Pac-10 Looked Overrated and Overmatched

On the eve of the final college basketball game, I can't help but lament how poorly Pac-10 teams played in the NCAA tournament this year.

Year after year, those of us west of the Grand Canyon complain about an East Coast bias in the media. This season looked and sounded to be different.

The Pac-10 was suddenly referred to as the toughest conference in the country, with a number of "marquee" players making momentary stops at West Coast schools before heading onto the NBA.

Two players were lavished with tremendous coverage, praise, and adulation. Kevin Love of UCLA and USC’s OJ Mayo arrived on their respective campuses with daunting expectations.

In the end, neither accomplished what experts labeled as the "sure thing." There will be no national championship for either the Bruins or the Trojans. Not even close.

Based on the way Pac-10 teams were sent packing from the Big Dance this year, how can anyone dispute that the Pac-10 was overrated?

The UCLA Bruins were simply run off the court by Memphis. Not only did the Tigers want a win in the semi-finals more than UCLA, they were ready to out-hustle and out-muscle the boys from Westwood.

Prior to the mugging taken by the Bruins, the "unstoppable" Twin Towers of Stanford were embarrassed by Texas.

The Lopez twins pouted and postured their way up and down the court. Their mood was shaped by the whipping they were being handed by the aggressive teamwork implemented by the Longhorns.

The only thing more shocking than the 20-point loss by the Cardinal was the claim that Robin Lopez was ready to come out from under the shadow of his brother, Brook, and enter the NBA draft.

Are you kidding?

Neither of the Lopez boys did anything to improve their NBA stock by their play in the tournament. They both would clearly benefit from more seasoning before trying to fool NBA scouts. Even the Knicks management wouldn't be foolish enough to risk a draft choice on either seven-footer.

Then there was the drubbing taken by Washington State. They managed to make UNC look like the best team in the nation, bowing out with a 21-point (margin) pasting by the Tar Heels.

Yikes!

About the best thing to be said for their performance is that they weren't expecting to score many points. But 47 against a team that didn't stop anyone all season long?

There's no need to re-hash the early round losses handed to Arizona, Oregon, and USC. Yes, they were all summarily dispatched to their dorm rooms out West after world class butt whippings.

This time around, it turns out the media should have ignored protestations from the Left Coast with regard to bias. Just as it appeared that folks out West were finally going to enjoy their day in the sun, the East Coast teams rained all over their parade.

At least one thing remains consistent: the media got it wrong...again.

As for this blogger, I guess I'll quietly pack up the board and head down to the beach to catch a few gnarly waves.