CBI to PBR!

David R.

April 3, 2011 - 1:16 PM

I know it isn't the same as the glory that comes with winning the March Madness tournament, but the Oregon Ducks men's basketball team took the CBI championship from Creighton to give Matthew Knight Arena it's first piece of championship hardware.

The game stayed pretty close throughout and it was definitely the kind of game I had imagined for a tournament championship. Senior Joevan Catron put up 29 points in his last game as a Duck and had plenty of emotion to show as the game ended. It has been a long run for Catron, who has been here since I was a senior in high school. He has been a part of every Oregon team I have watched and it will be hard to see him go.

With a few minutes remaining in the second half the crowd really got into it and gave our team the kind of home court advantage that the new arena should bring. No great game is complete without a little controversy, and luckily it worked in our advantage. Upon entering the arena many will notice that the half court line on the flooring is extremely light. The line blends in with the color of the court which makes it difficult to see for the players in the game. With about 25 seconds remaining and the score knotted, one of the Creighton players was called for a controversial over and back call that took the possession out of Creighton's hands. Oregon got the ball back and with two seconds left, E.J. Singler made a jump short from about 10 feet out to seal the deal for the Ducks. The crowd erupted in what was the loudest frenzy I have ever seen at an Oregon basketball game. The students in the pit crew section rushed onto the court and mobbed the players, most specifically Joevan Catron and E.J. Singler (the latter playing farther in the post season than his superstar brother at Duke).

It was awesome to be a part of the action and to be able to witness an Oregon championship victory. The CBI title will definitely help the Ducks when it comes time to recruit and try to build up the team for future seasons.

It was important for the cleaning crew to get to work quick so that everything was ready in time for the bull riding event held in the arena last night. Dressed in a nice pair of jorts (jean shorts), a tank top and an Old English hat to try to fit in, I rolled into the Professional Bull Riding Tour with a few of my friends from work. I had a great time and I couldn't get over the size of the bulls. They were all HUGE and looked ready to kill, and I'm just glad I wasn't on the back of one. I wouldn't say that I will become a regular fan at bull riding events, but it was a great experience and a definite change of pace from the usual!