Pac-12 Bracketology: Five teams looking to go dancing
Updated at 12:30 p.m. PT The Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament has come and gone and now it's time to turn our attention to the Big Dance -- the NCAA tournament.
Given the depth and quality of the league, it's safe to assume that there will be several more Pac-12 teams headed to the big tourney this year over last season. Here's a look at which conference teams will make the cut and where on the bracket they could end up at.
Oregon (26-8, 12-6 Pac-12)
The Ducks are locked into the tournament with the conference's automatic bid thanks to their Pac-12 tournament win on Saturday. They have a decent RPI of 47 and a schedule that sits just outside the top 100. Most importantly, the Ducks are 2-0 vs. top 25 teams and only have one sub-100 loss on their résumé. Still, this is a team that will likely fall down the seed line because the committee is not yet convinced that the Dominic Artis-led team that went 17-2 when he was healthy is the one they'll be getting in March.
CBSSports.com projection: 7 seed playing Iowa State in Philadelphia.
ESPN.com projection: 8 seed playing San Diego State in Salt Lake City.
SI.com projection: 7 seed playing Temple in Lexington, Ky.
UCLA (25-9, 13-5)
The Bruins will likely tumble down from a possible top five or top four seed to a lower single-digit seed due to the Jordan Adams injury. They hung with Oregon despite missing their second-leading scorer but that's probably not enough to show the committee. They have a solid résumé but that likely won't overcome what happened in Las Vegas.
CBSSports.com projection: 9 seed playing North Carolina in Salt Lake City.
ESPN.com projection: 6 seed playing Wichita State in Kansas City.
SI.com projection: 5 seed playing Belmont in San Jose, Calif.
Arizona (25-7, 12-6)
The Wildcats would have gotten a favorable top four seed with a Pac-12 tournament championship, but now their tournament fate is up in the air as to where they'll wind up. They have some great wins on their résumé (Florida and Miami to name a few) but have not been playing their best basketball as of late and were swept by UCLA this year.
CBSSports.com projection: 4 seed playing South Dakota State in San Jose, Calif.
ESPN.com projection: 5 seed playing Belmont in San Jose.
SI.com projection: 5 seed playing Akron in San Jose.
California (20-11, 12-6)
The Golden Bears played their way into the tournament thanks to a remarkable run in the second half of the season as conference play got going. Their non-conference slate of wins isn't terrific, but they have only one sub-100 loss and a winning record against the top 50. Their loss early in the Pac-12 tournament likely dropped them at least one line on the bracket.
CBSSports.com projection: 10 seed playing VCU in Salt Lake City.
ESPN.com projection: 11 seed playing VCU in Philadelphia.
SI.com projection: 11 seed playing Butler in Philadelphia.
Colorado (21-11, 10-8)
The Buffs scheduled aggressively this year and that will likely pay off with a better than expected seed for the squad. They finished fifth in the Pac-12 but have an RPI of 38 and a strength of schedule in the top 25.
CBSSports.com projection: 9 seed playing Cincinnati in Dayton, Oh.
ESPN.com projection: 9 seed playing N.C. State in Lexington, Ky.
SI.com projection: 9 seed playing North Carolina in Lexington, Ky.
Not in the tournament: Arizona State, Stanford, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State and Oregon State.