2009 Pac-10 Conference Tournament Preview

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/10/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All 10 members of the Pac-10 Conference will compete for the league's tournament title and a bid to the NCAA Tournament in a four-day event that begins on March 11th in Los Angeles.

The teams seeded seventh through 10th will have to participate in the opening round, while the six highest-seeded teams will begin action in Thursday's quarterfinals. Washington, the regular season champion, has earned the top seed to the surprise of many. The Huskies will not have an easy road to a tourney title, as second-seeded UCLA, third-seeded California and four-seeded Arizona State are all loaded with talent. Fifth-seeded Arizona has more Pac-10 Tournament titles than any other league member (five), and the club has played its best ball over the past month. USC is seeded sixth and has plenty of talent, but the Trojans have been painfully inconsistent. Of the bottom four seeds, none seem to be a legitimate contender for the tourney title, but we have learned over the years that a team can get hot in a hurry in March. Last season, UCLA beat Stanford to claim the championship.

The first of two opening-round games on Wednesday pits the eighth-seeded Oregon State Beavers against the ninth-seeded Stanford Cardinal. Stanford won its only Pac-10 tourney title back in 2004, while Oregon State is still in search of its first crown. The Beavers won both regular season meetings with the Cardinal, so expect them to play with plenty of confidence. Oregon State is ninth in the conference in scoring at just 59.7 ppg and struggles in the rebounding department as well. Still, the team plays strong defense. As for Stanford, it has struggled somewhat defensively, allowing foes to shoot 48.1 percent from the field. Anthony Goods averages 15.7 ppg to pace the club.

The second opening-round matchup features the seventh-seeded Washington State Cougars and the 10th-seeded Oregon Ducks. Washington State has never won this event and is just 4-9 in Pac-10 Tournament games. The Cougars are last in the league in scoring offense, as they are generating a lowly 59.4 ppg. Fortunately, they are tops in scoring defense, holding foes to 55.2 ppg. Washington State is the top free-throw shooting team in the conference and is second in blocked shots. As for the Ducks, they have two titles to their credit, the most recent of which came two years ago. Oregon is the worst defensive team in the Pac-10, as it is permitting opponents to score 76.6 ppg on 49.2 percent field goal efficiency. The Ducks are also last in rebounding margin.

Moving to the quarterfinal round, a much-anticipated battle between fourth- seeded Arizona State and fifth-seeded Arizona will ensue. As mentioned, Arizona's four titles are the most among all league members, but the Wildcats haven't earned a championship in this event since 2002. Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger and Nic Wise rank second, fourth and ninth, respectively, on the conference's scoring list. Hill provides 18.5 ppg and is second in rebounding (11.0 rpg) as well. Budinger checks in with 18.2 ppg, and Wise provides 15.0 ppg and 4.6 apg. As for Arizona State, it is 3-10 all-time in the tournament and has yet to claim a championship. James Harden is the man to watch for the Sun Devils, as the explosive guard leads the league in scoring at 20.8 ppg while also pulling down 5.1 rpg and dishing out 4.1 apg. Opponents are only scoring 59.8 ppg against ASU, which prides itself on strong defense.

The second quarterfinal game will pit the top-seeded Washington Huskies against either Stanford or Oregon State. Washington has split its 18 Pac-10 Tournament games and won its only championship back in 2005. The Huskies lead the conference in scoring with 79.2 ppg, and they are tops in scoring margin as well. The trio of Isaiah Thomas, Justin Dentmon and Jon Brockman is most responsible for the team's success this season. Thomas, a freshman, is netting 15.4 ppg, while Dentmon checks in at 15.3 ppg. Brockman provides 14.8 ppg, and the rugged forward is also ripping down a Pac-10-leading 11.5 rpg.

Third-seeded California and sixth-seeded USC will collide on Thursday, and both begin their quest for their first Pac-10 Tournament crown. Cal's Jerome Randle has dished out more assists than any other player in the conference, and he is scoring 18.4 ppg to place third. Patrick Christopher (14.6 ppg) is a solid second scoring option for the Golden Bears, who are generating 75.0 ppg while allowing 68.0 ppg. They are shooting a staggering 43.8 percent from three-point range to lead the league by a wide margin, and both Randle and Christopher are dangerous perimeter shooters. As for USC, it is led by Taj Gibson and Dwight Lewis, who are scoring 14.4 ppg and 14.2 ppg, respectively. Gibson grabs 9.3 rpg while shooting 58.8 percent from the floor for the Trojans, who are the worst three-point shooting team in the conference.

Lastly, the quarterfinal round ends with the winner of the Oregon/Washington State game taking on the second-seeded UCLA Bruins. UCLA has won this event in two of the last three years and is 13-8 in the tournament all-time. The Bruins lead the Pac-10 in scoring margin, as they are a +13.5 ppg in that department. The Bruins are shooting 50.6 percent from the floor, tops in the league, and they are also first in assists, steals and turnover margin. Darren Collison, the team's point guard, is the league's top free throw shooter at 92.3 percent. He is second in assists (5.0 apg) and 10th in scoring (14.8 ppg).