Pac-10 notebook: Ducks at 11? RPI is up to its old quackery

Every year it happens. The impulse zooms through cyberspace, firing through the galaxies, and anoints some college basketball team the chosen one.

In the Ratings Percentage Index computer, it becomes inviolate, and seemingly no scheduling indiscretion, no misstep at home, no slippage by the teams it vanquished, matters. It can do no wrong.

Oregon, kindly step into our office. And bring your RPI resume.

Can somebody other than Phil Knight explain how the Ducks have a No. 11 RPI ranking this week? It's wonderful, other than the fact it puts Oregon ahead of North Carolina (No. 13), Syracuse (14), Kentucky (18), Louisville (21), Texas (25), Connecticut (28) and 317 other Division I teams.

It's not the fault of Ernie Kent, the coach, who has put together a young team that in a year or two could be dynamite. At 11-3, the Ducks should threaten for an NCAA berth this year.

But ... No. 11?

"Yeah, I'm pleased with it," Kent said this week. "Obviously, it shows we did the right thing with scheduling. We've beaten some good people, and lost to some good people."

The Ducks got clocked in Chicago against Illinois, but no shame there.

Big victories? The Ducks' best is against Vanderbilt (RPI No. 43) on a quasi-home court in Portland. Gutsy games on the road? Aside from the Illinois venture, the Ducks played only two other true road games before the Pac-10 schedule, victories at Marshall (237) and Fresno State (87).

Meanwhile, they have a home-court loss against UCLA, a capable team but not considered a serious title contender in the Pac-10.

The good thing is, now that we've voiced confusion over the RPI, some Oregon fans will be happy to justify it.

John's caution light

Arizona's Lute Olson, for whom John worked before his appointment at Oregon State, says a UA team doctor had warned John about getting medication to control high blood pressure.

Most coaches are practiced at combating job demands with exercise, although as Washington State's Dick Bennett, 61, says, "I think the younger breed of coaches is more in tune with exercise. Those of us who are not in love with exercise have a little more difficulty."

How they deal with the health risk:

• Olson: "My blood pressure is about 110 over 65. It has to be genes. But I don't let a day go by when I don't exercise, and three times a week, I exercise twice a day."

• Arizona State's Rob Evans: "I work out a lot and try to eat the right things. The only night I've ever spent in a hospital was for hip surgery."

• Kent: "I'm an avid race-walker, every morning bright and early. I watch what I eat, and I'm not a guy who drinks a ton — maybe a little bit of red wine at dinner."

• Cal's Ben Braun: "On a daily basis, I try to get some exercise, whether it's walking, swimming, lifting weights, occasionally tennis. I try to get some down time at night. I don't want the last thing I do to be watching game film; I won't sleep. I've got to read or listen to music or talk to a relative."

Assistant coach Kevin Mouton will handle the Beavers at least tonight against Arizona State as John recuperates.

And what's more ...

• It's not a good thing for Arizona that Olson abruptly decided last weekend to pull sophomore big man Kirk Walters out of a redshirt year. It signifies that Isaiah Fox — frequently in and out of physical and off-the-court problems — is a decreasing factor. Says Olson, "He's not, by nature, a very energetic person."

• Oregon State guard Lamar Hurd, referring to the team's three straight losses: "There's some kind of behind-the-scenes things that we have to get worked out." That might have to do with freshman Sasa Cuic, who has disappeared in the three losses.

• The last time ASU yielded as many points as it did against USC (98) was in 1988 to Arizona (101), which had Sean Elliott and Steve Kerr.

• Olson has made nice with Salim Stoudamire, calling him the best long-range shooter in the country and a pro prospect. In fact, Stoudamire does lead the nation at 56.2 percent on threes.