Pac-12 Tournament 2012: UCLA and Surprising Teams with Best Chance to Win It All

There may be no conference in the nation that is more wide open right now than the Pac-12. No team in the conference is ranked in the Top 25, and while all of the top four seeds could be considered co-favorites, there is a very good chance a team could come from out of nowhere to win the tourney.

While there aren't any elite teams in the conference, there are several that are very good. It is certainly conceivable that any of the top 10 seeds in the tournament can win it. Some teams have a tougher road as they won't receive a first-round bye, but all it takes is a little hot streak.

Here are three surprise teams that each of great chances of going the distance in the Pac-12 tournament.

UCLA

It has certainly been a tumultuous season for the UCLA Bruins as they have experienced plenty of ups and downs, and Sports Illustrated report recently came out saying the program has been in disarray under head coach Ben Howland over the best few seasons. Despite all of that, the Bruins players were able to block out the negative press and score three key victories down the stretch over Arizona State, Washington State and Washington to score the No. 5 seed in the Pac-12 tournament.

The Bruins have made a habit of losing to teams that they should beat, but when they're on their game they are one of the best teams in the conference. They only finished with an 18-13 overall record, but their 11-7 conference mark is impressive and could be a sign of things to come. Provided UCLA plays Howland basketball—meaning it is disciplined and sound defensively—it has the ability to seize the automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

Colorado

The Colorado Buffaloes have been on the brink of contention over the past couple years, and in their first season in the Pac-12 they have a golden opportunity to make a big splash right away. Colorado may only be the sixth seed, but it has proven all season long that it can beat anyone in the conference as evidenced by its 11-7 mark. All it takes is stringing a few good games together, and the Buffaloes can certainly do that.

They own victories over every top Pac-12 team this season, including Washington, California, Oregon and Arizona. The Buffaloes have also lost to three of those teams as well, though, so you never know what you're going to get. They closed the regular season out on a sour note as they allowed more than 83 points in each of their final two games, but if Colorado can get back to its earlier-season form, it will be a major contender.

Stanford

The Stanford Cardinal were dominant in non-conference play this season and have a 20-10 record to show for it, but as with most teams in the Pac-12, they were very inconsistent in conference play. Their 10-8 conference record was only good enough for the No. 7 seed, but the Cardinal are as talented as any team in the Pac-12 tourney. Stanford is a tough team to figure out as it can play a game with scoring in the 80s on one night, but then go out and play a low-scoring game the next night.

They have shown the ability to win and lose in virtually every situation, so the Cardinal are a major wild card in this tournament. Stanford has a few solid offensive players in Chasson Randle, Josh Owens and Aaron Bright, and any of them can go off in any given game. Like almost any team in the conference, they have the horses to win the tournament provided they get on a roll at the right time.