Bruins May Come Out Smoking at Oregon

Can UCLA wrap up the Pacific 10 Conference basketball championship for the first time in four years today, or is Reggie Miller just blowing smoke?

“If we win Sunday, we can start sending out cigars,” Miller said.

All the Bruins have to do before lighting up is beat Oregon today at McArthur Court (Channel 2, 3 p.m.)? Not quite. Even if the Bruins (12-4) knock off the Ducks (8-7), UCLA still has to play USC Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins must beat both Oregon and USC to win the Pac-10 regular-season title, unless Arizona (12-4) fails at either Stanford or Cal.

The Bruins are correct that today’s game against Oregon is key to their chance at winning the conference, but USC forward Derrick Dowell did not exactly appreciate the fact that Reggie was forgetting about the Trojans.

“Something you just got to overlook with Reggie is that he talks a lot of noise,” Dowell said at Corvallis Saturday. “I don’t put anything against Reggie, but that sounds like him. I don’t think he means any harm, just more than anything, their arrogance is always there.

“If they think they can break out the cigars, good luck to them,” Dowell said.

Without mentioning any names, USC Coach George Raveling said he is disappointed by all the talking that players have done in the newspapers this season.

“I’ve read more stuff this year than in the last 25 years,” he said. “I know I shouldn’t say this, but the (Pac-10) teams are not that great.

“With all the yipping and yapping and back-biting in the paper . . . we’re doing ourselves a disservice allowing our players to look like mental midgets,” Raveling said.

Oregon (14-10 overall) is 10-2 at home, 7-1 in the Pac-10. The only conference game the Ducks lost at home was to Oregon State when they blew an eight-point lead in the last 39 seconds.

UCLA defeated Oregon, 64-59, in the first meeting at Pauley Pavilion after trailing by nine points at the half.