Oregon Confounds The Experts
The Oregon Ducks are seeded considerably higher than Texas, their first-round opponent in the NCAA Tournament, a fact that rankles the Longhorns and fails to impress the Las Vegas oddsmakers.
While Oregon is seeded sixth and Texas 11th in their first-round matchup Thursday night, the betting line has the Longhorns favored by two points.
Oregon (19-8) has been confounding the experts all season in an improbable march to its first NCAA berth in 34 years.
Coach Jerry Green admits the Ducks aren’t blessed with overwhelming talent.
“It’s a team that sort of relies on the piston theory,” he said. “If maybe one’s off and coming down, somebody else is coming up.
“Orlando Williams has been off at times. Kenya Wilkins has been off at times. Jeff Potter has been off at times. Yet some others have stepped in there - Henry Madden, Darryl Parker, Damon Runyon, whoever - and all of a sudden, they make it go again.”
Green, a former top assistant to Ray Williams at Kansas, is no stranger to the tournament, but he’s surprised to find himself back in the field of 64 in just his third year at Oregon.
“No matter what happens against Texas Thursday night, these players should be extremely proud of what they accomplished,” Green said. “They’ll be remembered at this school for a long time.”
Green found a talent shortage when he arrived at Oregon. The team had completed a 6-21 season and had gone 2-16 in the Pac-10.
Green brought in junior college transfers Parker and Zach Sellers and recruited freshmen Wilkins and Madden. Those four blended with some holdovers from the disastrous last years of coach Don Monson at Oregon to form this year’s surprising squad.
Wilkins and Orlando Williams make up one of the top backcourts in the Pac-10. Potter, Runyon, Jordy Lyden and Aaron Johnson have had their moments of glory in Oregon’s fourth-place finish in the conference.
Green regularly uses 10 or more players in a high-energy game based on Dean Smith’s attack at North Carolina and borrowing some from Williams’ Kansas plan.
Texas coach Tom Penders is happy that the NCAA, by giving the Longhorns a low seeding, has provided his players motivation.
“The players are just totally miffed,” he said, “and I think it’s great.”