Gund Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN at 4 p.m.
“That’s good for the program and shows what coach Kent has been able to do here,” Ridnour said.
Asked if two high-school All Americans were going to be on the Oregon roster next year, Ridnour hesitated, then said, “That’s what it looks like.”
Ridnour, of course, may opt to enter the NBA draft after this season.
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