This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Oregon was picked among the top contenders for the Pac-12 men's basketball championship, so the Ducks' being tied for first place after eight games is not shocking. The surprising part is how they've done it. The Ducks have won at Utah and Arizona by a combined 26 points, and they ended Arizona's 49-game home winning streak Thursday with an 83-75 victory at the McKale Center. With conference play reaching the halfway point Sunday, Oregon is very well positioned to win the regular-season title. The Ducks' home game vs. Utah on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 7) shapes up as another defining game. If they win that one, the Ducks should be well on their way to the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, because they don't face Arizona again in the regular season. As much as Oregon's win at Arizona is an endorsement for the Ducks, it naturally raises questions about the Wildcats. Arizona is 4-4 in conference play and coach Sean Miller said it is unreasonable to expect great things from this team "just because things have happened in the past." As reported by the Arizona Daily Star, Miller continued, "That's not the way it works. It's a whole brand-new ballgame for us right now." And for everybody else in the Pac-12, as a result. The conference standings: Oregon 6-2, Washington 6-2, Colorado 5-3, USC 5-3, Utah 5-3, Arizona 4-4, California 4-4, Stanford 4-4, Oregon State 3-5, UCLA 3-5, Arizona State 2-6, Washington State 1-7. – Kurt Kragthorpe