PAC-10 Men’s College Basketball Tournament Predictions
Written March 9, 2009 by Jack Jones
The PAC-10 Conference Tournament tips off this Wednesday, March 11th, with the Championship game scheduled for Saturday, March 14th. The top two teams in the regular season, Washington and UCLA both receive byes for the first round with UCLA playing the winner of Washington St. vs. Oregon and the number one seed, Washington, playing the winner of Oregon State vs. Stanford. All ten teams get into the conference tournament, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. With three teams currently ranked in the Top 25 and several teams ranked around the top 50 in RPI, the PAC-10 will likely send a 4 or more teams to the tournament. Let’s take a look at the top three teams in the conference, plus an underdog in the conference tournament that could make some noise.
Washington Huskies (14-4 PAC-10, 24-7 Overall)
The Huskies grabbed the regular season PAC-10 conference title, edging out UCLA with a 14-4 conference record. Washington comes into the conference tournament on a five-game winning streak, but their most recent loss came at the hands of UCLA, who Washington split the regular season series with 1-1. The Huskies have the number one seed in the conference tournament and are my favorite to sweep their bracket. Bet the Washigton Huskies in the PAC-10 tournament this year.
UCLA Bruins (13-5 PAC-10, 24-7 Overall)
If there is a team that can knock Washington out of the conference tournament, it’s the UCLA Bruins. The only problem might be getting to the Championship to face the Huskies. UCLA has won 4 straight coming into the tournament, but with recent conference losses to Washington State, Arizona, and Arizona State, it might be difficult for them reach the final game in the tournament. Regardless of how the Bruins perform this week, their ticket is probably already punched for the NCAA Tournament, so an early loss would not be that devastating to the team.
Arizona State Sun Devils (11-7 PAC-10, 22-8 Overall)
The Sun Devils might have received the 4th seed in the conference tournament, but they ended their regular season by knocking off the third seed, Cal, 83-66. Cal actually has a slight advantage in the RPI ratings, but I like the Sun Devils to come out and compete for the PAC-10 tournament title. Arizona State has one of the best players in all of the PAC-10 in James Harden, who averages 20.8 points per game and chips in with 5.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. If Harden has a big tournament, this team could go far. Bet on Arizona State during the PAC-10 tournament.
Sleeper: USC Trojans (9-9 PAC-10, 18-12 Overall)
The Trojans had a rough run in within the conference this year, but they have been just a few clutch shots from beating some of the best teams in the conference. USC won their last two games of the regular season over Oregon and Oregon State, and while those wins were not surprising, they did give the Trojans a much-needed confidence boost heading into the conference tournament.
Predicted PAC-10 Conference Championship Winner: Washington Huskies
Looking to do some college basketball betting this tournament season? Check out these great NCAA basketball picks and view the latest NCAA basketball lines for all the tournament games at Betfirms.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- Big Ten Men’s College Basketball Tournament Predictions
- Big 12 Men’s College Basketball Tournament Predictions
- ACC Men’s College Basketball Tournament Picks & Predictions
- SEC Men’s College Basketball Tournament Odds & Picks
- NCAA Tournament Predictions: Pac-10
Got something to say?
No comments yet, but your thoughts are welcome!