PAC-10 Tournament Predictions

Tomorrow starts the weekend long PAC-10 tournament and the winner gets an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. Here are my predictions on who will win each game:

March 9-Day 1:
Game 1–Stanford vs. Oregon State- 6pm on FSN
These two teams split against each other, both were able to win at home, neither on the road. Now that they are playing on a neutral court, the game could go either way. I think the Stanford Cardinal has shown signs of brillance this year but has also shown signs of abysmal play, and the same goes for Oregon State. In the end I think Jared Cunningham for Oregon State will find a way to win this game for his Beavers.
Winner: Oregon State Beavers

Game 2–Oregon vs. Arizona State- 8:30pm on FSN
This one may seem like a shoe-in for Oregon but Arizona State has beat the Ducks twice this year. The last time they beat them was only a week ago, and they beat them by 20. It really couldn’t have been a better match up for the Sun Devils as they know how to beat Oregon, and they know how to beat them good.
Winner: Arizona State Sun Devils

March 10-Day 2:
Game 3–USC vs. CAL- 12pm on FSN
This is another matchup where there was a split in the season. USC lost at home but was able to go to Cal and beat them on their own court. Both games were decided by 3 points or less, and the teams tend to match up well against each other. However, USC has been playing some of the best ball in the conference in the last couple of weeks. That loss at WSU showed they have some weaknesses but overall USC is hot right now.
Winner: USC Trojans

Game 4–Arizona vs. Oregon State- 2:30pm on FSN
Arizona probably won’t bow out of the tournament, they like to win too much and have some losses they would like to avenge. However, I doubt they give it 100% the whole time because they don’t want to get injured and bomb in the NCAA tournament. This game will go to Arizona either way.
Winner: Arizona Wildcats

Game 5–UCLA vs. Arizona State- 6pm on FSN
ASU was able to take UCLA to overtime once during the season but was blown out the other time they played. UCLA just is a better and more developed team. Look for the Bruins to run away with this one.
Winner: UCLA Bruins

Game 6–Washington vs. Washington State- 8:30pm on FSN
Its hard to get beat by your rival twice in one year but three times is just rough. WSU will be coming off a close loss to UCLA in overtime last week. They will be getting Klay Thompson back from suspension and most likely Reggie Moore from his sprained ankle. They will be looking for another win against UW. I feel like in both games UW lost the game to themselves more than they let WSU beat them. UW is the better team on paper and should be able to at least get one win against their in-state rival this year. This may be a homer pick but I think UW won’t let WSU beat them 3 times in one year.
Winner: University of Washington Huskies

March 11-Day 3:
Game 7–USC vs. Arizona–6pm on FSN
USC got crushed earlier in the year by Arizona but then turned around a couple weeks later and crushed them at home. This matchup is a weird one to project because Arizona wants to win this game but they also won’t put it all on the line like USC. USC figures they need to win the PAC-10 tournament to advance to the NCAA bracket. I would bet that USC finds away to beat the Wildcats and continue on in the PAC-10 Tournament.

Game 8–UCLA vs. Washington–8:30pm on FSN
This may not seem like it, but this is a more favorable matchup for UW. The Huskies have beat the Bruins twice this season and have found a way to shut down some of their best players like Tyler Honeycutt and Joshua Smith. Granted it took a miraculous showing by CJ Wilcox for UW to get their last win, but it was UCLA’s bench player Jerime Anderson that kept them in the contest. Anderson usually averages only 5.2 points a game but was able to come up 16 against UW. Don’t look for either Wilcox or Anderson to have a similar performance and it will go back to UW being able to stop the Bruins’ stars.
Winner: University of Washington Huskies

March 12-Day 4:
Game 9–USC vs. Washington– 3pm on CBS
By this point you figure both teams have done enough to advance to the NCAA tournament. I think USC just matches up so well against UW and are successfully able to control the tempo of the game that USC will be able to slowly grind out UW. This one will probably be close but in the end I think USC will work their slow magic on UW and find the win to get the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
Winner: USC Trojans

On paper this is what should happen, but as you all know the Huskies can’t seem to get all their talent together and play up to their potential for the whole season. If UW can find a way to be WSU their next matchup is more favorable as they have beaten Arizona State twice, UCLA twice, and Oregon once. If they can get hot, they can ride the momentum into the NCAA tournament, if not they will quickly fall apart.