Oregon, Arizona, and UCLA are locked to appear on the March Madness’ bracket. But that doesn’t mean these teams will take the Pac-12 Tournament lightly. Not with pride involved of course. For teams like Utah and California, though, the tournament is probably their only way of gaining entry to the 68-team field that is the national tournament. Let’s break down the Pac-12 tourney below.
The Bruins score a ton of points. They can make baskets at a dizzying pace and are perhaps the best offensive team in the nation. It’s hard to argue against that, as UCLA is No. 1 in the nation in points per game (91.3) and scores 124.3 points per 100 possessions per KenPom’s metrics. How to stop a Bruins team that spreads the floor well (41.5% on threes) and often finds the open man (21.7 APG) is a problem any opposing coach would have sleepless nights solving in the tournament.
We know the Wildcats are a bit short in experience. But what they lack in upperclassmen, they make up in talent. And it’s not like inexperience has hindered freshman Lauri Markkanen from punishing opposing teams with his combination of size, mobility, and range. Markkanen averages 15.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and shoots 42.8% from the three-point area. He’ll be carrying the Wildcats along with the rejuvenated Allonzo Trier, who has been on a mission since getting back from a lengthy suspension, averaging 23 points in the last four outings.
Arizona’s success, however, is built mostly on the defensive side of the ball, where they allow just 64.3 PPG with opponents shooting just 41.6% from the field.
Take some time and think of Utah’s signature win in the regular season. Nevermind. Utah only has one win against a Top 50 RPI team this season and that was against USC, which really doesn’t sound that impressive anymore considering that the Trojans have lost four of their last six games. That being said, the Utes have a first-round bye and will venture into the tournament powered by the momentum it got from a three-game win streak to close out the regular season, including victories over fellow sleeper California.
There are only two ways we see how the Beavers would make it to the Big Dance. First is if they bought their own tickets to go watch the national tournament or if they topped the Pac-12 tourney. Well, they should be saving up as early as now because their chance of winning the conference tournament is zero if you consult teamranking.com. If anything, the Beavers beat Utah, 68-67, back in February.
