“We want Kansas. We want Kansas,” University of Oregon men’s basketball fans chanted after the Ducks’ 96-66 victory against in-state rival Portland on Wednesday night in Eugene, Ore.
“Bring on Kansas,” read the opening line in the game story in Thursday’s Oregonian newspaper.
Seems just about everybody in Oregon wants a piece of Kansas — the team that prevented the Ducks from reaching the 2002 Final Four.
“We can finally start talking about Kansas,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said after Wednesday’s victory that improved the No. 7-ranked Ducks to 4-0. “Now we can get caught up with the community in the hype for the Kansas game.”
The Ducks, who were blown out by the Jayhawks, 104-86, last March in Madison, Wis., will meet No. 14-rated KU at 2:30 p.m. Central time Saturday at the Rose Garden in Portland.
A crowd of 18,927 is expected — the largest crowd to attend a college basketball game in the Beaver State.
“There is a lot of hype. A lot of people have talked to me too much about it,” Kent said of the KU-OU rematch. “They have not allowed us to completely focus on business at hand in terms of Grambling, Pacific, (Cal-State) Northridge and Portland.”
The Ducks on Wednesday avenged last year’s shocking loss to Portland, thanks to Luke Jackson and Luke Ridnour, who scored 21 and 17 points.
Now they want to even the score against the Jayhawks.
“People are calling this a rematch and revenge and all that,” Kent said. “Revenge is such a terrible word. We don’t want to look at it that way. This game was on the schedule before we played Kansas in the NCAA Tournament.
“We saw it as a chance to bring a great opponent on the court to Oregon and to give Michael Lee and Aaron Miles (KU players from Portland) a chance to play back home and play in front of family and friends.
“The fact we played them in the Elite Eight just puts more hype on the game. It’s an opportunity to play them again, for us to redeem ourselves this time and give them a better game.”
Of last year’s game, Kent said: “We recently looked at that game on tape. Our players left the film room feeling terrible. I tried to let them understand this team was on the road six straight weeks going into that game. We were a mentally worn out basketball team. I felt Kansas was on a mission. They played great. We just didn’t have a lot to give them.”
The Ducks played their last two regular season games in Los Angeles, then two league tourney games in L.A. After that it was on to Sacramento, Calif., for first- and second-round NCAA games, followed by the trip to Wisconsin.
Now refreshed . . . “We are absolutely ready,” Jackson said. “We’re well-prepared for every game we play.”
Brian Helquist, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound senior center, has a strained right shoulder. He was held out of Wednesday’s game as a precaution and should play against KU, Kent said.
“We want Kansas. We want Kansas,” University of Oregon men’s basketball fans chanted after the Ducks’ 96-66 victory against in-state rival Portland on Wednesday night in Eugene, Ore.
“Bring on Kansas,” read the opening line in the game story in Thursday’s Oregonian newspaper.
Seems just about everybody in Oregon wants a piece of Kansas — the team that prevented the Ducks from reaching the 2002 Final Four.
“We can finally start talking about Kansas,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said after Wednesday’s victory that improved the No. 7-ranked Ducks to 4-0. “Now we can get caught up with the community in the hype for the Kansas game.”
The Ducks, who were blown out by the Jayhawks, 104-86, last March in Madison, Wis., will meet No. 14-rated KU at 2:30 p.m. Central time Saturday at the Rose Garden in Portland.
A crowd of 18,927 is expected — the largest crowd to attend a college basketball game in the Beaver State.
“There is a lot of hype. A lot of people have talked to me too much about it,” Kent said of the KU-OU rematch. “They have not allowed us to completely focus on business at hand in terms of Grambling, Pacific, (Cal-State) Northridge and Portland.”
The Ducks on Wednesday avenged last year’s shocking loss to Portland, thanks to Luke Jackson and Luke Ridnour, who scored 21 and 17 points.
Now they want to even the score against the Jayhawks.
“People are calling this a rematch and revenge and all that,” Kent said. “Revenge is such a terrible word. We don’t want to look at it that way. This game was on the schedule before we played Kansas in the NCAA Tournament.
“We saw it as a chance to bring a great opponent on the court to Oregon and to give Michael Lee and Aaron Miles (KU players from Portland) a chance to play back home and play in front of family and friends.
“The fact we played them in the Elite Eight just puts more hype on the game. It’s an opportunity to play them again, for us to redeem ourselves this time and give them a better game.”
Of last year’s game, Kent said: “We recently looked at that game on tape. Our players left the film room feeling terrible. I tried to let them understand this team was on the road six straight weeks going into that game. We were a mentally worn out basketball team. I felt Kansas was on a mission. They played great. We just didn’t have a lot to give them.”
The Ducks played their last two regular season games in Los Angeles, then two league tourney games in L.A. After that it was on to Sacramento, Calif., for first- and second-round NCAA games, followed by the trip to Wisconsin.
Now refreshed . . . “We are absolutely ready,” Jackson said. “We’re well-prepared for every game we play.”
Brian Helquist, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound senior center, has a strained right shoulder. He was held out of Wednesday’s game as a precaution and should play against KU, Kent said.
“We want Kansas. We want Kansas,” University of Oregon men’s basketball fans chanted after the Ducks’ 96-66 victory against in-state rival Portland on Wednesday night in Eugene, Ore.
“Bring on Kansas,” read the opening line in the game story in Thursday’s Oregonian newspaper.
Seems just about everybody in Oregon wants a piece of Kansas — the team that prevented the Ducks from reaching the 2002 Final Four.
“We can finally start talking about Kansas,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said after Wednesday’s victory that improved the No. 7-ranked Ducks to 4-0. “Now we can get caught up with the community in the hype for the Kansas game.”
The Ducks, who were blown out by the Jayhawks, 104-86, last March in Madison, Wis., will meet No. 14-rated KU at 2:30 p.m. Central time Saturday at the Rose Garden in Portland.
A crowd of 18,927 is expected — the largest crowd to attend a college basketball game in the Beaver State.
“There is a lot of hype. A lot of people have talked to me too much about it,” Kent said of the KU-OU rematch. “They have not allowed us to completely focus on business at hand in terms of Grambling, Pacific, (Cal-State) Northridge and Portland.”
The Ducks on Wednesday avenged last year’s shocking loss to Portland, thanks to Luke Jackson and Luke Ridnour, who scored 21 and 17 points.
Now they want to even the score against the Jayhawks.
“People are calling this a rematch and revenge and all that,” Kent said. “Revenge is such a terrible word. We don’t want to look at it that way. This game was on the schedule before we played Kansas in the NCAA Tournament.
“We saw it as a chance to bring a great opponent on the court to Oregon and to give Michael Lee and Aaron Miles (KU players from Portland) a chance to play back home and play in front of family and friends.
“The fact we played them in the Elite Eight just puts more hype on the game. It’s an opportunity to play them again, for us to redeem ourselves this time and give them a better game.”
Of last year’s game, Kent said: “We recently looked at that game on tape. Our players left the film room feeling terrible. I tried to let them understand this team was on the road six straight weeks going into that game. We were a mentally worn out basketball team. I felt Kansas was on a mission. They played great. We just didn’t have a lot to give them.”
The Ducks played their last two regular season games in Los Angeles, then two league tourney games in L.A. After that it was on to Sacramento, Calif., for first- and second-round NCAA games, followed by the trip to Wisconsin.
Now refreshed . . . “We are absolutely ready,” Jackson said. “We’re well-prepared for every game we play.”
Brian Helquist, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound senior center, has a strained right shoulder. He was held out of Wednesday’s game as a precaution and should play against KU, Kent said.
“We want Kansas. We want Kansas,” University of Oregon men’s basketball fans chanted after the Ducks’ 96-66 victory against in-state rival Portland on Wednesday night in Eugene, Ore.
“Bring on Kansas,” read the opening line in the game story in Thursday’s Oregonian newspaper.
Seems just about everybody in Oregon wants a piece of Kansas — the team that prevented the Ducks from reaching the 2002 Final Four.
“We can finally start talking about Kansas,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said after Wednesday’s victory that improved the No. 7-ranked Ducks to 4-0. “Now we can get caught up with the community in the hype for the Kansas game.”
The Ducks, who were blown out by the Jayhawks, 104-86, last March in Madison, Wis., will meet No. 14-rated KU at 2:30 p.m. Central time Saturday at the Rose Garden in Portland.
A crowd of 18,927 is expected — the largest crowd to attend a college basketball game in the Beaver State.
“There is a lot of hype. A lot of people have talked to me too much about it,” Kent said of the KU-OU rematch. “They have not allowed us to completely focus on business at hand in terms of Grambling, Pacific, (Cal-State) Northridge and Portland.”
The Ducks on Wednesday avenged last year’s shocking loss to Portland, thanks to Luke Jackson and Luke Ridnour, who scored 21 and 17 points.
Now they want to even the score against the Jayhawks.
“People are calling this a rematch and revenge and all that,” Kent said. “Revenge is such a terrible word. We don’t want to look at it that way. This game was on the schedule before we played Kansas in the NCAA Tournament.
“We saw it as a chance to bring a great opponent on the court to Oregon and to give Michael Lee and Aaron Miles (KU players from Portland) a chance to play back home and play in front of family and friends.
“The fact we played them in the Elite Eight just puts more hype on the game. It’s an opportunity to play them again, for us to redeem ourselves this time and give them a better game.”
Of last year’s game, Kent said: “We recently looked at that game on tape. Our players left the film room feeling terrible. I tried to let them understand this team was on the road six straight weeks going into that game. We were a mentally worn out basketball team. I felt Kansas was on a mission. They played great. We just didn’t have a lot to give them.”
The Ducks played their last two regular season games in Los Angeles, then two league tourney games in L.A. After that it was on to Sacramento, Calif., for first- and second-round NCAA games, followed by the trip to Wisconsin.
Now refreshed . . . “We are absolutely ready,” Jackson said. “We’re well-prepared for every game we play.”
Brian Helquist, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound senior center, has a strained right shoulder. He was held out of Wednesday’s game as a precaution and should play against KU, Kent said.