2013 College Basketball Picks: PAC-12 Conference Tournamant Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – PAC-12 Tournament Schedule and Tournament Bracket: With four teams all finishing within a game of each other at the top of the Pac-12 during the regular season, you can certainly say the conference was competitive. However, competitive does not necessarily mean good, and that was often the case with the Pac-12 throughout the year. Even the teams that ended up finishing at the top of the standings had dramatic hot and cold stretches, and there isn’t a team in the conference that doesn’t have a questionable loss or two. As a result, nothing would be a major surprise in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament. With that in mind, here is a closer look at the teams with the best chance of emerging from the pack and claiming the Pac-12 Conference Tournament title.
2013 PAC-12 Tournament Odds, Free Picks and Predictions
The Contenders
It took a while for all the new parts to gel, but the UCLA Bruins (23-8, 13-5 Pac-12) rallied from a disappoint start to claim the conference’s regular season crown. Freshman Shabazz Muhammad gets a lot of the headlines, but the Bruins have several other young players that have slowly developed throughout the year. On the flip side, the young lineup can have lapses on the defensive end, but UCLA owns the conference’s top offense and has the individual talent to compete with any team in the country.
With wins in seven of their last eight games, the California Golden Bears (20-10, 12-6 Pac-12) have some momentum on their side heading into the conference tournament. The Golden Bears also have an explosive backcourt in the form of Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobbs. The juniors are averaging 33.7 points combined this season, and if they are both playing well, they could easily carry California to a Pac-12 Conference Tournament crown.
After starting the year 14-0, the Arizona Wildcats (24-6, 12-6 Pac-12) finished just 10-6. That being said, there is no denying the talent level on this team. After all, Arizona ranks second in the Pac-12 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Wildcats also have a nice blend of experience and youth lining their roster. Guards Mark Lyons and Nick Johnson form an experienced backcourt, and veteran big man Solomon Hill joins youngsters Brandon Ashley and Kaleb Tarczewski in the frontcourt. If the Wildcats can just find their focus, there is no reason they can’t right the ship and win the Pac-12 Conference Tournament.
Bottom Line
While Arizona definitely has the most balanced roster of the top contenders, it is tough to ignore the fact that the Wildcats went 0-4 against the three other teams that finished at the top of the standings during the regular season. On the flip side, UCLA has been able to turn things around after plummeting out of the top 10 early in the year. Muhammad and company seem to have realized that this is probably the only year this talented, young team is going to be together and are trying to make the most of it. The Bruins have a roster of five-star and four-star recruits, and they are starting to play like it at the perfect time.
Prediction: UCLA Bruins Win the Pac-12 Conference Tournament
Odds to Win PAC-12 Tournament
Arizona
2/1
UCLA
4/1
California
9/2
Oregon
9/2
Colorado
9/1
Stanford
10/1
Washington
18/1
Arizona State
25/1
Washington State
33/1
USC
50/1
Oregon State
100/1
Utah
100/1
2013 PAC-12 Conference Tournament Schedule
First Round – Wednesday, March 13
3 p.m.: No. 8 Stanford vs. No. 9 Arizona State
5:30 p.m.: No. 5 Colorado vs. No. 12 Oregon State
9 p.m.: No. 10 USC vs. No. 10 Utah
11:30 p.m.: No. 6 Washington vs. No. 11 Washington State
Quarterfinals – Thursday, March 14
3 p.m.: No. 1 UCLA vs. Stanford/ASU (Game 1)
5:30 p.m.: No. 4 Arizona vs. Colorado/OSU (Game 2)
9 p.m.: No. 2 California vs. USC/Utah (Game 3)
11:30 p.m.: No. 3 Oregon vs. Washington/USC (Game 4)
Semifinals – Friday, March 15
9 p.m.: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
11:30 p.m.: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner
Championship – Saturday, March 16
11 p.m.: Semifinals Winners
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