Arizona Could Use More of Oregon's Porter's Heart

LOS ANGELES Mar. 9, 2007— -- This is the week where you decide which teams you are going to latch on to and which to write off.

After Thursday's performance in the Pac-10 quarterfinals, put Oregon and its feisty 5-6 freshman shooting guard Tajuan Porter down in pen. Then change to a pencil for Arizona, since the Wildcats played with such little interest in a 69-50 loss to the Ducks that they possibly will fall to their first double-digit NCAA seed since they were a 10-seed in 1987.

The Ducks, like Clemson, were one of the last undefeated teams in the country. Unlike Clemson, though, Oregon didn't fall completely flat. Sure, the Ducks had their flat-footed moments, like when they lost three of four on a road swing against the Washington and L.A. schools. Getting swept in the Bay Area was no fun, either.

But since then, the Ducks got a revenge sweep of Washington State and Washington at home and then took out rival Oregon State yet again to finish the regular season at 23-7. With an 11-7 league record -- tied with Arizona and USC for third in the Pac-10 -- Oregon coach Ernie Kent said he looked at Thursday's game as a way for the Ducks to stay in contention for a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and be protected in Spokane, Wash., in the first and second rounds.

"This was a huge game for us, on national TV, with everyone watching on the selection committee," Kent said. "We've got a good resume with a win at Georgetown, two wins over Arizona, a sweep of Washington State, a win over UCLA. I'd like to think we can stay out West."

Jesse Bowman-US PRESSWIRE Tajuan Porter provides Oregon with a spark -- and heart -- that Arizona doesn't have right now.Regardless of where they play, the Ducks have something no one else does -- Porter.

You'll enjoy watching Porter play. Who wouldn't? He's all of 5-6 and yet he's as tough to contain as any guard you'll see in the Tournament. Porter led the Ducks with 21 points, making 5 of 6 3s. Arizona tried in vain to put a taller fellow on him, but all that did was stretch the defense out. He mocked defenders with deep 3-pointers, stretched the defense to enable Aaron Brooks to pick the Cats apart, and opened up even more shots for Arizona coach Lute Olson's favorite Duck, forward Maarty Leunen.