No. 15 Oregon Stuns No. 10 Arizona 79-77

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) _ After knocking off two Top 10 teams in eight days, No. 15 Oregon probably deserves a higher ranking. But coach Ernie Kent isn't complaining. ``They can keep us under the radar

Monday, January 15th 2007, 6:24 am

By: News On 6

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) _ After knocking off two Top 10 teams in eight days, No. 15 Oregon probably deserves a higher ranking. But coach Ernie Kent isn't complaining. ``They can keep us under the radar all they want,'' Kent said. ``The rankings really don't mean anything right now. Right now, we're just managing the conference season.''

They're doing more than that. Oregon's exhilarating 79-77 victory over No. 10 Arizona in McKale Center Sunday night underscored how far the Ducks have come since last year, when they finished 15-18.

Eight days after they beat then-No. 1 UCLA, the Ducks stunned the Wildcats on a running bank shot by senior point guard Aaron Brooks, who celebrated his 22nd birthday by scoring 21 points.

The game also highlighted the strength of the Pac-10, whose coaches often complain that the league deserves more credit and national media attention.

``This was an incredible ballgame,'' Kent said. ``This was the only game being played at this time in the nation, and football (the NFL playoffs) was already over. This showcased the Pac-10. It was two great teams playing in a great game.''

In the only other Top 25 games on Sunday: No. 11 Duke beat Miami 85-63; and No. 22 Notre Dame topped Seton Hall 88-76.

Many fans east of the Mississippi River knew about the perennially powerful Wildcats, who have played at Virginia and against Louisville in Madison Square Garden. But the Ducks remain something of a secret outside the Pacific Northwest, although they did beat then-No. 18 Georgetown 57-50 in Washington on Nov. 29.

The Ducks have been dismissed as too small _ they start only one man taller than 6-foot-6 _ and mocked for rarely venturing outside the state of Oregon in non-conference play. But Oregon is 6-0 away from home.

Brooks said he hoped the victory over Arizona would show ``that we're a scrappy team.

``We can play with anybody, regardless of our size, regardless of our pre-conference schedule,'' Brooks said.

Brooks, who is generously listed at 6-foot, played all 40 minutes Sunday, with six assists, three steals and only one turnover.

The Ducks (16-1, 4-1) have already passed last year's win total. After wrapping up their first road sweep of the Pac-10's Arizona school, they return to McArthur Court to face Stanford and California. Then they hit the road for four straight games at Washington, Washington State, UCLA and USC.

``We can't let down,'' said Kent, who earned his 180th career victory, trailing only Oregon leader Howard Hobson with 212.

By the time that stretch is over, the Ducks may have earned more national acclaim. But Kent won't mind if his team is still considered an underdog heading into the NCAA tournament.

Kent said the Ducks had developed a toughness last year, and it showed in the critical final minutes as the Ducks stared down the Wildcats and their howling, red-clad fans.

``I can't say enough about my guys and everything they've been through,'' Kent said. ``We've just grown up so much in a year.''

Brooks nailed a 3-pointer to tie it 77 with 1:50 to play. After Arizona senior point guard Mustafa Shakur turned the ball over, Kent called timeout and set up a play that calls for Brooks to penetrate. If he can't get a shot, Brooks is supposed to dish to one of Oregon's 3-point snipers.

But Brooks said he never thought about passing after he made his initial move, driving the right side of the lane and banking a shot high off the glass.

``I had a ball screen and I came off it and it was one-on-one after that,'' Brooks said. ``I was in position to take the shot and it went in. Coach put a lot of trust in me.''

Arizona coach Lute Olson said the Wildcats knew what was coming and couldn't stop it.

``I think the game went just as we expected it to go,'' Olson said. ``(Oregon) can get up and down the court quicker than anyone we have played.''

No. 11 Duke 85, Miami 63

At Coral Gables, Fla. _ Freshman Jon Scheyer scored a season-high 25 points and No. 11 Duke shot a season-best 68 percent in its first conference victory of the season over Miami.

Duke missed only 13 of 41 shots, and Scheyer was especially efficient. He went 5-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-6 on 3-pointers, and made all 11 free-throw attempts. Greg Paulus added 15 points, and DeMarcus Nelson had 14.

The Blue Devils (14-3, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) had been off to their worst start in the league since 1996.

Brian Asbury led Miami (9-9, 2-2) with 19 points.

No. 22 Notre Dame 88, Seton Hall 76

At South Bend, Ind., Russell Carter had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Rob Kurz added 15 points and nine rebounds for Notre Dame.

Zach Hillesland had a career-high 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to help Notre Dame (15-2, 3-1 Big East) improve to 13-0 at home.

Brian Laing led Seton Hall (10-6, 2-2) with 20 points.