MAMADOU_NDIAYE.JPG

UC Irvine freshman Mamadou Ndiaye is the nation's tallest basketball player and will pose a problem for the Ducks inside tonight at 7:30 p.m.

(The Associated Press)

EUGENE -- Calling Mamadou Ndiaye an Anteater is, by definition, correct.

You could also call UC Irvine's 7-foot-6 freshman center the tallest basketball player living in the United States. Also, by sheer size, Oregon's biggest challenge of its undefeated season so far in tonight's 7:30 p.m. game against the Anteaters at Matthew Knight Arena. There's also this, too: Ndiaye, a native of Dakar, Senegal, might have the wildest backstory of any player the Ducks face this year, too.

According to the Orange County Register's November

of the freshman, Ndiaye was diagnosed with a tumor on his pituitary gland in September 2010, not long after he arrived in the Southern California after being seen -- how could he not be? -- by coaches abroad. The headaches and vision that each blinked in-and-out for long stretches suddenly made sense, even if the diagnosis didn't immediately lead to a surgery that was necessary within a couple years to ensure

. He moved from one tiny, private Christian school -- the same Stoneridge Prep that future NBA lottery pick Enes Kanter played at -- to another, in Huntington Beach. An elderly couple

, and money was raised for the surgery to remove the golf-ball sized tumor. (Here is his

against overmatched teens.)

Did I mention Ndiaye is one of three seven-footers on the roster?

Ioannis Dimakopoulos, another freshman, is 7-2 and Conor Clifford, a sophomore, is 7-0.

At Irvine, Ndiaye's next step is removing doubt about his NBA prospects.

His is a life defined by numbers and whether it's his height, five languages spoken or reach of 8-1 (nearly five inches longer than the NBA pre-draft combine record set last year by a future first-round pick), he impresses. No one knows that more than Washington, which fell victim to an upset on Nov. 14 after Ndiaye's 18-point, eight-rebound and nine-block performance.

Could Ndiaye and the rest of UC Irvine's huge front line cause problems for the Ducks, too? Oregon's advantage tonight at Matthew Knight Arena is its excellent shooting percentage that allows the 9-0 Ducks to stay outside of 15 feet without risking shooting themselves out of the game. When he leaves, UO's athleticism should create shot opportunities at the rim. Though Oregon's disadvantage in height at center tonight is more extreme, it's nothing new. Oregon's beaten plenty of bigger teams this so far, but this is still a peculiar challenge.

For the season, Ndiaye averages 8.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game, numbers that seem low before you realize he plays just 18.1 minutes per game because of how hard he must work to run up and down the floor. He's easily in double figures in gawking glances per game, too.

OK, onto the links:

Oregon cornerback Troy Hill has been

from team activities following an arrest late last week. His next hearing

Josh Huff and Taylor Hart get another chance to impress NFL scouts

.

Why is Oregon's offense

? Try looking at its spike in free-throw attempts.

about Oregon basketball with ESPN's Jay Bilas, who raves about Dana Altman.

An update on Colt Lyerla's

. He has another hearing this morning.

The Daily Emerald previews

.

-- Andrew Greif,