Invisible Line Helps Oregon Win A Sub-NIT Championship

The Oregon Ducks won the College Basketball Invitational tournament (presented by Zebra Pen) last night. The CBI's " history page" goes all the way back to 2008 and notes how VCU won it last year.

Anyway, Oregon's 71-69 victory over Creighton last night sounded rather hinkey. The game was tied at 69 with 17 seconds left. Then, a nuance of Oregon's new $227 million arena pretty much decided things.

Only a very thin line - two of them, actually, running parallel to each other down the middle of the court - separated these two teams. That's the line that Creighton guard Antoine Young unknowingly stepped over, for an over-and-back call that gave the ball to Oregon in the final seconds.

Then, Oregon's E.J. Singler's bank shot with two seconds left decided the game.

"This is a beautiful building, a great atmosphere,'' Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. "You just wish there was a visible halfcourt line. That's unfortunate, a tough way to lose a game."

Ducks win CBI title, with some home-court help [The Oregonian]

Men's Basketball Falls, 71-69, In Final Seconds of CBI Finals [Go Creighton]