Without Doug Wrenn, who left early after last season in hopes of landing a position on an NBA team, Washington is (pick one):
a) A team close to dominating the Pacific-10 Conference.
b) A team in the middle of the road, led by the rebounding exploits of 6-foot-6 forward Bobby Jones.
c) A team still looking for its first win of the conference season.
While head coach Lorenzo Romar anticipates Washington will be at least the answers to (a) or (b) in the coming seasons, the Huskies are still looking to get on the Pac-10 map.
“The umbrella over all of it is consistency,” Romar said. “There are times when we look like a really good team, and obviously from our record there are times when we don’t look so good.”
When Washington (5-7 overall, 0-4 Pac-10) visits McArthur Court today at 6 p.m., it will be the Huskies’ fifth Pac-10 game. It is also the fifth — and perhaps best — opportunity for Romar’s team to pick up a win before playing at Washington State on Jan. 24.
The Ducks and Huskies play games similar in style. They both like to run, and speed is a key element in that equation.
Oregon averages 81.4 points per game while Washington is a shade lower at 79. Both teams average a little more than 17 assists and 34 rebounds per game.
They’re equal, at least based on statistics.
“You can’t make many mistakes,” Oregon forward Ian Crosswhite said. “Maybe it comes down to who makes more mistakes, more mental errors.”
Some could make an argument that the loss of Wrenn has hurt the Huskies this season, but the Ducks aren’t necessarily buying it. Wrenn left early for the NBA Draft after averaging 12.4 points per game his junior season.
“I think that was kind of good and bad because he was a very capable player who sometimes took a little too much attention for himself and not for the team,” Oregon forward Luke Jackson said. “I think at times he hurt the team, but he was a good player. I’m sure they miss him.”
Wrenn was not drafted.
While the Huskies are just looking for a bone to be thrown their way, the Ducks get to return home for the first time since Dec. 17.
Oregon (6-4, 1-2) has gone 33-2 at McArthur Court the last three seasons and has not lost to Washington in Eugene since the 2000-01 season.
“As much passion as I have for this building, to be out of this building for so long, I have not experienced this before,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said. “This is a team this building has been very good to. We’ve been able to get into some great rhythms and gain a lot of confidence playing in this building.”
Being away from McArthur Court is something the Ducks are not terribly used to. Last season’s biggest break was 16 days in between games against Portland and Florida A&M.
The 2001-02 season saw the Ducks leave after a game against Long Beach State on Nov. 17, returning Dec. 14 to take on Pepperdine. In the four games the Ducks played on the road during that span, they went 1-3.
Oregon went 2-3 in five games during the 29 days this season.
“We’ve missed that confidence of being at home in front of the home crowd,” Kent said. “Particularly the younger players who need to gain confidence and seem to do that in this type of environment.”