ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Tournament Roundtable
By Trevor Booth
Our Devils in Detail staff breaks down the pressing questions for ASU basketball in the Pac-12 Tournament, which tips off at noon today in Las Vegas.
The day is finally here.
After 18 hectic conference games, Arizona State and its league contemporaries will gather for a four-day battle in Las Vegas seeking the Pac-12 Tournament title. By Saturday, one will walk away with the conference’s elusive bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Sun Devils are the No. 2 seed, and therefore receive a bye before facing No. 10 Stanford or No. 7 UCLA in tomorrow’s quarterfinal round. Washington, Utah and Oregon State will also receive an extra day of preparation.
This tournament is one viewed as wide open. While Washington and ASU have separation at the top, teams ranked three through 10 are parted by a maximum of three games, giving each squad an opportune chance to advance.
The Huskies are the title favorites, hosting +225 odds from BetOnline after a 15-3 record in conference play. ASU is right behind them, tied with sixth-seeded Oregon at +375.
As of today, ASU and UW are the only projected teams in the Field of 68, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. He has the Huskies as the No. 8 seed in the East Region and the Sun Devils as No. 10 in the West, holding one of the Last Four Byes to get in.
It would take a slew of things to transpire for three teams to get in the Big Dance, but keep an eye on Colorado and Oregon as candidates to get the automatic bid. Both are on winning streaks, and they each have experience of competing with the league’s top teams.
Before USC and Arizona tip off postseason play at noon, our staff writers Trevor Booth, Zach Pekale and Carson Field predict how far the Sun Devils will go, who wins the tournament and their All-Tournament teams.