Friday, October 26, 2012

Ah, The Pac-12

The best conference on that side of the Mississippi! Oh, wait….have we gotten to the Mountain West conference yet? No? Umm, ok then how about the second best conference that side of the Mississippi (Just keep an eye on the WCC while you’re at it Pac-12).
Last year was a mess for the Pac-12 as they added two new teams and barely sent that many to the dance. This year looks a little better but with UCLA’s prized freshman not cleared to play yet it looks like another down year. Only 1 team looks to be legit Elite Eight material but they might be able to squeeze a few more bids out of the committee in 2013.
Starting at the top it looks like a two horse race between UCLA and Arizona. Of course this depends on Shabazz Muhommad and Kyle Andersons eligibility. If they miss significant time it’s Arizona all the way. After that it’s a tightly packed race for bid 3 and possibly 4 between California, Stanford, Colorado, and Washington. Washington doesn’t seem to have enough bigs to contend so let’s drop them right now. Colorado seemed to over achieve last year but Andre Robinson is a stud. Will the lure of the NBA cloud his judgement on the floor? California lost their two leaders but Allen Crabbe is back. Stanford…well, they have Johnny Dawkins coaching. Take that as a plus or a minus.
In short the Pac-12 continues to be a mess and one of the next 4 (California) wins the auto-bid to join UCLA, Arizona, and let’s say Stanford in the dance.

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