The New Year will ring in with a final verse of Auld Lang Syne for McArthur Court tonight when Oregon plays host to Arizona State in the last men’s basketball game at the 84-year-old facility.
“This is a very special game for us,” UO sophomore E.J. Singler said. “We’re looking forward to it. It means a lot to us.”
It would under any circumstances, after the Ducks (7-6 overall) lost their Pac-10 opener on Thursday to Arizona. The schedule ahead only looks forboding, with a trip to Washington next week followed by a visit from USC and UCLA to open Matthew Knight Arena on Jan. 13 and 15.
But first, there’s the farewell to Mac Court, which has hosted men’s games since Jan. 14, 1927, a total of 1,115 entering tonight’s finale.
“There are just a lot of memories for a lot of people,” UO coach Dana Altman said. “I understand the significance, and our guys do, too.”
Altman has been through the emotional experience of closing arenas before, coaching in the last game at facilities in two of his previous jobs, at Kansas State and Creighton. He’s only coached 11 games at Mac Court, but he certainly recognizes the feelings of the community and fans toward a facility that has been around longer than most of them.
“All you’ve got to do is read the newspaper or listen to radio talk shows and hear people talk about it,” Altman said of the nostalgia associated with Mac Court. “There have been a lot of sons and fathers and fathers and daughters, mothers and sons come here, families coming to games here. …
“There are a lot of memories in buildings like this, a lot of emotional times.”
To perhaps turn tonight’s game into one of those memorable events, there is a push by Oregon to “Pack Mac” for a final time. While reserved tickets in the lower levels remain priced at $46 and general admission tickets are $36, the UO on Friday announced a special promotion of third-balcony reserved seats at $30 each. The reduced-price tickets will be available only at the Mac Court ticket windows, which open 90 minutes before tipoff.
In the game itself, Oregon will be looking for more offense, never an easy task against the Sun Devils.
In losing three consecutive games, the Ducks have failed to shoot better than 35 percent from the field and have averaged 56.3 points, with their three lowest point totals (48, 65 and 57) of the season.
“I don’t think our guys are tightening up too much,” Altman said after Friday’s practice. “They’re getting good looks, they’ve just got to knock ’em down.”
That’s of extra importance against the Sun Devils, who in the eight games against the Ducks since Herb Sendek became the ASU coach have held Oregon to 31.7 percent accuracy on three-pointers and 41.7 overall.
Most of that has been because of a zone defense that’s allowed the Ducks scant penetration and forced the shots to come from the outside.
Don’t expect anything different tonight.
“That’s what they are. They like that zone, so I’m sure we’ll see it,” Altman said.
“Since we haven’t been shooting well, they’ll probably pack it in more.”
ASU (7-5 overall) also lost its Pac-10 opener 80-58 to Oregon State, and has some of its own issues.
The Sun Devils didn’t have leading scorer Trent Lockett (14.7 ppg) against the Beavers because of a sprained toe, and he remains questionable for tonight. Rihards Kuksiks, ASU’s third-leading scorer, was scoreless in 21 minutes against the Beavers after reportedly feeling ill before the game.
More than that, the Sun Devils haven’t always shown the intensity typical of previous Sendek teams at ASU.
“Playing hard is always essential, and some guys are still trying to learn what playing hard is really all about,” Sendek told an Arizona Republic reporter after the loss in Corvallis.
Effort shouldn’t be an issue for the Ducks, who recognize the significance of a final game in Mac Court.
“Personally, I’ve had some great memories in this building, and it’s going to be weird to not play in here ever again,” Singler said. “I want to come out of this game with a big bang and I know our team wants to come with a good win.”
7 p.m. today, McArthur Court. No TV. Radio: KUGN-AM (590).
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