As the Oregon men’s basketball team prepares to face California and No. 1 Stanford this week, one game stands out on the schedule.
That game isn’t tonight’s matchup with the Golden Bears at 7:30 p.m. at Haas Pavilion.
After all, the Ducks haven’t played a No. 1 team since 1995, and they haven’t played in a game on network television — Saturday’s game against Stanford will be on ABC — since their 72-71 overtime loss to Seton Hall in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
Still, Oregon head coach Ernie Kent insists that the Ducks aren’t looking ahead to their game with the top-ranked Cardinal.
“All our focus is on Cal,” Kent said.
The Golden Bears (9-4 overall, 1-1 Pacific-10 Conference) provide an intriguing matchup for Kent and the Ducks (10-1, 1-0). Cal had an up-and-down preseason and then almost upset Arizona before blowing out Arizona State. The Bears have fiercely defended their home court, going 8-0 at Haas Pavilion during the preseason.
Kent thinks the Golden Bears match up well with Oregon.
“It’s going to be a tough battle,” Kent said. “But I’m anxious to see how they respond to that battle.”
Kent said the Ducks will focus their defense on Cal forward Sean Lampley, the second-leading scorer in the Pac-10 behind Oregon’s Bryan Bracey. Lampley and Bracey will most likely be pitted against each other tonight.
“That will be a tough matchup for myself,” Bracey said. “We’re going to lock in and learn their offense and how to defend them.”
Kent thinks the team’s second-biggest test will be the road, but the coach is also confident in his team’s ability to win on the road.
“If we can weather and have some success on this road trip, that’s going to be huge for us,” Kent said. “This team is going to be a good road team because of their character.”
Bracey and his teammates are also aware of Cal’s home edge.
“This is going to be a big game because they’ll probably be sold out and ready for us,” Bracey said.
“We’re going to go down there with a lot of intensity,” Oregon guard Freddie Jones said. “We’re going to try and steal one, maybe two wins.”
The biggest question mark for the Bears is Lampley’s supporting cast. In two games against the Ducks last year, Lampley scored 47 points, and the rest of the team scored 81 combined.
Cal coach Ben Braun insists Lampley has stepped up his team play from last year.
“Sean has really been working on his versatility,” Braun said. “If it’s possible, he’s still making improvements as a senior, and that’s not a bad thing.”
Lampley’s 18.4 points per game are up from last year’s 16.6 per game, and his assists are up from last season as well. Also, Lampley’s team is deeper than last year.
Sophomore starters Brian Wethers, a forward, and Shantay Legans, a guard, have both stepped up their point production from their freshman seasons. Junior center Solomon Hughes and sophomore guard Joe Shipp give Cal a threat off the bench and are averaging almost 16 points per game combined.
