ESPN'S TAKE   with Jay Bilas   The Ducks have not been to the NCAA Tournament in two years, but have experienced the hard road of the Pac-10 and won the grueling regular season title. Oregon gets the ball up and down the court as quickly as any team in the nation, and Freddie Jones, Luke Jackson and Luke Ridnour are one of the top five perimeter trios in the country. They are skilled, tough and productive, and they are winners. Oregon could be quacking all the way to a regional final, and perhaps beyond. Player to Watch     Fred Jones       You can credit the off-season workout ethic of the two Lukes -- sophomores Ridnour and Jackson -- for the improved play of Frederick Jones. The senior watched as younger players took it upon themselves to make their games and team better. Jones followed suit and averaged a team-high in points, rebounds and assists. Team Statistics   Points Per Game 84.5 Rebounds Per Game 40.3 Assists Per Game 14.0 Steals Per Game 9.8 Blocks Per Game 5.0 Turnovers Per Game 12.8 Field Goal % .480 Free Throw % .724 3-Point % .368 3-Pointers Per Game 1.1 Scoring Margin 14.5

How They Got Here
As impressively as most anyone nationally. The Ducks won the Pac-10 title outright and went 22-7 in the regular season. Thing is, Oregon was in every game.

Oregon's regular-season losses were by an average of just four points. The biggest setback (before an 89-78 loss to USC in the Pac-10 semifinals, that is) came at Arizona State by seven. How did they do it? D-e-f-e-n-s-e. The one area that didn't allow Oregon to become a serious conference contender last year helped it win the league this time around.

Ernie Kent, the conference Coach of the Year, is in his fifth season leading his alma mater's program. Kent has done a tremendous job recruiting a group of highly skilled offensive players who have now bought into his system at both ends of the floor.

Oregon won by a Pac-10 best 15.1 points per game, while leading the league in shooting from the field, free-throw line and three-point range. Oh, yeah. It really, really helps when you can go 16-0 at home as the Ducks did.

What We Like
All those explosive scorers. Oregon can come at you several ways, with three players (Frederick Jones, Luke Jackson and Luke Ridnour) averaging more than 15 points. Each shoots better than 36 percent on 3s, over 83 percent on free-throws and each has carried the Ducks at different times this season.

And while the three guards are handling most of the scoring, junior forward Robert Johnson and senior center Chris Christofferson are solid rebounders.

What We Don't Like
The idea that NCAA games are not played at MacArthur Court. There is no question Oregon was a very good team home and away this season, but there was nothing like that offense with that homecourt advantage. Oregon dropped road games against the likes of Portland and Massachusetts. It's still unknown how long the magic can be created on a neutral court.