Having recently passed the midway point of Pac-10 play, it's time to look at the NCAA Tournament chances for each team in the nation’s toughest conference.
There are no easy games in-league, as we saw Sunday, when the ninth-place Huskies took out the mighty UCLA Bruins.
The conference has never put seven teams in the tournament, but if there were ever a year, this is it.
It is certainly debatable, but a 9-9 record with a win in the conference tournament should get you in the Big Dance.
Generally, .500 records are bad news, but in the Pac-10 it holds more weight because they play a true round-robin, unlike the Big-Ten, SEC, Big XII, or ACC.
So with 9-9 as the baseline, lets breakdown the chances of the Pac-9, since it will take a fairly significant upset for the Oregon State Beavers to not go 0-18.
UCLA 21-3 (9-2)
Remaining schedule:
Home—Oregon State, Oregon, Stanford, Cal
Road—USC, Arizona State, Arizona
One of the best teams in the nation.
Kevin Love is a dominant big man and Darren Collison is the best point guard in the league.
At this point, the Bruins are playing for seeding in the Big Dance and a conference title.
They would love to be the #1 seed out west as they would greatly benefit from a Anaheim, Phoenix path to the Final Four.
Odds on Dancing—100 percent
STANFORD 20-3 (9-2)
Remaining schedule:
Home—Cal, Washington, Washington State
Road—USC, UCLA, Arizona State, Arizona
Very solid inside with the Lopez twins, Lawrence Hill, and Taj Finger.
They need to get more out of their guards, especially at the point, where Mitch Johnson seems over matched in most every game.
Not likely to take the title from the Bruins, but there is a clear gap between the Cardinals and the mess of teams vying for 3rd through 7th .
Odds on Dancing: 100 percent
ARIZONA 15-8 (5-5)
Remaining schedule:
Home—Cal, Stanford, USC, UCLA
Road—Washington, Washington State, Oregon State, Oregon
Possibly the most dangerous team in the country not in the Top 25 right now.
They are a completely different team with Bayless healthy, and his absence was a big reason for their losses at home to Oregon and at Arizona State.
The schedule sets up nicely for them as they have the two “easiest” road trips left.
Solid out of conference work as well with wins over Texas A&M and @ Houston.
Despite a somewhat shocking loss today to ASU at home they are still in pretty good shape to earn a bid.
Odds on Dancing: 75 percent
WASHINGTON STATE 18-5 (6-5)
Remaining schedule:
Home—Arizona State, Arizona, Washington
Road—Oregon State, Oregon, Cal, Stanford
The Cougs got a win they needed against USC, but still are not a lock for the tourney.
At 6-5 with likely upcoming wins over Oregon State and Washington, they would still need to win two of the other five to feel really safe.
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