NCAA WEST REGIONAL : Ducks Never Get Set in Loss to Longhorns

Thanks for coming, Ducks. See you in 2029.

Another Pacific 10 Conference favorite bit the dust Thursday night. This time it was the Oregon Dead Ducks, who made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 34 years a brief one, a 90-73 blowout at the hands of Texas.

The Ducks were seeded sixth in the West, the Longhorns a humble 11th, but this looked more like an error by the selection committee than an upset. Texas’ pressing defense took the Ducks out of everything they wanted to run and blew the game open in the second half with two 12-2 runs.

“I don’t think Oregon ran a set play in 40 minutes,” Texas Coach Tom Penders said. “I think we rattled them into playing our type of game. (Oregon point guard Kenya) Wilkins, he’s a great little player, but it was one against two. It wasn’t fair.

“Our kids wanted to prove that we are, and have been, and should have been a top 25 team.”

Despite a 22-6 record, the Longhorns were unranked all season, a sensitive subject in Austin. The Ducks, meanwhile, rose as high as 17th in their dream season. Coming off 10-20 and 10-17 records under Coach Jerry Green, once Roy Williams’ top assistant at Kansas, they had a victory over UCLA, a 19-8 record and their first NCAA invitation since 1961.

The Longhorns chased them all over the Huntsman Center on Thursday. Texas led, 39-37, at halftime, but Oregon had shot only 33%, giving the Ducks hope things might get better.

In the second half, the Longhorns scattered them in earnest and the Ducks’ bubble burst with a pop they could hear from here to Eugene.

Determinedly upbeat in the face of embarrassment, the Ducks concentrated on the big picture.

“I can say I’ve been through some real tough times,” Oregon guard Orlando Williams said. “This doesn’t even come close to some of the things I’ve been through at Oregon.

“It’s a disappointing ending to a great season for us. We’re not completely destroyed by the loss. They’re a good team. They did some things that we didn’t expect.”

Said Green: “We didn’t play good tonight. We deserved to lose by a big margin, but I tell you, I’m proud as heck of each and every one of them.

“Thirty-four years is a long time and it’s too long for Oregon basketball.”

Thursday night, it didn’t look long enough.

*

In other games:

Maryland 87, Gonzaga 63--Coach Gary Williams returned after being hospitalized for flu and missing four games as the Terrapins (25-7) romped over the overmatched Bulldogs (21-12), despite only nine points from All-American Joe Smith.

“It was great for me personally,” Williams said. “Last week at this time I wasn’t sure I would be here.

“I really wanted to coach this team again this year. We worked hard from Oct. 15 to get to the position we’re in. Whether I could help or not, it was great just to be able to show up tonight.”

Connecticut 100, Tennessee Chattanooga 71--Chattanooga Coach Mack McCarthy came up with an underdog’s game plan--take plenty of three-pointers in case you’re hot--but his Moccasins were not.

They launched three-pointers when they were open, when they were covered, when they were behind and when they were further behind. They were never ahead. The No. 2-seeded Huskies (26-4) jumped off to a 15-0 lead, went up by 25 before halftime and were never challenged.

The final grisly numbers: UTC (19-11) took 38 three-pointers, missing 33.

“We felt like we couldn’t line up and play them even,” McCarthy said. “There wasn’t anything we could take away from them defensively. We had in mind taking 40-50 threes.”

McCarthy was asked if the talent differential between the teams was really that wide.

“Yes,” he said.

Cincinnati 77, Temple 71--This one was all Bearcats except for Temple freshman Johnny Miller, who made his first seven three-point tries and scored 20 points by halftime.

Still, Cincinnati led, 42-37, at intermission and after that, Miller cooled down. The Bearcats (22-11) led by 16 points with 3:37 left and held off a closing rally by the Owls (19-11).

Miller finished with nine three-pointers and 30 points. Cincinnati’s LaZelle Durden had six, en route to 24 points. The teams combined for 26 three-pointers, one shy of the tournament record.

The game’s other highlight was provided by Temple Coach John Chaney, who spent an entire timeout training his famous “One-eyed Jack” glare at referee Andre Patillo.

Patillo survived, but Temple didn’t.