SPOKANE, Wash. – Expectations are a difficult thing to deal with. People are capable of doing great things and when they don’t live up to their potential, they’re criticized for it.
The Oregon basketball team knows what that’s like. They’re the ones who’ve been expected to reach the postseason over the past few years. They’ve shouldered the hopes and aspirations of an entire state and haven’t been able to come through for their fans.
Until now. They’ve reached a level of success that’s expected of a team with as much talent as the Ducks have. This is what they’re supposed to do, this is the team everyone has been waiting to see.
But with as much hype as the team gets, it has its own goals as well.
“Regardless of what the fans and media do, we put those expectations on ourselves. We want to be great,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. “I’m still mad we lost 18 games last year but we had to get through it to get where we are right now.”
By meeting those expectations, you’d think that this team would finally loosen up. Maybe they’d finally relish what they’ve accomplished and act like they’re no longer in danger of being sworn off as underachievers. They’ve made it, they’ve gained respect. Why aren’t they enjoying it as much as I thought they would?
While there was fist-pumping and rejoicing after the win, the locker room wasn’t abuzz with any sense of euphoria. The players that talked to the media continued to speak about how they were “excited” to go to the Sweet 16; that they couldn’t wait to get to St. Louis and play UNLV.
Except there wasn’t any visual evidence. Relief was a more apt term. No one in that locker room would be confused for being excited or overjoyed despite how often they said it. Most of them sat in their chairs and said how they proved disbelievers wrong, how they were disrespected by the national media, that they were the real underdogs in this game. Their tone and demeanor gave the impression that this was just another win.
Even the bench players sat idly by. Their eyes glazed over as their prominent teammates talked about how big a win this was for them and the Oregon program.
They didn’t influence the result of this game. They watched as the five starters and Catron had dozens of cameras and microphones thrust in their faces as they explained how Oregon won.
Like I said, it was expected of them, at least from their fans. They’re not a Cinderella team that has a date with destiny. The players are still burdened to keep winning and with each win, those expectations continue to grow. A 14-point win over Winthrop, a team many talking-head analysts predicted to win because they thought Oregon was “soft,” only adds to what people believe this team is capable of.
The wins don’t help cure the nervousness either. I’m sure Oregon had the same type of jitters coming into its second-round game as it did in the first.
Although they were a bit more aggressive the second time around, every NCAA Tournament game is bound to have an effect on a player’s mindset.
As Bryce Taylor told me, no matter how cocksure a player is, pretending like he’s not nervous at all is a front. At this stage, in this setting, with millions watching, everyone has anxiety at some level.
Maybe not being able to relax is a good thing. There’s still another game to be played against a lower-seeded team before the Ducks likely take on No. 1 Florida. I don’t think they’ll be able to relax until they’re either knocked out or they win the whole thing.
Not that I’m expecting them to ever relax. Should Oregon lose in the next two rounds, they’ll be expected to go farther next year. They’re not a team that needs to reload even though they’ll lose their best player.
How the Ducks handle those kind of expectations will remain to be seen. But after having gone through this season meeting expectations, it should prepare them for whatever awaits them next season.