Tucked away in an oft-forgotten time zone, the Pac-10 is quietly one of best basketball conferences again. Perennial power UCLA is back in form, Stanford has another great team and freshman sensations have taken over in the desert. So does the Pac-10 stand in terms of NCAA bids?
Punched Ticket Already…
UCLA (26-3, 14-2) – Ben Howland’s Bruins are again the best team in the West. Lead by freshman Kevin Love, UCLA has deep bench with a plethora of past tournament experience. Guards Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook form a solid backcourt-duo. The worst of their three losses was on the road at Washington. Projected Seed: 1 (or 2 if they lose to Stanford)
Stanford (24-4, 13-3) – Hard to imagine this team lost to Siena at the beginning of the year. Twin 7-footers Brook and Robin Lopez have matured to become the emotional leaders for the Cardinal. But they’re backing that emotion up, Brook leads the team in scoring (19.3 ppg) while Robin leads the team in blocks (63). A win at UCLA would give even more credibility. Projected Seed: 2 or 3
Washington State (22-7, 10-7) – The Cougars were exposed in January, but have since corrected the ship winning six of eight. Wazzu’s win total (22) and weekend split in northern California assured them a NCAA nod. The senior laden team could make a splash in March, but probably lack the scoring to make a big push. Projected Seed: 5 or 6
On the Bubble…
USC (18-10, 9-7) – The Trojans are in great shape to make the tournament after another weekend split. USC is assured to finish at least .500 in league play. Season-opening loss to Mercer hurts, but four-point losses Kansas and Memphis look good. Freshman guard O.J. Mayo is one of the most talented in the country and leads the team in scoring. Verdict: USC gets in as a 7 or 8 seed
Arizona (17-12, 7-9) – The Wildcats boast top 25 RPI and the nation’s top SOS. Two home losses to the So Cal schools hurt. Now they probably must win at least one game in the Pac-10 tourney to feel remotely at ease. Arizona will probably be rewarded with a tournament slot, but they can’t close the season with eight losses in 12 games. Verdict: Zona is the fifth Pac-10 in
Oregon (16-12, 7-9) – Ernie Kent’s squad is on knife’s edge. Their season-ending road trip to Arizona will determine their fate. Nonconference wins over Kansas State and Utah look good, the loss to Oakland is just painful. Although the Ducks have a sub-500 conference record, they own a better RPI and stronger SOS than the Sun Devils. Verdict: TBD, win and the Ducks are in period
Arizona State (18-10, 8-8) – The Sun Devils 14-point victory over USC kept hope alive in the Valley of the Sun. ASU scored a big win over Xavier in December, but RPI and SOS both remain in the 60s. The Sun Devils must douse Oregon’s at-large chances to remain in contention. Verdict: TBD, but could be the sixth team from the Pac-10
1 comment:
I think that regardless of how USC finishes the tourney, the committee will put them in because of the superfrosh phenomenon. Mayo will sell tickets and people in densely populated Southern Cal are either Bruin or Trojan fans, making for highly watched games.
Post a Comment