NIT 2012 Bracket: Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks on Epic Collision Course

Don't look now, but the Pac-12 is ripping back some semblance of relevance and is about to dominate the NIT. That means we will soon get the best matchup in the field in the Washington Huskies and the Oregon Ducks. 

The Pac-12 was chided for meager returns this year, and there is no better way to get back respect than the tournament that is more a grouping of teams with chips on their shoulders than a consolation prize. 

It's all about pride, and here is the latest bracket from the official NIT website. 

Oregon dispatched with LSU rather easily in the first round and now get a tough Iowa team. Washington took its opener versus Texas-Arlington and now gets Northwestern. 

Both teams need a great deal more winning to get back a modicum of the reputations they lost in late-season failures. Here is how they look moving forward. 

Oregon Ducks

The Ducks proved they are not about to treat the NIT like a throwaway tournament, nor should they. They were just as committed in taking down LSU as if it were the Final Four, and it paid dividends. 

The biggest player that exudes the effort was senior Devoe Joseph, who is trying to close out his career at Oregon in the right way. 

The star guard had 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting. Iowa is a stout team that will give Oregon trouble, but in the end I will take the Ducks backcourt precisely because of how Joseph is playing at this moment. 

Washington Huskies

Speaking of backcourts, the Huskies have the best in the field in Tony Wroten and Terrence Ross. Washington boasts two guards that can go off at any moment. 

You have to pick your poison, but know that the other poison will most definitely kill you. In the NIT opener, it was Terrence Ross' turn to get silly with it. 

He had 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting and looked to be in top form heading into the next round. The Huskies are deep and will punish you with athleticism. 

The Huskies will move on past Northwestern. 

This brings us to a matchup that we wished were later in the tournament.

Oregon likes to get out and spread the floor, and Washington can match that effort. I would take the Huskies by a slight margin, but it would be an epic battle that would have us forget their conference woes, if only for a moment. 

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