Pac-12 Tournament 2015: Schedule and Bracket Predictions for Conference Tourney

Although Arizona has been the dominant team in the Pac-12 this season, the conference tournament will be a chance for the rest of the squads to prove what they can do.

While the Wildcats state their case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, the rest of the league has a lot more at stake with teams trying to make their case just for a bid. It's also important to remember that the winner of the league tourney gets an automatic invite to the Big Dance, which could keep things exciting at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Although many of the seeds are still waiting to be determined, here is a look at the schedule for the upcoming Pac-12 tournament with predictions for which squads will have the most success.

Date	Game	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
March 11	1	No. 9 seed vs. No. 8 seed	3 p.m.	Pac-12
March 11	2	No. 12 seed vs. No. 5 seed	5:30 p.m.	Pac-12
March 11	3	No. 10 seed vs. No. 7 seed	9 p.m.	Pac-12
March 11	4	No. 11 seed vs. No. 6 seed	11:30 p.m.	Pac-12
March 12	5	Game 1 winner vs. No. 1 seed	3 p.m.	Pac-12
March 12	6	Game 2 winner vs. No. 4 seed	5:30 p.m.	Pac-12
March 12	7	Game 3 winner vs. No. 2 seed	9 p.m.	Pac-12
March 12	8	Game 4 winner vs. No. 3 seed	11:30 p.m.	Pac-12
March 13	9	Game 5 winner vs Game 6 winner	9 p.m.	Pac-12
March 13	10	Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner	11:30 p.m.	ESPN
March 14	11	Championship Game	11 p.m.	ESPN

Full bracket available at Pac-12.com.

Contenders

Utah

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There have been a few stumbles along the way, but Utah has lived up to preseason expectations as a team that no one wants to play.

The Utes play fantastic defense thanks in large part to the play of freshman center Jacob Poeltl, but the true star of the team is All-American candidate Delon Wright. The senior fills up the stat sheet with 14.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game.

ESPN's Fran Fraschilla had high praise for the point guard before his latest game:

Although the supporting cast of Brandon Taylor, Jordan Loveridge and others has been a bit inconsistent this year, these players are still capable of hurting you if you forget about them. No matter what the squad does in the conference tournament, though, it will be a force to be reckoned with in the NCAA tournament.

Oregon

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A couple of months ago, you would have been surprised to see Oregon listed above teams like UCLA or Stanford in the standings or a list of contenders in the conference. However, the Ducks have been one of the hottest teams in the nation lately and are only getting better.

Since a 4-4 start in Pac-12 play, Oregon has won eight of the last nine games, including wins over Utah and at Stanford. This is no longer a team to ignore as it puts itself in good position to make the NCAA tournament after a rough start.

Joseph Young was the only player on the team most casual fans could name before the start of the season, but players like Elgin Cook, Jordan Bell and Dillon Brooks have stepped up and exceeded expectations. Of course, Young is also playing like a man possessed while leading the Pac-12 with 20 points per game.

UCLA and Stanford might have more talent from top to bottom, but it's impossible to doubt Oregon at this point of the year.

Sleeper: Colorado

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Put simply, Colorado has been a disappointment this season as the individual talent on the roster isn't adding up to success on the court. Head coach Tad Boyle was hard on himself when discussing the struggles, via Tom Kensler of The Denver Post:

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We got a year older from last year but not a year better. That's on me. That's the head coach's responsibility, and I haven't done a very good job. It makes me re-evaluate what we're doing and how we're doing it, what's worked and maybe why things this year haven't worked. 

"

One of the major problems was a lack of health, as key contributors like Josh Scott and Xavier Johnson missed significant parts of the season. The good news is these players are now healthy and ready to contribute at a high level.

Meanwhile, Askia Booker still has the ability to carry the team to victory in any game as one of the best pure scorers in the conference.

At 13-15, Colorado likely isn't headed to any postseason tournament. Still, the talent is there to surprise people in the Pac-12 championship.

Predicted Winner: Arizona

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The obvious choice for a champion is likely the right one, as Arizona has all the tools necessary to run through Las Vegas and take home a conference tournament title.

John Gasaway of ESPN even thinks this is a team that could get to the Final Four after coming close last season:

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I realize there are more national championship-caliber teams than there are available No. 1 seeds this season, and you can worry about this Arizona offense if you wish. But everything I'm seeing tells me this group of Wildcats may be even better than the top-seeded team that came out of Tucson last season.

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A No. 1 seed isn't necessary to make the Final Four, but it will certainly help this season with elite teams like Kentucky looming in the brackets. Winning the conference regular-season and tournament titles would go a long way toward ending up on the top line.

With Arizona having just as good of a defense as last year and possibly a more efficient offense, the squad has to feel good about its chances of finally getting over the top.

The only problem for the Wildcats this year seems to be focus, as they have fallen to weaker opponents but beaten the better ones. The good news is they should be ready to play in the Pac-12 tournament and should sweep through the league with ease.

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