ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Tournament Roundtable

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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 08: A Pac-12 basketball logo is displayed on the court after a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the Stanford Cardinal and the UCLA Bruins at T-Mobile Arena on March 8, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bruins won 88-77. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Who is the Team With the Most to Prove?

In terms of disappointing teams nation-wide, Oregon is one of the first to come to mind. The Ducks were touted as Pac-12 favorites entering the season before Louis King and Bol Bol each missed time, the latter being shut down after nine games.

Still, the Ducks find themselves as the No. 6 seed after ending the regular season on a four-game winning streak. This tournament is an opportunity to make up for a wildly uninspiring start to the year. With a favorable draw, Oregon is my pick to potentially play spoiler. Should the Ducks be gearing up for a Cinderella run, it’d be the best coaching job of Dana Altman’s career. – ZP

There are a lot of squads who feel they can win this week’s tournament, as they should. Teams seeded three through 10 are separated by a maximum of three games, and the Pac-12 might have one of the most unpredictable brackets out there.

But, only one team has earned a sliver of national respect – the Washington Huskies. As underwhelming as the league has been, UW has flashed dominance with its 2-3 zone and a special talent in Matisse Thybulle.

However, the Huskies have slumped lately. They lost to the conference’s worst team – Cal – and had a woeful offensive performance against Oregon last week. Now, pundits are wondering if UW was elite in the first place.

This weekend is another opportunity for the Huskies to separate themselves from the rest of the Pac. If they can, it will result in a higher seed and possibly a surprise run in the NCAA Tournament. – TB

In such an open league, everyone in the “Conference of Champions” has something to prove. But, at this point, ASU is the league’s only realistic bubble team.

With the Sun Devils’ win against Arizona, most insiders have them in the field of 68. But the selection committee can often be as predictable as Pac-12 hoops. A win over UCLA/Stanford should secure the Sun Devils a spot in the Big Dance. A loss, however, could force the bracketologists to reconsider. – CF

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