On the surface, Stanford’s loss at Oregon yesterday doesn’t seem too bad.

The Ducks came into the season ranked No. 12 in the nation after returning four starters from a team that reached the NCAA’s Elite Eight last year. The Cardinal was visiting one of the country’s most hostile road environments in McArthur Court, and, after all, the game was tight throughout and Stanford played well despite its horrendous shooting — Anthony Goods went 2-for-13, and overall, the team was an atrocious 3-for-19 from three-point range (although poor shot selection may have had something to do with that).

To sum it up, Stanford played well, but just couldn’t execute when it mattered. But that might be the most damning thing about Sunday’s loss to the Ducks.

It was one of those “coulda, shoulda, woulda” games. Brook Lopez looked dominant, scoring 26 points on 10-for-16 shooting. But down the stretch, the Cardinal did not execute in getting the ball to the big man for high-quality looks. With under a minute left and a chance to tie the game, the team frantically passed the ball around the perimeter before Lopez was forced to take an off-balance shot from an impossible angle — not surprisingly, it was an airball. And let’s not even get into the team’s foul shooting in the game’s waning moments.

When it comes down to it, good teams win games like these. I’m aware that Stanford’s record currently sits at 13-3, but if the Cardinal wants to cement itself as one of the premier teams in the Pacific-10 Conference, it has got to show that it can tough it out in the last few minutes. The team had a perfect chance to do just that in Eugene yesterday, but it obviously came up short.

While the game was not a must-win by any means, this was a win that Stanford really could have used. Road wins don’t come in easy any season in the Pac-10, let alone this year when the conference may be as strong as ever.

It was the kind of win that a true contender — a team destined for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament — wins. Instead, the Cardinal may be headed for another double-digit tournament seeding if they fail to close games like these down the stretch.

The Pac-10 season will be a long one, however, filled with plenty of ups and downs. A sweep of the Arizona schools this weekend will most likely erase all unpleasant memories from this last game. That said, Sunday’s loss to Oregon was a game that shouldn’t have got away the way it did.

Around the Pac-10:

— After the first two weeks of play, it is apparent that the conference title is UCLA’s to lose. The No. 5 Bruins outclassed No. 4 Washington State this past weekend at Pauley Pavilion, 81-74, in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated. After the Bruins’ 14-point win over Washington two days before, Husky guard Justin Dentmon said, “They’re good, but I don’t think they’re the best UCLA team I’ve faced.” While Dentmon’s assertion may or may not be right, one thing is clear: the road to the Pac-10 title will once again run through Westwood.

— Arizona State freshman James Harden has helped turn the Sun Devils from a perennial doormat into a team that looks to have a decent shot at an NCAA Tournament bid this year. The guard from Artesia, Calif. — who I actually played against in high school (well, I was on the bench for the whole game, but you get the point) — dropped 26 points on Arizona, adding a new name to the “Who’s the best freshman in the Pac-10?” debate.

— USC obviously has no shortage of star power — think O.J. Mayo, Lil’ Romeo (who’s coming in next year as a freshman) — and talent, but they may struggle to win games as a cohesive unit in the tough Pac-10. The Trojans started the conference season 0-3, and, despite showing flashes of brilliance in close losses to No. 2 Memphis and No. 3 Kansas, they’re already putting themselves in a tenuous position come Selection Sunday.

— Aside from Washington and Oregon State, every Pac-10 team has a legitimate shot at making the NCAA Tournament come March. Although its unlikely that the conference will get more than six teams into the tourney, this is the year it might happen.