[BostonCard]

Don't look now, but, in the current AP and Coaches' Poll, the Pac-12 has exactly...wait for it... ONE team.  Granted, that team is #1 Arizona.  And, of course, there are a lot of games still to play and a lot can happen -- just ask Ohio State.  Still, finishing 5th or 6th, or maybe even 4th, in a conference that, midway through the season, has only one team ranked in the top 25, doesn't sound like a sure way to get into the tourney [Jerry Palm's current bracketology notwithstanding].

The reason = parity.

Arizona is head and shoulders above the rest.  UCLA and Cal, then ASU, Oregon, Colorado and Stanford could all potentially get into the tournament, though none will be a top-4 seed, and the latter four are likely to be sub-8 seeds or out.  We need to consistently win against the weaker teams (no more performances like OSU), and do reasonably against the low APR U's, ASU's, and UCLA's of the world or shock Arizona once.  The road is not easy.

BC

[BostonCard]

Don't look now, but, in the current AP and Coaches' Poll, the Pac-12 has exactly...wait for it... ONE team.  Granted, that team is #1 Arizona.  And, of course, there are a lot of games still to play and a lot can happen -- just ask Ohio State.  Still, finishing 5th or 6th, or maybe even 4th, in a conference that, midway through the season, has only one team ranked in the top 25, doesn't sound like a sure way to get into the tourney [Jerry Palm's current bracketology notwithstanding].

The reason = parity.

Arizona is head and shoulders above the rest.  UCLA and Cal, then ASU, Oregon, Colorado and Stanford could all potentially get into the tournament, though none will be a top-4 seed, and the latter four are likely to be sub-8 seeds or out.  We need to consistently win against the weaker teams (no more performances like OSU), and do reasonably against the low APR U's, ASU's, and UCLA's of the world or shock Arizona once.  The road is not easy.

BC