By
Ryan Finley
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Streaking Cats look to avenge last year's upset loss on the road
Members of the Arizona basketball team remember Oregon well.
It was the Ducks, after all, that stunned the Wildcats last March 4 in Eugene, Ore., after battling back from a 17-point deficit in the second half.
"What happened to us last year is still in the back our heads," sophomore guard Jason Gardner said. "We just want to go up there and get two wins. We know we were up 17 (points) with 10 minutes to go (last year)."
When the No. 7 Wildcats travel to McArthur Court to take on the Ducks (11-6 overall, 2-5 Pacific 10 Conference) tonight at 8:30, Arizona will attempt to avoid a second-straight road loss to the Ducks.
Following last year's game, Wildcat players were visibly angry at Oregon fans - during the course of the 2000 tilt, Richard Jefferson was pulled into the hostile crowd while shooting a three-pointer, and Gilbert Arenas claimed that the Ducks' mascot was shaking the rim on free throws.
A year later, UA players are still steaming.
"That court is a tough place to play," senior forward Gene Edgerson said. "Those fans get up on you. It's hard to keep your focus because you want to go in the crowd and choke people."
Edgerson, who sports an afro and knee socks, knows he will be an easy target for Ducks fans.
"I can't say the things they say," he said. "People always tease me about my hair, my shoes and my socks. They come up with a lot of unique things."
Head coach Lute Olson said that while Oregon's crowd will be menacing, UO's players will provide the ultimate threat to the Wildcats.
Despite their poor conference record, the Ducks are 7-2 when playing at McArthur Court, which holds just 9,087 people.
The Ducks are led by senior forward Bryan Bracey, who is averaging 19.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game so far this season.
"Their team is very aggressive, they take the ball to the basket hard," Olson said. "Bracey is one of the top players in the league."
Ducks junior guard Freddie Jones - an Oregon native - is second on the team, with 62 assists.
"Jones is a great athlete, he's shooting the ball a lot better now," Olson said. "I think he has the confidence of a guy who's very much of a go-to guy."
Stopping Jones will be the job of an Arizona(14-5, 6-1) defense that has shown much-improved fundamentals in recent games.
"Defensively, we continue to make progress," Olson said. "I think the key has been that we've become disruptive to our opponents. We've been making it difficult for them to run what they want to run."
Gardner agreed.
"Our intensity's a lot better," he said. "We feel more relaxed on the floor. We should just relax - we're more comfortable with one another now."
While Olson said the trip to Oregon is well-needed after four consecutive home games, Edgerson said the gloomy Eugene weather could work against the Wildcats.
"When you get to Oregon, it's usually raining, cold and gray," senior forward Gene Edgerson said. "It's one of those places where you don't want to play."
