It's the consummate place to stage a game. Opponents cringe at the thought of playing in Mac Court. Fans speak of it with unmatched reverence. Visitors liken the fabled West Coast facility to the former Boston Garden in the east. According to a recent poll, McArthur Court was deemed as a Pac-10 visiting team's least favorite place to play and in 1995 Sports Illustrated listed it as one of the 12 toughest places in the country to play at the collegiate level.
Students sit at courtside, and the atmosphere just before tipoff is tingling.
Even with its tradition, McArthur Court is a modern facility. A new maple floor was installed after it was made for the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle and the bleachers were repainted in 1990-91 in brighter green and yellow. Oregon's fans are also part of the ambience. The Ducks have ranked annually near the top of attendance figures in the conference and the setting is the favorite of the many TV producers and announcers who cover games here. The flavor is easy to capture for their audiences.