The Champion of the Pac-10 as Its Sole Entry?
The 2009-2010 NCAA basketball season has not been the most dominating for Pac-10 schools. Regular collegiate powerhouses like the Stanford Cardinals and UCLA Bruins are well below .500. The Arizona Wildcats must win the Pac-10 tourney in order to extend their consecutive tournament streak to 26 seasons.The California Golden Bears, Arizona State Sun Devils, and the Washington Huskies are playing for the Pac-10 tourney championship this week. The winner will have an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament. What will the fate of the losers be?
California Golden Bears (21-9, 13-5)
The Golden Bears are 21-9, but they have not defeated a team in AP 25 or ESPN/USA polls this season. If the Golden Bears are eliminated early in the Pac-10 tournament, there may be some concern for Golden Bears fans on Selection Sunday. 21-10 with no top 25 victories and a recent loss to a sub .500 Oregon State Beavers team is hardly impressive.
Fortunately for the Golden Bears, they did win the Pac-10 regular season championship with a 13-5 conference record. I think this will be enough to get the Golden Bears into the tourney around a 10-11 seed. If the Golden Bears win the Pac-10 tournament, they may become as high as an eight seed.
Arizona State Sun Devils (22-9, 12-6)
The Arizona Sun Devils were the regular season runner-ups in the Pac-10. They did manage a AP 25 victory against the Washington Huskies when they were ranked 22nd, but the Huskies pummeled the Sun Devils later in the season. The Sun Devils have relied on a soft, out-of-conference schedule that still consisted of near misses against inferior teams.
After getting swept by the Golden Bears and throttled by the Huskies in their last game, the Sun Devils need to at least make the Pac-10 championship game. If they lose early in the Pac-10 tournament, they would be fortunate to be one of the final four invites.
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