Oregon Ducks Earning Respect In Rankings, Move to 16th In Associated Press Poll
The Oregon Ducks begin this week at home ranked 16th in the Associated Press poll. Dana Altman and Company have the highest ranked Pac-12 team this week.
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Following a big weekend and beating the Arizona schools on the road for the first time since 2009 the Oregon Ducks are still in some ways looking for some respect. In football the wins carry more weight than in basketball, at least to this point. To start the year Arizona was the cream of the crop in the Pac-12. They were the team and still are the team with the name recognition. The Wildcats have fallen from their pedestal and the Oregon Ducks stand at the top of the Pac-12 Conference as the second half of the season begins this week, but in the minds of voters the Pac-12 may not be the power house they once were.
As the top team in the Conference you would think that would mean a Top 10 ranking, but with the competition so deep in the country this season it is at the moment good enough for the Top 16. This season, the Oregon Ducks started the season on the cusp of the rankings and worked their way into the Top 25 early in the year, but fell out with a loss or two. Now they have climbed the last two weeks to be the top Pac-12 team at 16, followed by Arizona clinging onto the 23rd place of the Associated Press poll this week.
Oregon can continue to climb the rankings by doing one thing. Winning. The second half begins on Thursday with the first of just five final home games this season, with four on the road before the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas and the calendar flipping to March. The Oregon Ducks have shown this season they can win on the road in hostile environments as well as posting and undefeated record at home. Respect will come with time and there is a month left to go for Dana Altman and the Ducks to continue to climb in the standings.
Next: Oregon Ducks Sweep Arizona Schools
The Oregon Ducks host Colorado on Thursday night at 6pm and Utah on Sunday at 1pm this week at Matthew Knight Arena. Both games will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.