Good Old 22 and Civil War Weekend

David R.

February 20, 2011 - 10:27 AM

Being that a birthday is really only one day long, it's always over so soon that it never even seems like it came in the first place. Regardless, I had fun while it was here and I'm still getting used to the sound of being 22 years old.

One of the funny things about birthdays these days is having your facebook wall flooded with happy birthday wishes from everyone who happens to notice. I logged into my account and was informed that 110 people had written on my wall. Every message includes a "happy birthday" in it at some point and it's fun to hear from everyone that I haven't seen or talked to in a while. There are some people that I only get in contact with once a year and it's to wish them happy birthday or vice versa. It's not like I intend for it to be this way but everyone is busy living their lives and its nice to hear from some people on a birthday at least.

Yesterday I spent my afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena for the men's Civil War basketball game. The Ducks won by a large margin and I remember thinking to myself that this year's squad is much better than everyone originally anticipated. It was said by some in the pre-season that the Ducks wouldn't win a single game in conference play, and most people agreed. We weren't supposed to have any solid talent on the team and this was supposed to a be a rebuilding year to say the least. Yesterday's victory over the Beavers marked Oregon's seventh Pac 10 victory and we have now moved to fourth place in the conference. One of our last game's in McArthur Court was a loss against Arizona State who is now 2-12 in the conference, and I think that if we had been able to play them in the new arena the outcome would have been different.

Matthew Knight Arena really has been the new beginning that the Ducks needed, because we now have one heck of a home court advantage. The new arena, which seats about 4,000 more people, is at least 90% full for every men's game and gets much louder than Mac Court ever did. Fans are excited about the new arena, and consequently excited about the basketball team which has seemed to have a phenomenal impact on our squad. Our team that was expected to be the laughing stock of the conference once again is now laughing at six out of the 10 teams in the Pac 10. With only two more home games left this season, the Ducks look to improve their record at home and make more moves to the top of the conference before the tournament begins. We could actually do some damage in the tournament this year and give people something to talk about for next season. Dana Altman has been just what we needed this season and is making a case for the Pac 10 Coach of The Year.