Even though the NCAA Tournament will be broadcast on CBS, the Oregon men’s basketball team will be stars on ESPN in the near future.
The Ducks have been under the scrutiny of ESPN’s cameras since Sunday’s selection show, and a documentary of Oregon’s postseason run will appear on the all-sports network.
“They’re going everywhere we go,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said of the cameras. “They’re in the locker room, in the buses, in the airplanes, in staff meetings, at halftime, everything. But it’s a great opportunity to show our basketball team on a national level, because no other team in the country has that right now.”
Kent had a small microphone attached to his sweater as he talked to reporters Tuesday before practice, and joked that the scribes should be careful.
“They’re hearing everything you’re saying,” Kent said. “I’m surprised they’re not up here right now. They roll all the time.”
Scary.

Helquist Hurtin’
Oregon’s backup center, Brian Helquist, is still questionable to play in this weekend’s games.
“He’s practicing today, but he won’t do a lot of live stuff,” Kent said Tuesday.
Helquist strained his right knee in Oregon’s win over USC on the final weekend of the regular season. The Ducks managed two wins without the big man, but lost in the second round of the Pac-10 Tournament to USC.

Helquist averaged four points and 2.8 rebounds per game coming off the bench. He played 14 minutes per game in relief of starting center Chris Christoffersen.
Senior center Mark Michaelis admirably filled Helquist’s shoes during the Pac-10 Tournament. Michaelis scored seven points and grabbed three rebounds in the first round of the tournament, then got two boards in the second game.
Oregon guard Freddie Jones, who had a high fever during the Pac-10 Tournament, will be healthy for the NCAA Tournament, as will forward Luke Jackson, who fell on his hip after a dunk against Washington.

Sac-Town, baby
The Ducks are ready for Sacramento. The question is, is Sacramento ready for the Ducks?
The Oregon team left for California after practicing Tuesday afternoon. The Ducks will practice today in preparation for Thursday’s game, which tips off at approximately 2 p.m. The first game in Arco Arena will feature Pepperdine and Wake Forest. That game starts at 11:42 a.m.

Old pals
Thursday’s Oregon-Montana game may look like a blowout on modern paper, but if you consult the history books, it looks like … still a blowout.
Oregon and Montana used to play in the same conference, the Pacific Coast Conference. In the more than 25 games in the series, the Ducks hold the edge, 21-4. The teams have met in nonconference games since they were in the PCC, but the last time they met as PCC members was in 1937. Oregon beat Montana three times that season, and the Grizzlies won one matchup.
That season, the Ducks played other teams like Union Oil, Multnomah AC and Astoria East. The season after that, in 1938-39, Oregon won the first-ever NCAA Championship.