Pac-10: The year of the Pac-10

The Pac-10 Tournament couldn’t end soon enough for league members, who, once the final shot bounced off in Los Angeles, shouted out in unison:

Let us out of here!

Prisoners of their own success – stuck in a conference easily rated as the most competitive in the 30-year history of its current alignment – teams ruthlessly pounded on each other for two months, with everyone except UCLA left staggering around and reaching for smelling salts at times.

The Bruins, the Pac-10 regular season and tournament champions, weren’t exempt from getting knocked down; it just never happened to Ben Howland’s players twice in one week as it did to everyone else.

Finally, these weary schools – nine out of the 10, in fact – have a chance to leave the neighborhood and make new postseason friends.

“It’s like scrimmaging yourself every day in practice,” Washington State forward Robbie Cowgill said. “It’ll be nice to get someone else and stop beating up on each other.”

A record-tying number of Pac-10 teams received NCAA Tournament bids: UCLA (31-3), Stanford (26-7), Washington State (24-8), USC (21-11), Oregon (18-13) and Arizona (19-14).

The NIT scooped up two more: Arizona State (19-12) and California (16-15).

The new Collegiate Basketball Invitational grabbed yet another: Washington (16-16).

That left only Oregon State (6-25), arguably the Pac-10’s worst team ever after becoming the first to lose all 18 conference games, not to mention its final 21 outings in a row overall, without another place to land.

How good is this league?

For the Pac-10 Tournament, 42 NBA scouts asked for seats, representing 26 of the 30 franchises.

They came to see 10 different players already projected as first-round picks, most of them lottery potential.

Howland, UCLA’s coach, couldn’t have been too happy to see all these note-takers hovering around the Staples Center. All five of his starters, none seniors, have been rated among the top 51 draftable players so far.

While all of this newfound freedom is nice, the Pac-10 is still stinging from the collective selection process.

The league wanted seven NCAA teams, demanded seven, said it wouldn’t accept anything less than seven.

Seven would have been a record – one more than the league’s 2002 qualifiers – for a conference once considered soft and a second option for marquee recruits.

Seven would have represented the number of teams ranked at some point during a hatchet-man Pac-10 schedule.

“I would be terribly disappointed if we don’t get seven,” Stanford coach Trent Johnson said.

On Selection Sunday, six Pac-10 teams answered “here” when attendance was taken for the 65 penciled into the latest NCAA bracket.

“Huh?” was all Arizona State could mutter somewhat incoherently when realizing it had been passed over, possibly as the last team that didn’t get in.

Six was a weighty number, considering that it tied the Big 12 and SEC for the conference supplying the second highest number of tournament teams this season, falling two short of the leader, the Big East.

Six was two more than the ACC and Big Ten.

It just wasn’t seven.

Arizona State (19-12) beat four teams that qualified for the NCAAs: Xavier, Stanford, USC and Arizona (twice). It couldn’t beat out one more team to join them, a source of great frustration in the desert.

“Obviously, it’s a very disappointing moment for us,” Sun Devils coach Herb Sendek said. “We were anxious all weekend following our game against USC (a 57-53 Pac-10 tourney loss). At this point, the coaches and the players hurt a great deal. There’s no getting around that.”

Pac-10 coaches were counting on the selection committee taking in consideration all of the friendly fire casualties incurred up and down the coast.

League coaches were hoping that outsiders with any pull would take notice that everyone except Oregon State was capable of doing considerable damage in any league setting.

“There are nine teams in the league that could win an NCAA tournament game,” Arizona interim coach Kevin O’Neill predicted way back in January and not changing his mind any thereafter.

In Sendek’s second season in charge, Arizona State shot from a last-place finisher (8-22) to fifth place, getting a significant boost from three freshmen starters, namely James Harden. A lefthanded guard, Harden was named first-team All-Pac-10 in his debut season. He’s one of the few giving college another year or so.

California, while finishing ninth during the regular season, remains a doggedly competitive team. The Golden Bears have a pair of players already singled out as first-round NBA draft picks: forward Ryan Anderson and center DeVon Harden. Anderson, just a sophomore, is the league’s leading scorer (21.3 ppg).

Then there’s Washington, the last league team to find a tournament willing to give it someplace to land. Granted, Lorenzo Romar’s program has slipped a few notches since Brandon Roy left for the NBA. Still, the rebuilding Huskies not only handed UCLA one of its three losses but its worst loss this season (71-61), and they were beaten by Big East tournament champion Pittsburgh, when it had Lavance Fields in the lineup, only when a last-second shot was waved off.

Now that all of the snibbling has been offered and all of the tears dried, here’s what the Pac-10 has left to offer, in order by seed:

1) UCLA/West No. 1

The Bruins are as good as any team in the country. Mark it down: The Bruins are serious NCAA contenders. They made to the Final Four each of the last two seasons without a legitimate center, and they have one now in first-team All-American Kevin Love, just a freshman. Book the trip to San Antonio.

As the Pac-10 regular season and tournament champion, and the West’s top seed, UCLA has had few lapses this season. It lost by two to Texas and nine to USC, both NCAA teams, and inexplicably to Washington.

Howland has an all-star cast of characters. Love is a 17.1 scorer and 10.6 rebounder to go with super guards Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook. Collison picked up 28 points in the Pac-10 tourney title game against Stanford, a 67-64 victory. Westbrook was league defensive player of the year. Add to them Josh Shipp, a feared 3-point shooter, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, a hard-nosed inside player recovering from yet another sprained ankle.

If anyone can beat North Carolina, Memphis or Kansas, it is these Bruins. They haven’t won a national championship since 1995. The drought could be over. They’ll run the table and make John Wooden proud, starting with Mississippi Valley State.

2) Stanford/South No. 3

Next in line, the Cardinal are the third seed in the South, waiting to face the Stanford of the East, academically at least, Cornell.

Wait until the rest of the country gets a load of these guys. Matching 7-foot twins, guys who can run, guys who like to block shots, guys who love to mix it up. Along with 6-foot-8 Lawrence Hill, an All-Pac-10 selection in 2007, they form the tallest front line in the country. It’s enough to put in warning lights for low-flying aircraft.

Brook Lopez is usually an absolute terror around the basket. Just a sophomore, he dropped 30 points on Washington State in the Pac-10 tourney semis and had a 20-15 double-double against Arizona in the first round. He averages 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

He’s the Lopez with the short haircut. The floppy haired guy is his brother Robin, someone much more interested in making opponents eat shots than scoring points himself. He averages a couple of man-sized swats per game.

“They’re big and they’re good,” Cowgill said of Stanford’s twin towers. “They’re different than anyone you’ll find in our league or in the country.”

Said Cougars guard Kyle Weaver, “I think Stanford is just a unique team, with two guys who can bring it and play together like that. They both can score. You almost have to play their game.”

Stanford, with a little luck to support all that height, is an Elite Eight team hoping to sneak into the Final Four and get another shot at UCLA. The Cardinal had an early postseason flameout last year, but it won’t happen this time. The Pac-10 has made people battle-tested and battle-scarred. Stanford in the Final Four? It could happen.

3) Washington State/East No. 4

This is a weird team. At first glance, the Cougars don’t look all that imposing. Then they slap their extended defense on you, forcing bad shots and practically eliminating all transition baskets. They share the ball and refuse to launch bad shots. They have three four-year starters in Derrick Low, Weaver and Cowgill, which means surplus experience and confidence.

The Cougars, a fourth seed in the East, are a tough match-up, as first-round opponent Winthrop and likely Notre Dame discovers. Win those two, and WSU then comes face to face with North Carolina. It’s not impossible, but the fun probably stops there, with the Sweet 16 a final stop and the proper place to say farewell to those loyal seniors.

4) USC/Midwest No. 6

With O.J. Mayo, anything can happen. He led the Trojans over UCLA at midseason, teaming with fellow freshman Davon Jefferson to create all sort of match-up problems based on quickness. Toss in vets Daniel Hackett, Dwight Lewis and Taj Gibson, and the Trojans, sixth seeded in the Midwest, are a handful, first for Kansas State in the opening round and then Wisconsin in game two.

Mayo should be extra inspired for his NCAA debut. Kansas State will pair him against old high school teammate Bill Walker, not to mention the freshman getting most of the press nationwide, Michael Beasley. Don’t be surprised if Mayo has a better game than all of them. He’s that good, and makes the Trojans that dangerous.

USC will probably have trouble getting past Wisconsin, going two-and-done, but Tim Floyd’s team won’t go out easy.

5) Oregon/South No. 9

A profound disappointment, the quick and veteran Ducks tanked a lot of the regular season, losing 13 times. They might have been the most surprised when their name was called out by the selection committee. So why not take this postseason reprieve and run with it?

Malik Hairston, Bryce Taylor and Maarty Leunen are all mentioned as at least second-round NBA draft picks, and instant offense guard Tajuan Porter is enough to frighten any team. They played in the Elite Eight last year. Not this year.

The Ducks are the ninth seed in the South. They’ll get past first-round foe Mississippi State, but then get paddled by Memphis in round two.

6) Arizona/West No. 10

The legend of Lute Olson lives on. Why else would the Wildcats, the NCAA entry with the second-most defeats (14) and anxiously waiting for their long-time coach to return from sabbatical, be included?

Arizona has three NBA prospects in Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger, considered lottery picks in some circles, and Jordan Hill, who could be one in a year or two.

The Wildcats snuck in with a 10th seed in the West, drawing West Virginia. They’ll win the opener, but then Duke gets in the way, and these guys don’t have enough firepower or (Olson) guile to pull a second-round upset.

They are merely happy to be making their 24th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, as not to suffer the wrath of Olson.

Dan Raley’s Final Four final thought:

People don’t want to believe it, but this is the year of the Pac-10. Send UCLA and Stanford (sorry Memphis) to the Final Four, catching each other for the fourth time in the semifinals. The Bruins win that one, their fourth consecutive decision over the Cardinal, and move to Monday’s final game.

North Carolina and another quasi-upstart, Wisconsin, fill out the rest of the bracket, and the Tar Heels win that semi.

UCLA and North Carolina get together for all the marbles. They’ve met just twice in the NCAAs, with the Bruins capturing the 1968 national championship with a 78-55 victory over their ACC brethren, and the Tar Heels returning the favor with an 89-81 second-round victory over these guys in 1989.

Gotta Love the outcome in San Antonio: Kevin hits a banker at the buzzer, giving UCLA a 70-68 victory and banner No. 12 to hang alongside Wooden’s and Jim Harrick’s collection back at Pauley Pavilion.

Dan Raley has covered the Washington Huskies and the Pac-10 for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for nearly three decades.

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