Pac 12 Tournament

If the Pac-12 tournament goes as expected, either Wash, Cali or Arizona will cut down the nets after Saturday's championship game. Then, those three teams will make the NCAA Tournament field of 68.

However, assuming the Pac-12 will go is planned is a big one. It probably won't happen. The Pac-12 has been filled with parity from the start, and chances are it will finish that way.

As it stands, it appears as though Arizona should be able to further secure an at-large bid by defeating ASU and winning at least one game in the conference tournament.

But if any team not named Washington, California or Arizona wins the Pac-12 tourney and earns an automatic bid to the big dance, that all changes of course.

Ho hummm...

Pac 12 Could Only Send One Team To Dance

Given the six power conferences' built-in advantages over the rest of college basketball, it seems hard to believe that any would have only one team in the NCAA Tournament.

Since 1980, when the field expanded to 48 teams and conferences were allowed more than two representative, none of the six have ever sent only one team. The Pac 12 may just make history.

The conference leader, California, is really the only team on pace for an at-large bid. Co-leaders Washington and Arizona are close to at-large territory. This disaster really stems from the conference's lousy non-conference results, which sank Pac 12 teams' ratings percentage index numbers.

Pac 12 Conference Rankings

Like I was saying... the Pac 12 race is really heating up. Here are the current rankings and some notes:

1. Washington - you surely can't knock the improvement Washington has made throughout the year. If things keep going this way, despite the team's mediocre tourney profile, Romar's team will be in excellent position heading into the all-important Pac 12 tournament.

2. California - the Bears had spent the entire season leading the pack as the most solid team. That perception hasn't necessarily changed, despite their recent drop out of first. The Bears are solid, but aren't spectacular.

3. Colorado - the Buffaloes are playing some solid defense, picking up some nice wins, but I hardly expect the Buffaloes to finish anything better than third or fourth.

4. Arizona - the Wildcats have moved up very quickly this week thanks to their impressive sweep of the Bay Area. The Wildcats are now 7-4 in conference play.

5. Oregon - the Ducks have really failed to impress when it comes to league play.

6. Stanford - with the Cardinals sitting at 6-5 and having allowed the fifth-most points per possession in Pac-12 play, I'm not sure if there is too much else to say.

At this point you have probably stopped reading... but I wholeheartedly thank you if you haven't!

7. Oregon State

8. UCLA

9. Washington State

10. Arizona State

11. Utah

12. USC

Pac 12 Conference Race is One to Watch

The Pac 12 Conference is actually compelling this year... weird

Washington beat Arizona on the road last weekend and then overcame a late double-digit deficit to beat UCLA on Thursday. Then Arizona overcame Cal's early 13-point lead in one of the better matchups of the week, a 78-74 road win for Arizona. The Wildcats then followed up with a victory over the Stanford Cardinals.

The Pac 12 might end up hosting the most captivating finish in the country simply because every team has little NCAA tourney experience!

Kyle Fogg Leads Arizona to Win Over Cal

There has been quite a bit of tension between Arizona and California as of late, both going to the wire so many times, that it isn't surprising things turned testy.

Kyle Fogg hit a go-ahead 3-pointer under pressure with 1:19 to play and finished with 23 points, Jesse Perry added a key basket with 45.2 seconds left and Arizona knocked Cal out of the Pac 12 lead with a wild 78-74 victory Thursday night.

Harper Kamp scored a season-high 22 points for the Golden Bears in their first home loss of the season at Haas Pavilion. The loss comes a few days short of a year after the teams went to triple overtime in Arizona's 107-105 win.

The win was a big one for the Wildcats, who had lost three of five.