NIT 2012: Washington vs. Stanford Final Would Be Fitting End for Subpar Pac-12

Who would've thought that two teams from the Pac-12 would be playing this deep into the month of March, at a Final Four?

Not THE Final Four, of course, but the one at Madison Square Garden to decide the champion of the NIT.

It's only appropriate, though, that Washington and Stanford would be in New York City, though, representing a conference that saw one team (Cal) get its business handed to it by South Florida in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament and another (Colorado) get canned by Baylor in the Round of 32.

An NIT title, on the other hand, appears to be a much more realistic proposition for the a Pac-12 that's seen its ranks watered down by early defections to the NBA Draft and poor recruiting in recent years.

So, the NIT comes as something of a consolation prize for the conference.

The Huskies won the Pac-12's regular season title but were left out of the Big Dance by the Selection Committee after losing to lowly Oregon State in the conference tournament. Lorenzo Romar's squad sports the deepest stock of talent in the Pac-12, led by NBA Draft hopefuls Terrence Ross, Abdul Gaddy and freshman Tony Wroten.

Not to mention one rather familiar name for folks in the Pacific Northwest: Shawn Kemp Jr.

As for the Cardinal, they'll take the court at MSG with a solid backcourt of their own, led by Aaron Bright and freshman Chasson Randle, alongside senior center Josh Owens.

Of course, both teams still have plenty of work to do before UW and Stanford can so much as hope to tangle for a second time on a decidedly bigger stage. The top-seed Huskies will have to handle an uber-athletic Minnesota squad while the Trees will need to cut down scrappy UMass to make the final.

But, if the two Pac-12 participants take care of business on Tuesday, they'll give their conference an opportunity to shine, if only toward the top of the second tier.

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