Ducks Have A Date With Destiny

Ernie Kent hasn’t quite pulled the cork on the champagne yet.

But be assured the bottle is chilling.

At 17-5 and 8-3 in the Pacific-10 Conference, Kent’s Ducks are assured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. More than likely, that spot will be on the East Coast against a No. 10 seed.

This will be the first time in five years Oregon has made it to the NCAAs, and only the third time since 1945.

Then there is UCLA. The Bruins (13-9, 4-6) have won the NCAA Tournament 11 times since 1964. But for the first time in 12 years, they are in jeopardy of not making it. Unless they win six of their last eight games, they could be headed for the NIT.

No Pac-10 team has ever made it into the NCAAs with a 9-9 conference record, But, with an RPI of 31, the Bruins could be the first. And their name and history don’t hurt.

At the same time, UCLA has not beaten a team currently in the top 25. And it has been blown out at home by Gonzaga, Arizona and Stanford (all likely tourney teams).

So unless the Bruins go 6-2 or 5-3 with an upset over Stanford or Arizona, they will head for the NIT. And, yes, coach Steve Lavin will most likely be going with them.

It is doubtful the 35-year-old coach will be fired at the end of the season. He has a contract that runs through 2005 and his buyout clause would cost UCLA more than $1.5 million.

The 35-year-old appears to understand, nonetheless, that his time could be short.

“Coaches are hired to be fired,” he said. “That’s part of this business.”

At UCLA, so is constant criticism. But Lavin said he has become used to that aspect of the job.

“When you’re the head coach at UCLA, you’re going to constantly be roasted,” he said. “You’re always going to fail in comparison to (John Wooden’s) standard. You’ve got to develop thick skin. I’m at alligator level now.”

More tourney talk

Three other Pac-10 teams remain hopeful of an NCAA bid - USC, Cal and Arizona State.

All must win at least five more games and hope other at-large teams go into late-season slumps as N.C. State has. None of those three teams currently has an RPI below 50. And only USC has beaten a team that is ranked.

Then there is the matter of history. Last year, the conference received four bids - UCLA, Arizona, Washington and Stanford. None of them made it to the Sweet 16. Only one - Stanford - made it to the second round.

So come selection Sunday, the committee may be more inclined to go with Notre Dame, Illinois or Virginia rather than USC, Cal or Arizona State.

Record watch

The Pac-10 keeps track of nine single-game statistical categories. This season, players have tied or set top marks in seven of those categories.

Points: 61 by ASU’s Eddie House.

Field goal percentage: 100 by Oregon’s Bryan Bracey (11 of 11) vs. Washington.

3-point field goal percentage: 100 by UW’s Senque Carey (7 of 7) vs. Old Dominion.

Free-throw percentage: 100 by Washington State’s Chris Crosby (11 of 11) vs. Southern.

Rebounds: 28 by USC’s David Bluthenthal.

Blocked shots: 14 by Arizona’s Loren Woods.

Steals: 10 by USC’s Jeff Trepagnier.

Bad record watch

Washington State is on course to become the first team in the Pac-10 to not win a game. As if that wasn’t bad enough, there is this little tidbit:

Combined, the WSU men’s and women’s teams have one Pac-10 win. The worst combined record in the Pac-10 is five wins by Arizona State men’s and women’s teams in 1997.

Quote of the week

When asked why the Pac-10 doesn’t have a tournament, ASU coach Rob Evans responded: “There are two or three guys who selfishly don’t want a tournament.”

Eight athletic directors must vote in favor of a tournament for it to be approved. Stanford, UCLA and Arizona, three teams that usually go to the postseason regardless, oppose it.

Player of the week

Stanford forward Mark Madsen was named Pac-10 player of the week after averaging 19.5 points and 12 rebounds in a pair of Cardinal wins. In the win over then-ranked Oregon, Madsen had 19 points and 10 boards. Against Oregon State he had 20 and 14. For the week, Madsen shot 54 percent from the floor.

News and notes

This is the first Stanford team since 1937 to have just one loss after 22 games… . Oregon coach Ernie Kent has already won more games in his first three years as head coach (49) than any other coach at Oregon since Howard Hobson won 64 from 1935-38… . UCLA’s Bruins, who travel to Arizona’s McKale Center on Saturday, are the last Pac-10 team to win there. They won 66-64 in 1997. … Stanford’s Collins twins, Jarron and Jason, both average 6.4 rebounds per game… . Cal’s last five games have been decided by four points or less. The Bears are 3-2 in those games. Stanford has won its last nine games by an average of 19.3 points per game.