Oregon Ducks deserve NCAA Bid

Staff writer Raymond Mencke Jr. was nice enough to answer a few questions about the Oregon Ducks recruiting violations, quarterback Jake Rodrigues, and a short and very sweet remark about the Oregon Ducks chances of making the NCAA tourney.

1. Ultimately, what do you think ends up happening to the Oregon Ducks due to the recruiting violations against them? What do you think is the right course of action for the NCAA to take? There are other factors involved in this, but what is the big picture scenario we are looking at?

I think they’ll probably lose some scholarships but they won’t get hit that hard.  I really don’t believe they did anything wrong, if anything they blew a lot of money on something where they got no return.  The kid from Texas never even played a regular season down.  Let’s face it, kids get bought or pushed to certain schools all the time and it’s never going to stop.  The Oregon Ducks have gotten investigated because they’ve become relevant and they have Phil Knight as a major presence.  I’d be surprised if anything other than losing some scholarships comes down.

2. This is the money question. Which round to the Ducks need to get to in the Pac-12 Tournament to make it to the NCAAs? Which round will they end up reaching?

The Ducks in my mind are already in the NCAA’s with their 22-8 record.  Even if they lost their first game it won’t affect them.  I think they’ll make it to the championship game.

3. You recently did a piece on Jake Rodrigues. Do you think he has a realistic shot of being the starter for the Oregon Ducks? What are two best traits and two biggest weaknesses?

don’t think Rodrigues has a realistic shot at being the starter.  It’s really difficult for a freshmen to come in and compete with guys who have already been in the program and know the playbook.  I like the fact that he is already enrolled at the school and he’ll get reps in the Spring.  He’s familiar with the spread offense as that is what he ran in high school so it shouldn’t be that much of a transition for him once he starts to learn the plays.  The fact that he is coming off injury could potentially hurt him as you never know how a kid is going to come back from any injury, let alone a leg injury for a dual threat quarterback.  Inexperience is going to work against him too being a freshman.  The other quarterbacks he’s competing against know how to practice, lift weights and still get their school work done where as a freshman still has to learn how to juggle both.

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