Tourney site one sore spot for Ducks, other coaches.

Byline: Bob Rodman The Register-Guard

SAN JOSE, Calif. - One win in February.

Five straight losses to end the regular season.

Zero victories in nine Pac-10 Conference women's basketball games away from home.

It's no wonder Oregon coach Bev Smith is a bit less than thrilled about having to play the league tournament somewhere other than McArthur Court, including the so-called neutral floor at HP Pavilion for the fourth of what will be six consecutive years.

But the real issue, she suggested, is greater than the Ducks' struggles.

"I think we need to change the time it's played and the location," Smith said as the eighth-seeded Ducks (14-14) moved toward tonight's first-round game against ninth-seeded Arizona (7-21) that is scheduled for an 8:15 tip-off.

"Play it later (than the first weekend of March) and play it where there's a more university-friendly environment. Take it to campus sites, even Portland, where it will draw (fans)."

The $162.5-million, San Jose-owned facility, the primary tenant of which is the NHL's San Jose Sharks, has a seating capacity of 18,500 for a basketball game.

The place has yet to match that total for a single Pac-10 tournament after three years of tournaments.

Few other Pac-10 coaches are in disagreement with Smith, including those who have won the conference event.

Charli Turner Thorne, the Arizona State coach whose team won the inaugural Pac-10 tournament that was staged at Oregon's McArthur Court in 2002, said if she could change anything about the tournament's format it would be the site.

"Everything about the tournament is great and it is run very well, but I'd change the location," she said. "That first year at Oregon ... it drew very well."

That 2002 tournament still holds the event's attendance record. McArthur Court crowds never were fewer than 5,000 for each of the five sessions and totaled 27,415.

Crowds at HP Pavilion have yet to draw a total of more than 17,840 for each of its three tournament productions.

"Our fans are ready for a change in venue," Washington coach June Daugherty said. "Nothing against HP Pavilion or San Jose, but people like variety."

Some coaches believe Stanford and California have the home-court advantage. "It's not a neutral court," Daugherty said.

Kathy Olivier, the UCLA coach, said "it's important for women's basketball to have a good fan base and maybe having different venues" would help that.

Stanford has won a Pac-10-record six consecutive regular-season conference titles and is about to launch its bid for a fourth straight league tournament championship.

But even Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer is open to the idea of getting the tournament out of Stanford's backyard.

"Maybe play the men's and women's tournaments together, but move it around," she said. "It would be more fair to the other teams and it would expose the tournament to other fans ... fans in Oregon, the Northwest, Arizona and Los Angeles."

The Pac-10's contract with HP Pavilion, which is owned by the city of San Jose, ends with the conclusion of the 2008 conference tournament.

No decisions have been made as to what the Pac-10 will do with its tournament at that point, though there has been some speculation that USC's new basketball facility, the 10,258-seat Galen Center, will be the site of the 2009 tournament.

Smith also said that changing the date of the Pac-10 tournament would do a lot to alleviate the pressure of trying to get nonconference games squeezed onto a schedule that includes a league season beginning before Christmas, which was the case this season and will be next season.

Too, there is a television contract with Fox Sports Net that must be considered, though, unlike the men's tournament, not every tournament game is televised - just the semifinals and final, or three of the nine games.

But those games go on.

"Whether the game is on the road, anywhere on the planet or on Mars," Smith said, the Ducks need a win over Arizona - which has lost nine straight - to ensure a season record of .500 or better and a likely bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament.

Meeting in the conference tournament for the first time, Oregon and the Wildcats split their two games during the regular season, the Ducks losing in overtime at Tucson and winning by 20 points at McArthur Court.

PAC-10 WOMEN'S

TOURNAMENT

At San Jose, Calif.

First Round

TODAY'S GAMES

Oregon State vs. Washington State, 6 p.m.

Oregon vs. Arizona, 8:15 p.m.

Quarterfinals

SATURDAY'S GAMES

UCLA vs. California, 11 a.m.

Arizona State vs. Oregon State-Washington State winner, 1:15 p.m.

Stanford vs. Oregon-Arizona winner, 5 p.m.

Washington vs. Southern California, 7:15 p.m.

OREGON WOMEN

VS. ARIZONA

No. 8 Oregon (14-14,

5-13) Starters

Eleanor Haring, 6-1 Jr.

(7.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg)

Kedzie Gunderson, 6-0 Sr. (5.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg)

Jessie Shetters, 6-6 Jr.

(3.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg)

Chelsea Wagner, 5-10 Sr.

(9.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg)

Kaela Chapdelaine, 5-10 So. (3.9 ppg, 2.7 apg)

No. 9 Arizona (7-21,

3-15) Starters

Anna Chappell, 6-1 Sr.

(2.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg)

Joy Hollingsworth, 5-10 Jr. (14.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg)

Natalie Jones, 5-10 Sr.

(15.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg)

Ashley Whisonant, 5-8 So. (13.5 ppg, 3.5 apg)

Jessica Arnold, 5-4 So.

(5.7 ppg, 1.7 apg)

Time: 8:15 p.m.

Radio/TV: KUGN-AM (590)/No live or delayed television.

ALSO IN THE

FIRST ROUND

No. 7 Oregon State (14-13, 7-11) vs. No. 10 Washington State (8-19, 2-16), 6 p.m. - OSU, 2-4 in league tournament games, won four of last six regular-season games and had six more Pac-10 wins than last year ... Four Beaver starters averaging 32 or more minutes ... Senior forward Kim Butler averaging nearly 19 points a game for OSU ... Cougars, winless in four Pac-10 tournament games, led by conference-leading rebounder Kate Benz ... WSU's eight wins most since 11 in 2000-01 season.

UO WOMEN VS. ARIZONA

8:15 p.m. today at HP Pavilion, San Jose, Calif. Radio: KUGN-AM (590).