When: March 10-13
Where: Staples Center - Los Angeles, CA
Championship Game: March 13 - CBS
Defending Champs: USC
The Format: 9 teams, 4 rounds
| Team (Overall Record) |
Wins | Losses |
| California (21-9) | 13 | 5 |
| Arizona State (22-9) | 12 | 6 |
| Washington (21-9) | 11 | 7 |
| Arizona (16-14) | 10 | 8 |
| USC (16-14) *PROBATION* | 8 | 10 |
| UCLA (13-17) | 8 | 10 |
| Oregon State (14-16) | 8 | 10 |
| Stanford (13-17) | 7 | 11 |
| Oregon (15-15) |
7 | 11 |
| Washington State (16-14) |
6 | 12 |
(AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens)
First Round (Mar. 10)
Game 1 - #8 Oregon vs. #9 Washington State - 8:00pm ET
Second Round (Mar. 11)
Game 2 - #4 Arizona vs. #5 UCLA - 12:00pm ET
Game 3 - #1 California vs. Game 1 winner - 2:30pm ET
Game 4 - #3 Washington vs. #6 Oregon State - 6:00pm ET
Game 5 - #2 Arizona State vs. #7 Stanford - 8:30pm ET
Third Round (Mar. 12)
Game 6 - Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner - 6:00pm ET
Game 7 - Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner - 8:30pm ET
Championship Round (Mar. 13)
Game 8 - Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner - 3:00pm ET
Bubble Teams Needing a Win: Arizona State, Washington
Arizona State - RPI (53) - SOS (71) - KenPom (37)
Washington - RPI (49) - SOS (61) - KenPom (33)
The Verdict: Assuming these schools meet up in the semis, the winner of Friday's game would likely get an at-large bid. The loser, however, will probably be left out in the cold.
Player to Watch: Quincy Pondexter-Washington
Pondexter, a 6'6" senior swingman, really needs to make something happen if he wants to close his career out on a high note and get his team into the NCAA Tournament. Despite being second in the Pac-10 in scoring average (20.2 ppg), fourth in rebounding (7.8 rpg) and fifth in field goal percentage (54.3%), Pondexter was snubbed in favor of Cal's Jerome Randle for Pac-10 Player of the Year. Can he prove voters wrong by leading the Huskies to a title and winning tourney MVP?
Prediction: Washington
If you watched the Huskies play at all this season, then you probably came away underwhelmed. But with a senior leader like Pondexter ready to assume a Brandon Roy-type postseason role, and a wide open field of weak Pac-10 opponents in front of them, there's no reason to believe that Washington can't run the table. It's also worth noting that Isaiah Thomas, who was one of the worst shooters in college hoops early in the season, has finally turned things around and is actually playing under control. Thomas is one of only a handful of players in the conference who can go shot-for-shot with Cal's Jerome Randle. I've got the Huskies over Cal in a tightly-contested championship game.
Other Previews:
ACC Tournament
Atlantic 10 Tournament
Big East Tournament
Big Ten Tournament
Big 12 Tournament
SEC Tournament
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