Card travels to famed McArthur Court to take on Oregon

As if a routine trip on the road were not enough, the Ducks’ McArthur Court, fondly known as “The Pit,” is widely considered to be one of the toughest venues in the country for visiting opponents to play in. The arena is known for its unique acoustics — the steep configuration of the stands coupled with raucous fans makes for one of the most difficult places to play in the country.

All of this does not bode well for a Cardinal squad (11-14, 5-8 Pac-10) that has yet to win a road game all season, not counting a win on a neutral court against Virginia in the Cancun Challenge.

Head coach Johnny Dawkins remained confident this week, however, seeing tonight’s game as more of an opportunity than anything else.

“We’re looking forward to this road trip,” Dawkins said. “This is our last time on the road and we have an opportunity to get a win or two here and we have to approach it that way. We have to approach it one game at a time, though, and understand our biggest game is Oregon. Oregon State follows that.”

Dawkins does have reason to be optimistic, however. Oregon head coach Ernie Kent has built a solid program in Eugene over the years, but his Ducks (12-12, 4-8) are definitely having a down year as they currently sit in last place in the conference. Stanford also had little trouble in the first match-up between the two teams, disposing of the Ducks by the score of 84-69 last month at Maples Pavilion.

Oregon is led by its backcourt duo of sophomore Malcolm Armstead and senior Tajuan Porter, both of whom stand less than six feet. The five-foot-six Porter burst onto the collegiate scene as a freshman, helping his team reach the Elite Eight in 2007, but he seems to have regressed (at least in terms of points) in his senior year. Porter averages 11.3 points a game, tying him with Armstead for the team lead.

That said, the Ducks are still a tough team to face at The Pit — Oregon is 10-5 at home, and swept UCLA and USC in its most recent homestand. Considering the fact that Stanford is 0-10 on the road, tonight’s game will be anything but an easy win for Dawkins’s squad.

If the Cardinal is unsuccessful tonight, it will have another decent shot at getting the road monkey off its back when it faces Oregon State on Saturday. The Beavers have shown signs of life up in Corvallis since head coach Craig Robinson (brother-in-law to President Barack Obama) took over, managing a 5-7 record in conference up until this point.

Robinson used to coach in the Ivy League, which is known for its ball control and methodical half-court sets that ultimately result in fewer points being scored. For better or worse, his team seems to play like an Ivy League team: the Beavers average fewer than 60 points a game. Dawkins won’t have to search through much film to find a solution for the Beavers’ offense, as Stanford held Oregon State to just 35 points in a 59-35 win at Maples Pavilion back in January.

All in all, while the Cardinal has not won a game on the road this season, it probably has its best shot to do just that in its final attempts. In any case, Dawkins is confident in his squad and its direction.

“I like where our guys are headed,” the second-year coach said. “Our guys have been working very hard. They’ve gotten better on the road as the season progressed. We just have to find a way at the end of the games to close, and that’s something that’s going to require a little more attention to detail, a little more of us being together in those moments to pull each other through.”