2007 Pac-10 Tournament Preview
Pac 10 tournament tickets for the Staples Center are available now.
FACTS & STATS: Site: Staples Center (18,997) -- Los Angeles, California. Dates: Wednesday, March 7th through Saturday, Match 10th. Television: FOX Sports Net, CBS (Championship Game). Annual: 10th. Defending Champion: UCLA.
OUTLOOK: The 10th annual Pac-10 Tournament gets underway this week from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, with the
UCLA Bruins earning the top-seed, successfully defending their regular season title from a year ago, with a 15-3 league ledger. The biggest surprise in-conference however, resides in Pullman, in the form of the Washington State Cougars. First-year coach Tony Bennett did a masterful job with Wazzu, as the Cougars picked up the second seed at 13-5, as the team posted its best Pac-10 finish since 1982-83. A three-way tie between Oregon, Arizona and the
USC Trojans are next as the Ducks, Wildcats and Trojans all finished the season with a conference record of 11-7. The Trojans won the tie- breaker and earned the third-seed, while the Ducks picked up the fourth-seed and the Wildcats the fifth. The Stanford Cardinal picked up the sixth seed and the last bye in the first-round with a 10-8 Pac-10 mark. The remainder of the conference teams finished below .500 in league play and will take part in first-round games starting on Wednesday, March 7th. The seventh-seeded Washington Huskies (8-10) will take on the 10th-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils (2-16), while the eighth-seeded California Golden Bears (6-12) will battle the ninth-seeded Oregon State Beavers (3-15).
The Pac-10 Tournament starts with the Beavers and Golden Bears in first-round action. Oregon State (11-20) struggled through the conference schedule, including dropping seven straight league tilts from mid-January to early February. The team also closed the year with four losses in the last five games and will be hard-pressed to make a significant run in this event. OSU struggled offensively this year, ranking ninth in the conference in scoring (64.3 ppg) and dead last in scoring margin (-5.1). The Golden Bears weren't much better offensively, as they took a step back in 2006-07 and enter the postseason with a four-game losing streak in tow. Cal ranked sixth in the conference in scoring this year, at a pedestrian 70.6 ppg. Still, a sweep of Oregon State in the regular season has to have the Bears believing they can advance to Thursday's clash with top-seed UCLA.
The other first-round matchup pits the Washington Huskies against the Arizona State Sun Devils. After a couple of highly successful seasons in Seattle, the Huskies were one of the bigger disappointments in the conference this year. However, closing out the regular season with back-to-back upsets of USC and UCLA has to be a motivational tool that Lorenzo Romar will use to get his team up for the postseason. When all was said and done, Washington finished the year at 18-12 and ranked second in the conference in scoring at 77.9 ppg. With a talented cast of players that includes big men Spencer Hawes (15.4 ppg, .543 shooting) and Jon Brockman (13.8 ppg, conference-best 9.5 rpg), an upset or two in this event isn't out of the realm of possibility. Success in league play didn't come for Arizona State until late February, as the Sun Devils dropped their first 14 Pac-10 affairs. The team finally got in the win column against USC on February 18th and closed out the regular season with a 42-41 victory at California. ASU finished dead last in the conference in scoring (59.6 ppg), but third in scoring defense (62.6 ppg). The winner of this game will take on second-seeded Washington State in the quarterfinals.
Top-seeded UCLA has hovered around the top of the national polls all season long and for good reason. The Bruins lost just three times all year and have plenty of talent to not only win this event for the second straight season, but also advance deep in the NCAA Tournament again. Ben Howland's squad excelled at both ends of the court this year, leading the conference in scoring margin (+13.4) and in field-goal percentage (.492). Veteran guard Arron Afflalo leads the way for the Bruins and finished the season ranked second in the conference in scoring at 17.5 ppg. Darren Collison (12.9 ppg) completed a potent backcourt and comes into the postseason ranked second in the league in assists (5.9 per game).
The Cougars are the second seed and finished the year with a stellar 23-6 overall record. The team split its last four games of the season, but was untouchable for much of February. Still, getting swept by the Bruins in the regular season has to leave a bad taste in the mouth of the Cougars, who would like nothing better than to get a third shot at UCLA in the tournament championship game. WSU has long been known for defensive tenacity and this season is no different, with the Cougars leading the league in scoring defense (57.8 ppg) and turnover margin (+3.96), while ranking second in field-goal percentage defense (.394). Offensively, the team looks to veteran guard Derrick Low (13.9 ppg) to lead the way.
USC emerged as a conference contender this year, sporting a stellar 21-10 overall record. However, getting swept by cross-town rival UCLA and dropping back-to-back games at Washington and Washington State to close out the regular season leave some lingering questions about this team's ability to navigate this tournament field. The Trojans finished in the middle of the pack in terms of scoring and scoring defense, but led the league in field-goal percentage defense (.379), three-point accuracy (.401) and three-point percentage defense (.301). Talented swingman Nick Young and freshman forward Taj Gibson are the players to watch in the postseason. Young finished the year ranked third in the conference in scoring (17.2 ppg), while Gibson led the league in field- goal percentage (.577) and ranked fourth in rebounding (8.3 rpg). USC will open its Pac-10 Tournament with quarterfinal action against Stanford.
Oregon got off to a fast start this season, winning its first 13 games and looking dominant for long stretches of the season. There were some lulls in the campaign, but the Ducks rallied down the stretch, as Oregon won three straight to close out the regular season. The Ducks split with UCLA this year and swept Washington State, so this is a team that could be dangerous in the postseason. It all starts with the league's top scorer in Aaron Brooks (18.0 ppg). A supporting cast that included Bryce Taylor (14.4 ppg), Tajuan Porter (14.0 ppg) and Maarty Leunen (8.6 rpg) gives the Ducks a better than average chance of making a run in both this tournament and the Big Dance. The Ducks will battle Arizona in quarterfinal action on Thursday.
Another huge disappointment this season was the inconsistent play of the Arizona Wildcats (20-9). Clearly one of the deepest talent pools in the conference, the team from Tucson struggled at times. Still, Lute Olson rallied his team down the stretch with three straight wins and Arizona is probably a team that the opposition wants to get out of the tourney right away, especially with the Wildcats' offensive potential. Arizona led the league in scoring this season (79.6 ppg) and finished second in field-goal percentage (.486). All five starters have the ability to light up a scoreboard, led by the play of Marcus Williams (16.8 ppg), Chase Budinger (16.1 ppg), Ivan Radenovic (14.6 ppg) and Mustafa Shakur (12.7 ppg, conference-best 7.2 apg).
The Stanford Cardinal also played to mixed reviews this season and finished the year at 18-10. The Cardinal closed with three losses in the last four games, but this is a young team that is on the rise. Stanford played well at both ends of the court this year, but did not excel in any one area. Still, this is a squad that has a bright future, thanks to Lawrence Hill (sixth in the conference in scoring at 16.1 ppg) and seven-foot freshmen towers Robin and Brook Lopez. Anthony Goods (13.0 ppg) is another weapon in the arsenal, but he has missed the last few games with an ankle injury and is listed as questionable for the start of the postseason.
The Bruins won their 29th league title and ninth Pac-10 crown since the league expanded to 10 teams in 1979 and have to be considered a strong favorite to win their second straight tournament crown, after topping California in last year's title game. It was UCLA's second tournament title, as the Bruins only trail Arizona (four titles) in that category. Oregon, Washington and Stanford all have one tourney championship to boast of. The Huskies won theirs in 2005, the Cardinal took home the trophy in 2004 and the Ducks did the same in 2003. The Pac-10 Tournament was held from 1987 to 1990 and then was not brought back until 2002. The winner of this event will earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Bruins may have dropped their regular season finale, but have to be the odds on favorite to win this event. Washington State, Oregon, USC and Arizona could certainly pull off an upset and take home the title as well, but UCLA is a squad that knows how to turn it up in the postseason and that is why they should be hoisting the tournament title, en route to a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Sports Network Predicted Champion: UCLA
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