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PAC 10 Tournament Preview
Odds - Predictions
3/10/10
The Pacific 10 Conference Tournament is wide open. I mean it; it’s very wide
open. If the conference was a pair of pants it would need a very large belt.
Jokes aside, the PAC 10 is weak this year. The main powers of the conference are
California, Arizona State, and Washington. California won the league’s regular
season title even though it lost 5 games in conference. That is the most losses
for any regular season champ of a power conference. To put it plain and simple;
they can be had. This rings true for every team in the PAC 10. That means this
will be a fun one to watch and wager on. Let’s look at the contenders.
California Golden Bears - Odds 1.5/1
- With a record of (21-9, 13-5), the Golden Bears are far from invincible. Their
only non conference win worth mentioning came against Murray State. Although the
Racers finished the year 30-4, that is hardly a marquee win. In conference play
Cal split with Washington and swept Arizona State. The Bears are led by senior G
Jerome Randle who stands just 5’ 10”. Don’t let his height fool you. The
seasoned vet scores 18.5 PPG while striking from 40.5% from three point range.
He had 33 points in a win over Washington. Patrick Christopher, Theo Robertson,
and Jamal Boykin are all big contributors for this team. They combine for 43.1
PPG and 16.8 RPG. This squad won’t sneak up on anyone, but they certainly aren’t
assured victory in the PAC 10 Tournament.
Arizona State Sun Devils - Odds 3.5/1
- Although they finished second in the PAC 10 standings, this looks like a
team to avoid. They finished the year with a record of 21-9 overall and 12-6 in
conference. They don’t have a good out of conference win. In their final three
games they barely beat lousy teams in USC and UCLA, and got crushed by
California. I just don’t see them having an impact in this thing. If they do it
will be on the back of G Ty Abbot. He steps up in big situations as he proved
with 29 points in a win over Arizona.
Washington Huskies - Odds 2/1
- This team has come on very strong at the end of the year. The Huskies ended
the season with three straight road victories to improve their record to 21-9
overall and 12-6 in conference. They have a solid out of conference win over
Texas A&M. They split games with the top dog in this league (California). Senior
Quincy Pondexter leads the team with 20.3 PPG and 7.9 RPG. He had a season high
34 in a win over Arizona. Sophomore Isaiah Thomas is just as pivotal with 17.1
PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 2.9 RPG. He had 22 points in a road win over Arizona. If these
two players are able to get and stay hot then the Huskies will run away with the
PAC 10 Tournament.
Arizona Wildcats - Odds 8/1 -
It’s highly unlikely this team will make a run, but anything is possible. They
own a win over California, and they ended the year on a three game streak. The
Wildcats played a very strong Wisconsin team close early in the year. Coach Sean
Miller knows how to win conference tournaments, but his team is young and
inexperienced. If they get hot then perhaps they will cause madness in March
during this PAC 10 Tournament.
The Washington Huskies are clearly the play to win the PAC 10 Tournament. They
have ended the year on a roll, and they have two stellar players in Pondexter
and Thomas. The value will be strong. California is a risky bet despite having
won the conference. They are too inconsistent. The same can be said for Arizona
State. This should be a good tourney to look for some live dogs in
individual games. Good Luck - Enjoy!