Pac-12 Tournament 2012: How the Underrated Arizona Wildcats Can Win It All

You probably haven't heard much about the Arizona Wildcats this year unless you are a college basketball nut, but that’s about the change.

Despite underachieving for most of the season, No. 4 seed Arizona is more than capable of sweeping through the Staples Center and capturing the Pac-12 tournament championship. (Click here for a full bracket).

The Wildcats (21-10, 12-6 Pac-12, 78 RPI) need to win at least two and probably three games to feel safe.

First up is No. 5 seed UCLA, who beat USC 55-40 on Wednesday. The Bruins split with the 'Cats earlier in the season, but have shown little reason to believe in them lately, so, we'll give the edge to the more rested team.

Then it's a date with No. 1 seed Washington, assuming they beat No. 9 Oregon State.

This will be the big test. Yet the depth of the Wildcats can run a team playing a second game in as many nights out of the gym. As long as the tempo is to Arizona's liking, it will emerge victorious.

In the championship game, they may potentially play a No. 2 seed Oregon team that is next to impossible to figure out. Arizona matches up well. No. 3 seed Cal is also playing poor basketball at the moment, and odds are they won't make it this far.

Two incredibly underrated player talents who are both capable of making names for themselves in the next month are what make the Wildcats great.

Arizona has one of the country's most underrated players in senior Kyle Fogg. He is currently shooting 43 percent from long distance and has played his best ball of the season in the last month. Fogg has scored at least 15 points in six of the last seven games and is the floor leader who is so essential at this time of year.

Junior Solomon Hill isn't too far behind. The 6'6" forward is a rebounding machine for his size, pulling in 7.8 per game and scoring 12.5 points, while also hitting 50 percent of his shots.

I'd argue that this duo is as good as any in a weak Pac-12.

Some may look at the indefinite suspension of Josiah Turner as a negative; in reality, getting rid of the distraction is exactly what the team needed. The freshman averaged 6.8 points and 3.1 rebounds, but he never grasped the concepts of fitting in. You could tell the pampered Turner wanted the spotlight, and the offense is in better shape without him.

Without the disruption, Sean Miller can keep his team focused on the task at hand. It was only one year ago when Derrick Williams led the Wildcats all the way to the Elite Eight, and the team now has plenty of experience in elimination scenarios. They won't be rattled in the final minutes of a game.

Dating back to his days at Xavier, Miller is an underrated coach who has always been able to squeeze the most talent out of his players when all of the chips are on the table.

As long as Miller keeps his team motivated and distraction-free, there is no reason to think Arizona can't run the table in the weakest major conference tournament of the year. 

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