Pac 12 Tournament 2013 Bracket: Breaking Down Favorites in Las Vegas

The 2013 Pac-12 men's basketball tournament is already underway from Sin City, but the conference's top dogs will officially join the action on Thursday when the quarterfinals tip off.

Regular-season Pac-12 champion UCLA will headline Thursday's action, but according to the Vegas oddsmakers, Arizona and Cal will be worth keeping a close eye on as well. After the top three, Oregon, Stanford and Colorado are seen as the schools most likely to claim the conference crown.

Below we'll break down the favorites to cut down the nets in Las Vegas this weekend.

*All betting odds according to Sportsbook.com.

Arizona Wildcats 

After stumbling down the stretch, Arizona will begin the Pac-12 tournament as the No. 4 seed, which means the Wildcats will likely have to find a way to beat top-seeded UCLA in the semifinals in order to advance to Saturday's tournament final.

The Bruins have given Sean Miller's squad fits this season, beating them twice—in convincing fashion in Tucson back in January and as recently as March 2 in Los Angeles. 

Despite the losses, the oddsmakers have made Arizona the favorite to win the conference tournament this March. It's not shocking that the Wildcats are the favorites based on what they did against non-conference competition earlier this season, beating both Florida and Miami in December.

Still, I'm not convinced that Mark Lyons, Solomon Hill and company can figure out a way to down UCLA this week in Vegas.

Odds: +180

California Golden Bears

Cal, and the Pac-12 Conference in general, may be flying under the radar this season. However, if there's a scorching-hot team to bet on in Vegas this week, it's certainly the Golden Bears.

Prior to last week's regular-season finale loss to Stanford, Cal had won seven straight games and nine of its last 10 overall. The Bears picked up wins over Arizona, UCLA and Oregon over that stretch, proving to be one of the better defensive teams in the conference.

Cal has harassed opposing offenses all season long, holding opponents to a Pac-12-leading 39.3 percent shooting clip from the field.

It should also be noted that Mike Montgomery's Golden Bears wouldn't have to face either UCLA or Arizona until Saturday's tournament final.

Odds: +600

UCLA Bruins

Freshman sensation Shabazz Muhammad is playing his best basketball at the ideal time for UCLA this March and has the Bruins headed into their quarterfinal matchup in the Pac-12 tournament on Thursday as the top overall seed. The Pac-12's third-leading scorer, Muhammad is averaging over 18 points per game this season, shooting 45 percent from the field and nearly 42 percent from beyond the arc.

Most college basketball fans and experts like UCLA, winner of five of its last six, to follow up its regular-season title with a win in the conference tourney this weekend. However, as already mentioned, the oddsmakers like Arizona's chances a bit more.

Although it may be hard to imagine UCLA knocking off Arizona for a third straight time this season, it's even more unlikely that the Wildcats find a way to overcome the Bruins. After all, Ben Howland's bunch have had their numbers all year long and have had their way offensively against Arizona in two regular-season meetings.

Odds: +350

2013 Pac-12 Tournament Bracket

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