The Wacky Pac: Pac-10 Tournament Preview

I bet you all thought nobody was going to write a preview for the Pac-10 conference tournament. Well, here I am, writing a preview for the bastard stepchild of the power conferences. The Pac-10 is definitely the Ashlee Simpson of college sports, everyone thinks we’re cute but once we get on the national stage everyone wishes that our hotter sister (any other power conference) was there instead. The Pac-10 does have some intriguing stories. How about Lute Olson passing John Wooden for all-time wins in the Pac-10? Seriously, if this was Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun, or Coach K, you would hear about this all day and night. But since it was a Pac-10 coach this was widely overlooked. Being a Sundevil fan I am glad it was overlooked and not played out, but you have to give credit where credit is due. There are also great stories like Lorenzo Romar turning Washington into a Pac-10 power and the Pac-10 Player of the year Ike Diogu (Jr. Arizona State) who is the most overlooked player in the nation.

Even if you don’t like the Pac-10 I highly recommend watching it. If you don’t watch it, here is what you can expect from Pac-10 tournament.

1. Arizona Vs. 8. California

In the first tournament 3 years ago UCLA upset the top seeded Arizona in the first round, don’t expect that here. Arizona will win this game by at least 20. They really have an incredible amount of weapons. Salim Stoudamire was third in the conference in scoring (18.2 ppg), Channing Frye (15.6 ppg and 7.5 boards)  is a force inside, and Hassan Adams (12.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg)is capable of taking games over if Salim or Frye are having off nights.

There is nothing too good to say about Cal. They were 6-12 in conference and 13-15 overall this year. Ouch! In the 2 previous meetings Arizona beat Cal 87-67 and 97-76. The only way Cal has a shot is to somehow contain Stoudamire and they must be able to shoot well from the perimeter. ‘Zona’s 1-3-1 zone makes it nearly impossible to get any kind of inside game.

Prediction: Expect the same result as the first 2 meetings, Arizona 98 – Cal 70.

2. Washington Vs. 7 Arizona State

Being a Sundevil fan I am going to try and be as impartial as possible. Although I don’t think it is going to happen, I wouldn’t be surprised to see an upset here. ASU played the Huskies tough both times this year. At home ASU led at one point in the second half but lost by 8. On the road they lost by 9, so it is clear the they can hang with the Huskies.

The Huskies have great guards in Nate Robinson, Tre Simmons, and Brandon Roy. Tre Simmons if hot, can take over a game all on his own. Nate Robinson is one of the more electric players in college basketball and when he is hot the entire team seems to feed of it. Washington also has the 2nd highest points per game average in the nation (North Carolina is number 1). No east coast bias you say? When these 2 teams played each other in Washington the Huskies were 11-16 from beyond the arch. It’s tough to beat a team that shoots that well from the outside. Arizona States’ bid for an upset lies squarely on the shoulders of Ike Diogu. If he doesn’t play well then other players must step up and that hasn’t happened a whole lot this year.

 I see this being a close game. If ASU wins they are going to win by less than 5. If Washington wins, they will probably win by 5-10 points.

My Prediction: Washington 85 – ASU 79

(Personally I hate Rob Evans and I would love to see him get fired the minute ASU loses to Washington)

3. Stanford Vs. 6 Washington State

I don’t know a whole lot about either of these teams. All I know is Stanford has a good forward by the name of Matt Haryasz. Yes it is pronounced just as you think, Harry-a$$. It really is almost as bad as Focker. If you don’t believe me, watch the game and you will hear the Stanford fans chanting it.

Washington State actually has a great defense that has kept them in a lot of games this year, including an upset win at  Arizona. Wazzou swept the Cardinal during the regular season so they know they can beat the Cardinal, but the question is how hungry will Stanford be for revenge? To me that is the X-factor. I think Stanford will be poised to beat the Cougars in this one setting up a second round match-up with Washington. Stanford is also playing to secure their place in the Big Dance and a better seeding. This will be a close game and could possibly come down to the final seconds.

My prediction: Stanford 62 – Washington State 60

4. UCLA VS. 5 Oregon State

UCLA had a good year and is beginning to show signs of returning to greatness.  Senior guard Dijon Thompson had a great year averaging 18.2 points per game and Pac-10 Freshman of the year Jordan Farmar did as well averaging 13.5 ppg and 5.3 assists per game.

These 2 teams split in the regular season and both games were close. When the Beavers beat UCLA in the beginning of the year David Lucas (F, OSU) scored 21 points. They will need a similar performance from him if they want to beat the Bruins.

Both teams won games on their home court. This will basically be a home game for UCLA being that the tournament is played in Los Angeles. I think the home court advantage and the dynamic duo of Farmar and Thompson will prove to be too much for the Beavers. The Bruins are also trying to solidify their place in the Big Dance so that will provide even more motivation.

My prediction: UCLA 78 – Oregon State 65

Overall I think this tournament will go as scripted. When all is said and done we should see the Washington Huskies squaring off against the Arizona Wildcats in the final. If this happens it will be a great championship game definitely worth watching. The thing is championship week is just like the big dance — things hardly ever go as scripted.

Expect to see one or two upsets. I would say those upsets could come in the ASU-Washington game and/or the Stanford-Washington State game. I know, you think I am being biased, but like I said ASU played U-Dub tough twice this year and I have a feeling it will be the same Thursday.

So why should you watch the Pac-10 tournament? It’s championship week, it is a power conference, and you just never know what is going to happen in the wacky Pac. What else do you have to do? Thank God for TiVo because I don’t know if I could chose between “The O.C” or the Pac-10 Tournament on Thursday night. These are the tough choices in life.