While watching the NCAA Tournament selection show in the Casanova Center on Sunday, Oregon players said they were wringing their hands, wiping off the sweat that was building while waiting for their name to be called. Other bubble teams like Villanova and Saint Joseph’s had already been announced, causing the Ducks to doubt their chances.
The Ducks knew they were on the bubble after losing to Washington State last Thursday in the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament; their chances on reaching the Big Dance were very much in doubt.
“There was a lot of tension and guys were real nervous just not really knowing what was really going to happen,” senior forward Maarty Leunen said. “It was a nervous feeling coming in these last couple of days.”
But all that anxiety turned into celebration upon Oregon being announced as the No. 9 seed in the Southern Region and set to play Mississippi State on Friday in Little Rock, Ark. – a seed higher than anybody expected to be.
Many of the media “bracketologists” listed as Oregon as a No. 10- or 11-seed at best while others left the Ducks off completely. Leunen said he was constantly checking ESPN writer Joe Lunardi’s projected bracket throughout the weekend.
“I know Joe real well right now,” Leunen said. “I knew every move he was making every hour.
“It was real tempting to type in ESPN every time I got on the computer – so I did … it kind of wears on you these last two days.”
Senior guard Bryce Taylor said he too, was checking the brackets just to keep himself informed on the latest movement. He said that the team was watching the Georgia-Arkansas game earlier on Sunday at McArthur Court, rooting for the Razorbacks so that Georgia didn’t take up an at-large bid. Georgia ended up winning, but it didn’t take the Ducks’ bid away.
“It was an emotional day just not knowing what was going to happen,” said Taylor, who was constantly checking his iPhone during the selection show, seeing how the bracket was falling into place.
Senior Malik Hairston said he, however, was keeping away from the experts’ projections.
“I didn’t really want to get my hopes up,” he said. “I was nervous.”
Oregon was one of six Pac-10 teams to make the tournament. Arizona State, the Pac-10’s fifth-place team, was the only conference team on the bubble to be left out.
“We were one of the last four teams in,” Taylor said. “It just shows how much respect the committee had for the Pac-10 this year.”
And now that the Ducks know they’re in, they feel that their experience from last year’s Elite Eight tournament run should benefit them immensely, though they’ll likely run into Memphis, a No. 1 seed should Oregon beat Mississippi State.
“We know what it takes, what it feels like to make a deep run to be in the tournament,” Leunen said.
Taylor’s knee feeling better
Taylor said his knee is improving each day because much of the swelling has gone down after partially tearing his posterior muscles in one of his knees, an injury he said also occurred during his sophomore year, but this time is less severe.
He said surgery won’t be necessary
“It’s not anything too severe,” he said. “The main concern was the swelling and the swelling’s gone down completely.”
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