UCLA's nemesis

Beware a UCLA basketball team that's undefeated, ranked #1 and comes to Oregon to play. In 1974 they came and lost both to Oregon State and Oregon. This weekend they beat Oregon State but today Oregon beat them in "The Pit":

Now in its 79th season, anyone who has played in McArthur Court will testify it's a special place. Picture a four story, classically architectured pavilion. From the outside, you can hear the roar of the crowd.

Inside, it's packed to the roof with the deafening cheers of nearly 10,000 boisterous fans. Overhead, three balconies vibrate to the sound of Oregon's pep band and rally squad and the scoreboard suspended over midcourt appears to quiver. The atmosphere is electric.

That's what it's like in McArthur Court, which is better known by players and visitors alike as "The Pit." It's the consummate place to stage a game. Opponents cringe at the thought of playing in Mac Court. Fans speak of it with unmatched reverence.

Named after Clifton N. (Pat) McArthur, a student-athlete and the university's first student body president, Mac Court is one of the primary attributes of Oregon's athletic program. Visitors liken the fabled west coast facility to the Boston Garden in the east.

According to a recent poll, McArthur Court was deemed as a Pac-10 visiting team's least favorite place to play. In 2001, The Sporting News named it the "best gym in America," and in 1995 Sports Illustrated listed it as one of the 12 toughest places in the country to play at the collegiate level. Students sit at courtside and the atmosphere just before the start of a game is tingling.


More.

Joey Harrington tells the story of a game that had to be stopped and the crowd admonished because the baskets were vibrating from the noise!

Today it took Oregon's best game and UCLA's worst to do it: UCLA missed three open shots under the basket and several free throws in the closing minutes.

I never know who to root for: my BA against my MFA. Oregon is my home and yet I have a soft spot in my heart for UCLA, my favorite team as a kid. Moreover, UCLA is one of the few teams that doesn't have a Nike swoosh on their uniforms, and I hate Nike. Moreover, Oregon has gone crazy with stupid designer uniforms and superhype jock promos, all of which I despise. So I usually am the odd fellow who roots for the visiting team when UCLA comes to town. I keep it quiet ha ha.

I saw B.B. King at Mac Court in the early 70s. I got a late ticket and sat very far up in the rafters. I got high from all the pot smoke that drifted up there. It was like watching the concert through clouds.