SHARE THE JOY by Tannen

As the clock wound down and it was apparent Oregon had defeated the Beavs, extending the streak of "NOT" losing to OSU at Mac Court to 16 years, my only mixed feeling were who to be happier for. The coach who has taken a bunch of hits and has some of the spoiled brat clueless fans calling for his dismissal. The players who have been unyielding in how hard they've practiced, and laid it on the line regardless of how the losses and heat piled up. The fans for sure. Nearly 88-hundred on hand meaning a mere 250 empty chairs to support a team with one conference victory. Sure, the proximity meant a decent amount of support for the guys in Orange. Florida has won 2 recent National Championships and even though they have a shot at returning to the Big Dance has not played to capacity crowds in recent weeks. Virginia from the tradition rich ACC had a couple thousand empty seats for their most recent game at the John Paul Jones Arena versus powerhouse Wake Forrest. Do the folks showing up and rocking The Pit trump the smaller, but vocal group displeased with Coach Kent? I'm guessing with a sharp guy like Pat Kilkenny it will. I thought it was a great touch when Ernie grabbed the microphone as the students filled the court and thanked everyone for their unyielding support and loyalty for his team. In the post game he also made a great point. The players finally got rewarded for their effort and preparation with the Stanford and Civil War victories and that's important for young people to see some kind of payoff or withdrawl for all put in. Your thoughts on the big show, look forward to it.