Oregon lost to Oakland on Saturday, as college hoops strives to be just as unpredictable as its football counterparts with many surprises. This is the kind of win that just baffles any logic. There is no shame in losing to St. Mary's and Nebraska on the road. But sorry, the line has to be drawn at losing to Oakland. A school that is so confused, it's not even in the Bay Area -- it's in Michigan. Now comes the blame game. Is it the coach? Or is it the players?
The common refrain from fans is to blame the coach, Ernie Kent. But be serious, this one has to go on the players. Especially the seniors, Malik Hairston, Maarty Leunen and Bryce Taylor. If the players don't have enough heart to prove themselves after a tough loss at Nebraska, then what is the coach supposed to do? The only thing you could blame Kent for is bringing in a bunch of players who are so gutless. Seriously, the Baltimore Ravens thought that the Ducks quit out there.
Sure, Oregon went on a 20-0 run at one point. But that just showed that they certainly had the talent but don't have the pride. This is going to be a very competitive year in the Pac-10. Especially with UCLA, Arizona and Washington State at the top. Stanford is underrated and ASU is probably going to be passing Oregon soon.
That is if the Devils haven't already. And with that, let's look at the rest of the Pac-10.
No. 8 UCLA 69, Michigan 54: Did you ever think you'd see a point were a game at Michigan would be one of the easiest games of the year? The Wolverines played pretty well, but you didn't really think that they had a chance did you? The Bruins defense was just too tough in the second half. And really, you can't say enough about Josh Shipp who lit up the Wolverines in the second half, finishing with 19 points.
No. 19 Arizona 74, San Diego State 58: Jordan Hill was awesome again, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Much like Mountain West mate UNLV, the Aztecs just didn't have anybody tall enough to deal with Hill. State was able to slow down Chase Budinger and Jerryd Bayless, but not Hill. Maybe it's time to try another plan because Hill has been a Mountain West killer.
Stanford 62, Texas Tech 61: The Tree gets a win over Bobby Knight in Lubbock. This win should finally vault Stanford into the Top 25. Brook Lopez was a monster, scoring 17 of his 19 points in the second half.
Arizona State 76, Idaho 65: This is the kind of game where the Devils could have easily mailed it in. But they took care of business. This wasn't the kind of score that you would want to see with a home game against Idaho, but you need to win these kind of games. Just ask Oregon.
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No. 25 USC 78, Cal Poly 55: The Mustangs don't have the athletes to compete in a game like this. The Trojans have been rolling since losing to Fresno Pacific.
Utah 67, Cal 65: The mid-major fan in me loves this win. Don't be down on yourselves Bears, this was a decent loss. Unlike Oregon. Besides, these guys might be your conference mates when you go to the Pac-10. Just kidding, people.
