Last night, the Oregon Duck basketball team opened Matthew Knight Arena with a victory over the USC Trojans, 68-62. It was quite the event, from what I've seen and read. Chip Kelly sat courtside and Phil Knight addressed the crowd, and was greeted with a well deserved standing ovation.
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| This Duck fan sure looks like she had fun... |
Being completely honest, when I first saw what the court was going to look like, I thought it was hideous. My view has changed a little bit though. I still don't love it, but now, I would classify it as not-so-hideous. It definitely falls into the category of 'gimmicky', but it's still kind of cool. It's sort of the basketball team's equivalent to the football team's constantly changing uniforms. Except that the football team is actually good, so they can get away with gimmicks and the basketball team does not enjoy that same luxury.
But just look at the football program. We can see what top-of-the-line facilities can do for a college sports program. They can only help. Maybe Oregon's basketball team is headed in a new direction. Anyway, there are a few more pictures after the jump...
