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Easy to confuse Pac-12 with a mid-major league

Posted on: December 19, 2011 9:22 am
Edited on: December 19, 2011 9:33 am
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By Jeff Goodman

There's no East Coast bias here. The Pac-12 stinks. Plain and simple. 

"No excuses," one head coach in the league texted me. "You're right." 

There's truly no defense for what's gone on out west thus far. The league has been absolutely manhandled. 

Sunday was just another day in the park for the Pac-12, one that saw South Dakota State pummel Washington in Seattle and then watched Virginia go out to Oregon and take care of the Ducks. 

A day prior, there was no shame in Gonzaga working over Arizona in Seattle. But what about Northern Arizona - with a 70-year-old interim head coach -- knocking off Herb Sendek's Arizona State Sun Devils?  Or Georgia going west and beating USC at the Galen Center?

The league doesn't have a single victory against a Top 25 team. In fact, it's nearly impossible to find the most impressive win notched by anyone in the league. It's been so pitiful that a case can be made for Oregon State's come-from-behind win in New Jersey against a young Texas team as the flagship win for the Pac-12 thus far. 

This could be a two-bid league. Probably should be a two-bid league. 

We thought, entering the season, there were four teams that were capable of making a legitimate run to the NCAA tournament. Maybe even a handful - if you want to include an Oregon team that was thrown together due to desperation. 

UCLA appeared formidable on paper, but we quickly learned that one player can truly wreck a season (see: Reeves Nelson). Arizona isn't nearly as talented as some thought, especially with talented freshman Josiah Turner refusing to buy into Sean Miller's approach early in the season. 

Oregon's Dana Altman has already lost his top freshman, Jabari Brown, and is now reliant on a bunch of second-chance guys (i.e. Devoe Joseph, Tony Woods) and Washington, the most talented team in the league, earned its most impressive win against UC Santa Barbara. California was blasted by Missouri and also lost on the road to what everyone figured was a rebuilding San Diego State club. 

Stanford has been the most impressive team in the league thus far with a 9-1 record, but the Cardinal still hasn't notched a victory against an NCAA tourney team. The loss was impressive, against top-ranked Syracuse in New York, but the most significant wins have come against N.C. State and Oklahoma State - a pair of teams likely headed to the NIT. 

Don't even get me started on teams like Arizona State (4-6), Washington State (which lost to UC Riverside), USC (which already has seven losses), Colorado (which has lost to Wyoming and Colorado State) and a dismal Utah team. None will even be on the bubble for the CBI or CollegeInsider.com. 

Listen, I want to defend the Pac-12. I graduated from a school in the league. 

But I'd lose all credibility in doing so. 

The league is currently ranked ninth in the RPI, behind the A-10 and Missouri Valley and barely in front of the WCC and C-USA.  

However, if there's one positive spin I can put on the Pac-12's misery, it's the fact that this league is up for grabs, a complete toss-up right now. It's difficult to imagine a scenario in which the regular-season champ doesn't get an at -large bid to go dancing - and obviously, the tourney winner gets an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. 

That means everyone in the league still has a shot. 

Well, maybe not quite everyone.


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Category: NCAAB
Tags: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Jeff Goodman, Oregon, Oregon State, Pac-12, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State
 
Comments

Since: Mar 4, 2008
Posted on: December 21, 2011 10:56 pm
 

Easy to confuse Pac-12 with a mid-major league

I think the WCC may be a better conference right now.  It's at least as-good as the PAC 12.  Arizona got outrebounded by my Zags nearly 2-1 and started teh game in a 14-0 early.  Then UW goes out and loses at home to South Dakota, while Az St. gets beat by N. Arizona?  What a weeekend.

Since: Aug 21, 2006
Posted on: December 20, 2011 6:04 pm
 

Easy to confuse Pac-12 with a mid-major league

i hate to agree, but youi're right.  Arizona's down right now and would look much better if they could've pulled out wins against Florida and a few others.  They were in position.  Arizona's was among the top 5 elite programs during Lute's hay day, with plenty of wins among those 'elite' to prove it.  Sean Miller will get them back there consistently.  UCLA is a strange place right now.  Weird things going on there.  Standard is looking good, Cal under Montgomory will keep getting better, and Washington will fix it.

Since: Sep 28, 2008
Posted on: December 20, 2011 5:43 pm
 

Easy to confuse Pac-12 with a mid-major league

How many times do I have to tell you-- you're always teetering around on those skinny little "mightier than thou" b.s.talk legs...  As I've told you over and over... Since Romar took over the Washington Huskies, they've been to the Dance all the same years that Syracuse has... And made it to the same number of Sweet 16's or higher... (no higher for us, but still...)
Dude, we're talking stictly about conferences here and their teams. We're not comparing one fans teams with another. 

If you're trying to make an argument that Washington is a traditional program, then you're going to fall flat on your face arguing with me. 

Since: Oct 25, 2007
Posted on: December 20, 2011 5:33 pm
 

Easy to confuse Pac-12 with a mid-major league

OSU lose to Idaho was not very shocking.  Star player Jared Cunnigham, had his best friend die two days prior.  Hence his 0 points for that game.  While they have played no one, they have spanked all the nobodies like your suppossed to

Since: Oct 25, 2007
Posted on: December 20, 2011 5:28 pm
 

Easy to confuse Pac-12 with a mid-major league

They had a nice win over Texas

Since: Oct 12, 2010
Posted on: December 20, 2011 12:43 pm
 

Easy to confuse Pac-12 with a mid-major league

The point of this article is not to take bids away from the Pac-12 and give them to the MWC or WCC.  The NCAA expanded the field last year, taking two bids away from the Pac-12 and awarding 11 to the Big East.  Now that the Big East is not very good this year, the goal is to maintain that.  The sub-headline of the article is "Weakness Out West" implying that the Pac-12 speaks for the entire western region.  Thus, more bids should be awarded to the SEC and to the Xavier's and Cincinnatti's of the world.
This is still College basketball.  That means players have to pass their classes.  Real classes.  It is no coincidence that Jabari Brown bolted after grades came out...No doubt he would not flunk his classes in the eastern schools.
Nobody believes that the only good football in the country is in the SEC.  Nobody believes that the only good players in the country are in the east.  Boycott BCS SEC Championship game!

Since: May 13, 2010
Posted on: December 20, 2011 12:12 pm
 

Easy to confuse Pac-12 with a mid-major league

I am shocked the fans of the P12 are giving Stanford little hope of winning the P12.  They traveled to and played on the East Coast where they dominated the finals and then gave SU all they wanted in the NIT Championship.  I'm reading about Cal and Oregon and AZ coming on strong at the end of the year.  I'm thinking the P12 has a team playing great right now.  To me, I believe Stanford to have nice pieces and will be a tuff out for everyone in the P12.  Let's see who has the chainsaw gassed and oiled for cutting down those big trees.  Good Luck you guys. 

Since: Mar 25, 2007
Posted on: December 20, 2011 11:37 am
 

Easy to confuse Pac-12 with a mid-major league

Who has OSU beat ? Oh wait no one of note. Congrats moron.

Since: Aug 30, 2006
Posted on: December 20, 2011 9:59 am
 

Easy to confuse Pac-12 with a mid-major league

Funny how the placements of the teams reversed so far by records at this point. It's going to be a zoo again just like two years ago. Next year, we'll see what happens, especially with the loaded talent my Cats are getting

Since: Sep 19, 2006
Posted on: December 20, 2011 4:50 am
 

Easy to confuse Pac-12 with a mid-major league

If the PAC12 gets more than 2 bids, how many should the Mountain West get......5? Also, if the PAC12 played in the MVC, they would get 0 bids this year! Two bids will be a gift and USC is the best team in the PAC this year and will get the auto bid after winning the Conference Championship.
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