Pac-12 March Madness Bracket Predictions: Projecting bracketology for teams
It hasn't been a banner season for the Pac-12 heading into its conference tournament. March Madness will be a lot of March Sadness for teams like Southern California and UCLA. While Washington State has been a positive surprise, much of the Pac-12 has been through a season of underachieving.
Arizona is the great exception. The league's preseason favorite has been all it was supposed to be. However, the mediocrity of the rest of the league hasn't done the Wildcats any favors. The Wildcats might be under-seeded just based on the drain from the rest of the conference.
March Madness bracket predictions for Pac-12
Only three Pac-12 teams are projected as in the NCAA field. We'll also analyze two possible bracket interlopers, but both are long shots. The teams only reaching the NCAA Tournament with a Pac-12 Tournament title are Oregon State, Cal, Arizona State, Stanford, USC, UCLA and Washington.
Here's a quick preview of the few teams from the Pac-12 that will be (or could be) in the NCAA Tournament.
No. 2 seeds prediction
Arizona
The sixth-ranked Wildcats (24-7) could be in contention for a No. 1 seed ... if they were from any other power league. But the No. 4 NET-ranked team played only 11 quad 1 and 11 quad 2 games. They have a quad 3 loss, and the next highest team with one of those is Illinois, 15th in the NET. That loss (to No. 162 Oregon State) bumps them off the No. 1 seed line.
BracketMatrix.com has Arizona as the second No. 2 seed, but none of the 123 submitted brackets has Arizona as a No. 1 seed. The Wildcats are locked in as a No. 2, largely due to their league.
No. 7 seeds prediction
Washington State
Washington State (23-8), which is ranked No. 22, is most frequently forecast as a No. 7 seed but could well rise to a No. 6 with a good performance in the Pac-12 Tournament. Reaching the final could jump the Cougars to No. 6. While Bracket Matrix has WSU as the second No. 7 seed, there's virtually no mathematical difference between the second No. 7 and the third No. 6.
Washington State is 45th in the NET. Its resume isn't helped by a 3-4 record in quad 2 games and a quad 3 loss. But it's solidly in the tournament field and seems likely to end up with a No. 6 or No. 7 seed.
No. 11 seeds prediction
Colorado
The Buffaloes (22-9) are projected as in the NCAA Tournament field. They are included in 106 of the 123 brackets cataloged at BracketMatrix.com. However, ESPN Bracketology has Colorado as the first of the last four teams in the NCAA Tournament field.
Colorado would like to improve its stock, in part to avoid a First Four game and in part to be sure the team doesn't fall out of the NCAA field. ESPN forecasts Colorado in a First Four game against Virginia. A win Thursday against Utah (18-13) or Arizona State (14-17) is pivotal. Perhaps even bigger, a possible semifinal win over Washington State would wrap up a spot.
Colorado, with a No. 27 NET ranking, is probably in the field but could fall out possibly if one of the two teams below overachieves.
Utah
The Utes (18-13) are projected out of the NCAA field. They have a No. 53 NET ranking, which seems like a stretch. Upsetting Colorado in a quarterfinal would help, and a semifinal win would likely place Utah in the NCAA field. But it's on the outside looking in.
Oregon
Even with 20 wins, Oregon (20-11) is also probably outside the NCAA field. A No. 68 NET ranking is low for NCAA consideration. Oregon played only eight quadrant 1 games and eight quadrant 2 games. The Ducks probably need a semifinal upset of Arizona to get serious NCAA Tournament consideration.