Pac 10 March Madness Preview

Could we see a UCLA Bruins vs. Washington Huskies Showdown?

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Pac-10 Conference had been owned solely by the UCLA Bruins over the last three years, but that changed on Saturday, February 28th when the Washington Huskies topped the Arizona Wildcats for at least a share of the league’s regular-season championship. The Bruins and Huskies both earned big sweeps that weekend and could be on a collision course to meet in the conference tournament championship when March Madness gets underway.

“I knew this team was capable of it, but all of us questioned a little bit if this team was going to be able to come together as a group,” Washington senior Jon Brockman said after his team beat the Wildcats. “I’m so proud of these guys and the way we were able to come together. It’s way more special than I thought.”

The Arizona State Sun Devils, Arizona and California Golden Bears could also earn the #2 seed in the Pac-10 tourney with strong finishes during the final week, making this one of the most exciting conference races in years. The fact that UCLA is not nearly as good defensively as previous teams under head coach Ben Howland that won 30 games and made it to the Final Four in three straight years has given others confidence. But will they deliver?

Just two weeks ago, UCLA lost at both Arizona State and Arizona, providing other schools with some hope that they could finally end the Bruins’ reign atop the league. Now it’s the Huskies who will get the top seed in the Pac-10 tournament with a win over Washington State. The Sun Devils host Stanford and Cal to close out their slate while the Golden Bears finish off their season by visiting both Arizona schools.

Looking ahead to the postseason, UCLA will likely be favored to win the Pac-10 tournament at Staples Center even though it appears that the four top teams in the conference are all about equal. The league seems like a lock to get five teams into the NCAA tournament unless Arizona finishes the regular season with five straight losses. If that happens, the Wildcats will likely need to make a strong run in the conference tourney in order to keep their streak of 24 straight invitations to the Big Dance alive.