Race playing out to Ducks' delight.

Byline: Ron Bellamy / The Register-Guard

ON A DAY that things couldn't have gone much better for Oregon in the amazing Pac-10 Conference men's basketball race, the Ducks couldn't have played much better, either.

In their 91-62 Civil War victory over overmatched Oregon State, before a capacity crowd of 9,087 in McArthur Court, the Ducks could have just about named the score.

They knew the score, too.

They'd watched Arizona, newly alone in first place, lose a heart-breaker Thursday night at UCLA, and then saw the Wildcats lose another tough one on television Saturday afternoon against Southern California.

They knew that pesky Arizona State had upset UCLA in Pauley Pavilion on Saturday. They heard the announcement that Washington had registered an improbable win over California in Seattle.

"We watched all the games today," Oregon senior Frederick Jones said. "We knew what was going on in the conference. We knew it was our time to hold court and step up."

As point guard Luke Ridnour put it: "This week was a

good week for us. We got to rest, other teams beat each other up and the teams lost that needed to."

In something like a baseball pennant race, teams that watch the scoreboard down the stretch can get into trouble.

But in this down-to-the-wire Pac-10 basketball race, you'd be concerned if the Ducks didn't care about the scores, didn't realize the magnitude of the stakes, and the close-enough-to-touch proximity of their goal of winning a league championship for the first time since they won the Pacific Coast Conference North Division in 1945.

But they do care, and they do understand. They're in this thing to win it, and have been for some weeks now.

As every week goes by, the games get bigger and bigger.

"They've been in the race for that title for a long time," coach Ernie Kent said. "It's been an awful long time since we weren't in first place or second place in this conference ... so every game has been a big game because people come after you. They have responded very, very well."

The Ducks were relentless Saturday evening, ultimately matching their largest margin of victory in the Civil War ever, winning by this much - 29 - for the first time since 1921. They ended the first half with a 17-2 run and opened the second half with a 20-7 explosion and that was that.

In running their home record to 14-0, the Ducks were superb individually - the UO student section gave well-deserved "We are not worthy" bows to Jones after a monster rebound basket and then, a possession later, a spectacular one-handed dunk of a lob pass from James Davis. More importantly, they were superb collectively.

"They could care less who scores," said Oregon State coach Ritchie McKay, citing Oregon as a team that could go deep into the NCAA Tourament. "Ernie's team has no selfishness."

The Civil War was the opening installment of a little Fellowship of the Rings trilogy that the Ducks must absolutely sweep if they expect to be wearing Pac-10 championship rings after the season, in this case, three games against the last three teams in the league - the Beavers on Saturday night, 10th-place Washington State here on Thursday and then ninth-place Washington next Saturday in the home finale, a game that's already a sellout.

By then, the Ducks could be alone in first place again, with the tough season-ending trip to Los Angeles - USC first, then UCLA - though the league lead has become a heavy burden, especially when it must be carried on the road.

The Ducks found that out last weekend in the Bay Area, losing in overtime and then in double-overtime, making Saturday night's bounce-back all the more impressive and imperative.

Arizona found that out this weekend, losing anguishly close games to the Bruins and Trojans. The Wildcats close out the season at home, with ASU on Wednesday and then the Bay Area schools on the last weekend of the regular season.

The Ducks and other contenders couldn't afford Arizona getting another road win, though it's not as if Oregon couldn't feel the Wildcats' pain.

"Arizona had the same kind of road trip we had," Ridnour said, recalling last weekend. "They could have won both games, but they didn't get it done. That opened the door up for everybody else. Right now, we're in control of our own destiny."

And so the weekend leaves Oregon with a share of first place again, at 10-4, tied with Stanford and the Trojans. The Wildcats are a half-game back at 10-5, the Bruins and Golden Bears a game back at 9-5.

The schedule for next weekend: The Los Angeles schools visit the Bay Area, and the Wildcats are home for ASU while the Ducks are at home against the Washingtons. Protect their home court, and the Ducks will have no worse than a tie for first place when they hit the road to L.A. with two to go for the title.

A title the Ducks dearly want.

"That's our No. 1 goal right now," Ridnour said. "We strongly believe we can do it."

Saturday, the Ducks got some help toward that goal, but that wouldn't have mattered if they hadn't helped themselves. They did, and they'll go into the final two weeks of the Pac-10 race with a chance to win the whole darn thing.