Can The Pac-12 Win an NCAA Tournament Game?
Absolutely, given the right team wins that conference tournament of course. In the preseason, we picked Washington given the talent of Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten Jr., joined by shooters at seemingly every position and we are holding true to that belief that the Huskies will be the team to come out of the Pac-12. At this point, they are tied with Cal atop the standings with three more teams (Colorado, Oregon and the other pre-season favorite, Arizona) right there with Washington and the Golden Bears.
Both Washington and Cal could very well win a game, but it's difficult to foresee either team making it past the first weekend into the Sweet 16. Despite Washington's overall top talent, they lost all of their signature non-conference opportunities with their best win coming against UCSB at home. The Golden Bears, on the other hand, are not as talented nor as athletic, but they are a veteran group that is coached well; they too lost their impact games out of conference with losses double-digit beat downs at the hands of Missouri and UNLV and a one-point loss on the road at San Diego State.
Don't let their records or the strength of the conference fool you, Cal and Washington have the potential to upend one team's dreams early in the NCAA Tournament.
By President Corey Ruff - 2 - 21 - 12
