Lately, This Place Has Been the Pits

If the young Bruins were rattled Thursday at Oregon State, which Coach Steve Lavin and some players say contributed to the bad performance, they could be in a lot of trouble tonight at Oregon.

McArthur Court in Eugene is a much more hostile environment than UCLA faced in the loss at Corvallis.

The Bruins have encountered numerous problems there.

They tell stories of how Tyus Edney’s mother had to defend herself in the stands after the 1995 visit, of players who had scrapes with Duck fans after games, of racial taunts and of Oregon supporters who threw objects.

“They never stop,” Bruin guard Earl Watson said. “After the game, a couple of their crowd members tried to beat me up.”

That was last year--when increased security and relocation of the student seats left an impression that things had improved.

“It’s one of those environments where I expect the unexpected,” Lavin said. “. . . Bizarre things happen at Mac Court.”

Hoping an experienced lineup won’t be as shaken, Lavin might start junior Sean Farnham and sophomores Rico Hines and Travis Reed in place of freshmen Jerome Moiso, Dan Gadzuric and Ray Young.

TONIGHT at Oregon

5:30

* Radio--KXTA (1150).

* Site--McArthur Court.

* Records--Bruins 10-3, 2-1; Ducks 9-3, 1-2.

* Update--UCLA’s loss Thursday at Oregon State ended an 11-game game winning streak against the Beavers. Another defeat tonight means the Bruins will have been swept on the Oregon trip for the first time since 1989-90.