We did not do a Pac 10 Tournament Preview this year at MSF…but Matt did at DSF. Follow the link to DSF’s Pac 10 Tournament Preview.
Okay, I lied.
I said I was done with the college basketball conference tournament previews, but after doing five out of the six BCS conferences I had to add the last one.
So here we are, discussing the Pac-10 Tournament.
Before we get too far into this, a quick preview of the 2009 Pac-10 Mens Basketball Tournament:
- What: 12th Pac 10 Mens Basketball Tournament
- Dates: March 11 – March 14
- Tournament Site: Staples Center — Los Angeles, California
- Official Website: 2009 Pac-10 Tournament
- StubHub Tickets: 2009 Pac 10 Basketball Tournament Tickets
- StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets
Is it just me or does the Pac-10 seem especially irrelevant this year? I am a die-hard Big Ten fan, and obviously the Big Ten has taken its fair share of flack in recent years — and deservedly so. But I can tell you right now that unless the matchups are just ridiculous, I doubt I will have an Pac-10 teams advancing past Round 2 in the NCAA Tournament.
And while that may have more to do with my lack of knowledge and exposure to the Pac-10 than it does with any in-depth analysis, it goes to prove my point that the Pac-10 has seemed especially under-exposed and irrelevant this
season.
Take a look at the most recent college basketball rankings. Washington is the highest rated Pac-10 team at #16. Then UCLA and Arizona State check in at #’s 19 and 20. By way of contrast, the Big Ten has Michigan State, Purdue, and Illinois in the Top 25, at #8, #19, and #23 respectively. And while the differences are not huge, the Big Ten does at least have one team in the top 10.
But, the Big Ten does not have a team like UCLA that has been to three straight Final Fours. The Big Ten also does not have President Obama’s brother-in-law coaching one of its teams.
So maybe I am just biased and Midwest-centric and the Pac-10 isn’t that down this year. But what did you expect? This site isn’t called Pacific Coast Sports Fans. At least I’m trying to expand my horizons and learn more about the other conference tournaments going on this week.
For those interested, the schedule and bracket for the 2009 Pac 10 Tournament is below. If you are thinking about attending any of the games, here is a useful link to the StubHub page for Pac 10 Tournament tickets. You should be able to find as good a price there as anywhere:
2009 Pac 10 Basketball Tournament Tickets
2009 Pac 10 Tournament TV Schedule and Bracket
| Game | Date | Matchup | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wed, March 11 | #9 Stanford def. #8 Oregon State 62-54 | 6:00 PM | FSN |
| 2 | Wed, March 11 | #7 Washington State def. #10 Oregon 62-40 | 8:30 PM | FSN |
| 3 | Thu, March 12 | #4 Arizona State def. #5 Arizona 68-56 | 12:00 PM | FSN |
| 4 | Thu, March 12 | #1 Washington def. #9 Stanford 85-73 | 2:30 PM | FSN |
| 5 | Thu, March 12 | #6 USC def. #3 California 79-75 | 6:00 PM | FSN |
| 6 | Thu, March 12 | #2 UCLA def. Game #7 Washington State 64-53 | 8:30 PM | FSN |
| 7 | Fri, March 13 | #4 Arizona State def. #1 Washington 75-65 | 6:00 PM | FSN |
| 8 | Fri, March 13 | #6 USC def. #2 UCLA 65-55 | 8:30 PM | FSN |
| 11 | Sat, March 14 | #6 USC def. #4 Arizona State 66-63 | 5:00 PM | ESPN |
(Note: Follow the link for a printable 2009 Pac 10 Mens Basketball Tournament Bracket.)
The Pac-10 Tournament is a lot like the Big 10 and Big 12 Tournaments in that there is not a lot of history. The Pac-10 actually started their conference tournament before the Big 10 and Big 12, back in 1987, but the first iteration only lasted four years because of poor attendance and coach opposition. It came back in 2002 and will be in place until at least 2012, with all future Pac-10 Tournaments scheduled at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Here is your breakdown of the past champions, tournament MVPs, and tourney sites:
Pac 10 Tournament History: Champions, Locations, MVPs
| Year | Pac 10 Tournament Champion | Score | Big 12 Tournament Runner-Up | MVP | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | UCLA | 76-64 | Washington | Reggie Miller, UCLA | Pauley Pavilion (LA) |
| 1988 | Arizona | 93-67 | Oregon State | Sean Elliott, Arizona | McKale Center (Tucson) |
| 1989 | Arizona | 73-51 | Stanford | Sean Elliott, Arizona | Great Western Forum (Inglewood) |
| 1990 | Arizona | 94-78 | UCLA | Jud Buechler, Arizona | University Activity Center (Tempe) |
| 2002 | Arizona | 81-71 | USC | Luke Walton, Arizona | Staples Center (LA) |
| 2003 | Oregon | 74-66 | USC | Luke Ridnour, Oregon | Staples Center (LA) |
| 2004 | Stanford | 77-66 | Washington | Josh Childress, Stanford | Staples Center (LA) |
| 2005 | Washington | 81-72 | Arizona | Salim Stoudamire, Arizona | Staples Center (LA) |
| 2006 | UCLA | 71-52 | California | Leon Powe, California | Staples Center (LA) |
| 2007 | Oregon | 81-57 | USC | Tajuan Porter, Oregon | Staples Center (LA) |
| 2008 | UCLA | 67-64 | Stanford | Darren Collison, UCLA | Staples Center (LA) |
| 2009 | USC | 66-63 | Arizona St. | DeMar DeRozen, USC | Staples Center (LA) |
| 2010 | Washington | 79-75 | California | Isaiah Thomas, Washington | Staples Center (LA) |
| 2011 | Washington | 77-75 | Arizona | Isaiah Thomas, Washington | Staples Center (LA) |
(Note: Follow the link for more background on the Pac-10 Tournament)
And with that, our week-long look at the major conference postseason mens basketball tournam
ents is complete. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this impromptu series of posts and have learned a little something about these March Madness appetizers that we will treated to this week.
The conference tournaments always play a huge hand in shaking up the final Field of 64 brackets, and always seems to provide ample drama and excitement. I how I can’t wait for them to kick off and build the momentum for Selection Sunday.
About Jerod Morris
