Well, now that football season is completely over, and Baseball season has yet to begin, College basketball is in full focus. With Selection Sunday just four weeks away, I thought it would be fun to take a general look at the Pac 10's basketball teams, and speculate as to where they might be spending their March.



Here is the current pac 10 standings:

UCLA #6 21-3 (9-2)
Stanford #7 20-4 (9-3)
Washington State #20 19-5 (7-5)
Arizona State 16-7 (6-5)
Arizona 16-8 (6-5)
USC 15-8 (6-5)
Oregon 15-9 (6-6)
California 14-9 (5-7)
Washington 13-12 (4-8)
Oregon State 6-18 (0-12)


We'l quickly look at these teams in order...


UCLA
UCLA is the deepest team in the Pac 10 and one of the most solid in the nation. After consecutive Final Four appearances, the question isn't weather they will be successful, but how successful they can be. I have been a believer all year long as this team seems to have what it takes, both offensively and defensively, and they seem to have a knack of winning the games they need to win. From what I've seen, when UCLA plays their bast game, nobody beats them. If UCLA has a weakness, it is that if they go cold from the perimeter and Love in ineffective, they can lose, but that doesn't happen often. I will not change the prediction I have held for the Bruins all year long.
Prediction :
#1 Seed
....National Champions.


Stanford
Stanford is another one of those very talented teams who can play on both ends of the ball. They can play defense better than anyone on the interior, and they can also score as long as they can get the ball on the inside. Stanford also has shown that they can win big games, and can win on the road. If they have any challenges, it's that if you can shut down the Lopez brothers on the inside, you can beat them. Stanford has the ability to be the national Champions, but it might be too easy for a good defensive team to have the right formula to beat them before the Final Four.
Prediction:
#2 Seed
...Elite 8


Washington State
As with Stanford, WSU is a phenomenal defensive team. These guys can flat out bring it and shut down some of the best teams in the nation. They also have the ability to score big from the perimeter, which begs the question, why can't they win it all? The only challenges I see is that they have a tendancy of struggling on the offensive side of the ball. They are not a particularly good half court offensive team and against other great defenses, WSU can get shut down more than they can shut down their opponent. This team has the ability to go all the way, but has to gain some continuity on offense to get there.
Prediction:
#4 Seed
...Elite 8


Arizona State
ASU is a very tricky team to look at. They have an insane amount of young talent and have shown that they can beat anyone. They are sure to get into the NCAA tournament but how well they do will be determined by how well Harden and company play against elite defenses. Unfortunately, the elite defenses in the pac 10 have shown that they can shut them down. I don't think they have enough leadership to be as good as their talent might suggest, at least for this season.
Prediction:
#6 seed
...Sweet 16


Arizona
UA is another tricky team. They have had some growing pains this season, trying to gain some consistency in focusing more on the defensive end of the ball. This team has shown that they can beat some very good teams, but have also shown that they can lose to mediocre ones. The best judge of this team might be in looking at how they play against elite teams around the nation. Unfortunately, with the exception of WSU, UA has lost or been blown out against nearly every ranked team they've played. They could get it right by tourney time, but I have my doubts.
Prediction:
#7 seed
...Loss in the second round


USC
USC has a lot of talent, but has also shown some inconsistency. Unlike Arizona, however, USC has played exceptionally well though most of the season, after a rocky start. These guys have a lot of talent, and can score in the half court as well as transition. If they can stay healthy and Mayo continues to not be selfish, they can go a long way.
Prediction:
# 5 Seed
...Sweet 16


Oregon
Oregon has been my suprise team this season, but not for good reason. I expected last year's fastest Pac 10 team to continue on even without Aaron Brooks. It is clear now that Brooks was the motor and they are not the same without him. Oregon CAN beat just about anyone, but they definitely seem to lack something. Whatever that "something" is, it is going to hurt them come tourney time. They will be a bubble team to get into the dance, but I have a feeling they'll get in and hopefully, they'll make the most of it.
Prediction:
#10 seed
...First Round loss.


Cal
Cal is a very inconsistent team who relies on one player. If you can shut him down, you can beat them. Although it appears that they might be able to make a serious run at the NCAA Tourney, this field is likely too deep to make it eight Pac 10 teams. If Cal really starts lighting it up and they get in, I doubt Oregon will get in, but still, I think Cal will be destined to the NIT this season.
Prediction:
NIT Tournament
...semifinals


Washington
Well, what can I say? Too much inconsistency for a team that has some talent, but apparently, not the heart to be a big time player. They can beat UCLA, but they can lose to Cal. Unfortunately, there have been just too many bad losses and not enough good wins to even merit an NIT berth for this years Husky team. I fear that they need to win another seven games (including the Pac 10 tourney) to merit consideration for any post season berth.
Prediction:
...Staying home


Oregon state
Oregon State is only playing for one thing... to avoid being the first 0-18 Pac 10 team in history. Can they win one Pac 10 game? if they are going to, it is likely going to have to be this Saturday against the Dawgs, because after that, it get's much tougher.
Prediction:
...OSU will beat either UW or Oregon to finish with a 1-17 record.

Key Games:

Oregon @ USC (February 21st)
Oregon @ UCLA (February 23rd)
USC @ Arizona (February 28th)
Washington State @ Stanford (March 1st)
Stanford @UCLA (March 6th)

Discussion

DM14