Pac 12 Tournament: Oregon, Washington and Favorites to Win It All

The Pac 12 Tournament, along with every other conference tournament over the next week or so, is designed to separate the good teams from the great teams.

There is the off chance that all three of these teams will make it to the major NCAA bracket, but not unless each of them has a strong showing in the conference tourney.

All of the following west coast teams will be looking to lock up their postseason ride with a huge tournament win in the Pac 12.

Washington

As strong as the season has been so far for the Pac 12 leading Washington Huskies, a final regular season loss to the rival UCLA Bruins shows that this team is far from perfect heading into the Pac-12 Tournament.

While the Huskies may not be playing their best bell right now, all it takes is stellar play from star guard Tony Wroten and the rest of the team will feed off that. Wroten is the team's lynch pin.

Add in a giant 7’0” center in Aziz N'Diaye with stars in the making like Shawn Kemp Jr. and Terrence Ross, and Washington could be one of the most underrated teams in the nation.

California

While Washington may have won the Pac-12 regular season title, the late surge by the California Golden Bears may be enough to carry them to the top in the Pac-12 tourney.

A record of 23-7 doesn’t scream serious contender, but with seven teams separated by three wins at the top of the standings, California is just as talented as any one of those teams. Once the tourney starts, it’s a crap shoot.

With stars like Allen Crabbe, Jorge Gutierrez and Justin Cobbs all playing over 30 minutes per game for the Golden Bears, the Pac-12 title may find its new home on the California campus.

Oregon

The biggest dark horse in this race has to be the third place Oregon Ducks. After a mediocre 22-8 regular season, with a 13-5 Pac-12 record, the Oregon Ducks look to clear their slate and dominate the Pac-12 tournament.

While the Ducks aren’t spectacular in any one facet of the game, they play solid in most areas, which allows them to sneak out the upset victories as often as possible. Watch for the same as the tourney kicks off.

Devoe Joseph, E.J. Singler and Garrett Sim average over 30 minutes a game for the Ducks, so they need to make a deep run to force the NCAA’s hand in including them in the Big Dance this season.

Check back for more on the NCAA Basketball as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s College Basketball Page to get your fill of college basketball.

Follow @Donald_Wood