Pac-10 To Address Concerns About Unruly Fans’ Behavior Some Recent Ugly Incidents Cause Bad Press For “The Pit’

McArthur Court, the old basketball arena where the fans are virtually on top of the game, is affectionately known as “The Pit” because it is home of one of the noisiest, rowdiest college crowds in the country.

The Ducks often refer to the crowd as the team’s “sixth man.”

But recently, the fans’ behavior has led to some decidedly bad press, including allegations that someone spat on Washington women’s coach June Daugherty and reports that fans who rushed the court hurled racial slurs at UCLA men’s players.

In the past week, three Oregon students have been ejected from games and now face charges under the university’s conduct code.

These and other incidents at Pacific-10 Conference schools have led athletic directors to schedule discussions on crowd control at their meeting Tuesday in Tucson, Ariz.

Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen said Oregon isn’t alone in reporting problems. Last week, fans at the University of California stormed the court after beating Stanford. Although no one was hurt, the incident easily could have escalated, Hansen said.