Conference tournaments are starting to heat up. Many of the smaller conferences already decided their victors, and now it’s the larger conferences’ turn, including the Pac-12. Let’s check out how each Pac-12 men’s team looks entering the action in Las Vegas. 

The Favorites

No. 6 Arizona Wildcats: Arizona enters the tournament as the No. 1seed, with an overall record of 24-7 and 15-5 in conference play. They play hard on offense, being top 4 in both points and assists per game in the NCAA. Looking at the beginning of the season, they had a huge win over No. 11 Duke, who were ranked second at the time, but lost to Purdue and FAU. Conference play came around, and the Wildcats were red hot, although the bottom three teams each beat them once. The offense is there, but they will need to stay focused to win it all.

No. 22 Washington State Cougars: Finishing only one game behind Arizona, Wash State had a conference record of 14-6 and overall of 23-8. Before conference play started, they looked a little rocky, with losses to Mississippi State and Santa Clara, a smaller team in the WCC. They then figured everything out in conference play, only allowing 67.3 points per game. As long as the defense shows up, they will be fine, but their offense is a little fragile. They may be in my favorites list, but their offense only averaged 74 points per game, so they make exit quickly if the defense doesn’t show up.

Colorado Buffaloes: CU had a pretty good year, finishing 13-7 in the conference and 22-9 overall. They had a pretty rocky start to conference play, losing three games in a row at one point, but they made up for it at the end, going on a six game win streak entering conference play. Statistically, they’re not  stellar at anything, but instead very well rounded. KJ Simpson will be a key player to watch out for, he leads the team in points, assists, field goal percentage and steals.

Oregon Ducks: Oregon’s season was the exact opposite of Colorado’s. They started conference play 5-0, but as the season went on, they fell and lost three out of their last five games. Their final conference record was 12-8, with the overall being 20-11. Jeramie Couisnard will be the key to their success in this tournament, as he led the team in points, field goal percentage and steals. 

In The Mix

UCLA Bruins: This season was painful for fans in Pasadena, as UCLA had a 10-10 conference record and 15-16 overall. They had some very close losses against Gonzaga, Villanova and Ohio State; all three should’ve been wins. Throw in a weak start and end to conference play, where they lost five out of their last six, and this is a season Bruins fans will want to forget. They play Oregon State to start the tournament.

Utah Utes: Utah had a stellar start to the season, only losing two games before conference play, which included wins against BYU and Saint Mary’s. Then conference play started, and things started to get rocky. Their overall record was an impressive 18-13, but in conference play they went 9-11. The key stat for the Utes is the 39 rebounds per game, putting them 57th in the nation. If they can keep that up and have a solid offensive performance, then they can go deep in this tournament. They will start against Arizona State.

Washington Huskies:  Washington also finished 9-11 in conference play and 17-14 overall. Their red hot offense  averaged 80 points per game this season, scoring 97 points in a game against San Diego State. They also defeated Gonzaga before conference play started. However, they couldn’t get in a rhythm and lost many close games. They will be looking for revenge to start the tournament, as they play USC, who defeated them two games ago.

California Golden Bears: This season was a massive improvement from last year for Cal, as they had a 9-11 conference record and went 13-18 overall. Their offense really struggled to put up points and move the ball. Jaylon Tyson will be the key player for them this season, as he led them in points, assists and blocks. Take him out of the story, and this team is done. They lost their last three games of the season, but will be looking to regain the momentum as they play Stanford to start the tournament.

The Long Shots

Arizona State Sun Devils: Scoring points this season was an extreme struggle for ASU, as they could only score 69 per game. They went 8-12 in conference play and 14-17 overall. The name to watch out for on this team is Frankie Collins. He had a major influence on the team, leading them in steals, assists, points and field goal percentage. They only allowed 73 points per game, so the defense is there. If the offense shows up and plays hard, they can win a game or two. They face Utah first. 

USC Trojans: This season was not whatUSC fans hoped for. Finishing 8-12 in the conference and 14-17 overall, USC fans most likely won’t  get to see March Madness action this season The Trojans are great at moving the ball around though and had 15 assists per game. USC’s basketball program has been all over the news lately too, as Bronny James decided to opt in to the NBA draft, even though many think his season was not good enough. They play Washington in the first round.

Stanford Cardinal: Stanford actually averaged more points per game than points against them, but troubles scoring at the end of the season led to a six game losing streak which plummeted their momentum. They had a conference record of 8-12, with their overall being 13-17. Some key wins to point out from this season were against Arizona, Washington and Utah, so we’ve seen them show up in crucial situations and get big wins. Maxime Raynaud led them in points, rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage this season so he will be key to their run.

Oregon State: Beavers fans saw a promising season in the beginning, with an overall record of 13-18, but they went 5-15 in conference play. They had a six game win streak during the preseason and managed to beat USC and Arizona in conference play. Their season went far downhill at the end, when they had a seven game losing streak and struggled to put points on the board. They play UCLA to start the tournament.

My Pick: Colorado. Everyone thinks Arizona will be the team winning it all, but the Buffaloes failed to show up in games against smaller teams. Arizona already sealed its ticket to March Madness with their high AP ranking. Colorado on the other hand, is fighting for a spot and will most likely  only find a way in if they win the tournament.

Since this will likely be the last article written about the Pac-12 on KCOU, I figured it’s only right to highlight one of the most memorable moments in college sports history, “The Play.” During a lateral play in a 1982 football game between Cal and Stanford, the Cardinal band and cheerleaders  stormed the field prematurely,  causing absolute chaos in the last play of the game. The commotion ended with Cal’s Kevin Moen catching the last lateral of the game and storming over a trombone player to win the game. 

Goodbye Pac-12, every sports fan will miss you.