The best conference in college hoops

This one's dedicated to the Pac 10. Dynamite matchups tomorrow. Undefeated, top-ranked UCLA visits now once-beaten Oregon and Arizona, owners of a 12-game winning streak, visit dangerous Washington State (the team who has come the closest this season to beating UCLA).

Wazzu has been a major surprise this year. Tony Bennett's got things rolling up in Pullman and getting a split in Los Angeles, last weekend, is proof that their win over Gonzaga wasn't a fluke.

The Trojans pipped Oregon last night. USC is but a narrow Wazzu defeat from being unbeaten in the conference. They're no easy W, this season. Imagine what's going to happen with the men of Troy when O.J. Mayo rolls into town next season.

And then there's Washington. Recognized nationally as a top 25 team (and deservedly so), the Huskies are off to a howling 0-3 start in conference play. Can't help but smile at their game last night. *Cough* All hail Chase Budinger *Cough*

Stanford and Cal both look good enough to get some post-season play, but they're probably looking at the NIT. The Pac 10 has depth, but these two schools won't find room in the NCAA. I'll say now, though, that Stanford is on to something special with the Lopez twins, Brook and Robin. Having those two bigs on the court together makes them a very difficult proposition as Arizona found out last Saturday.

The race for the conference title is on and it looks like there are three teams in the mix. Oregon has as good a shot as any of knocking off UCLA tomorrow. The Pit in Eugene is one of the toughest places to play in the entire country. Their chances would be boosted, though, is the seemingly-always-injured Malik Hairston were available.

What's the only thing stopping Arizona from taking the whole thing? Consistent defense. That, and I believe we're pretty dependant on the return of Kirk Walter if we're going to be able to battle with UCLA on the interior. Doing my best to secure a ticket to that game when the Cats come to LA. In the meantime, Washington State got us last year. Can't afford to look ahead.

The only easy game on the schedule: Arizona State. Sorry, Herb Sendek. You've got a serious project on your hands.

So there are plenty of storylines for the next two months...
- Three-headed race for the title
- Can Washington recover?
- (perhaps the best one) Can Washington State and USC keep this up all the way to Selection Sunday?

As of today, you have to figure that six teams would see their names in brackets come that fateful Sunday in March. Not bad for a conference that's only been netting 3-4 the last several years. Ah, if only ESPN covered the Pac 10 and not Fox Sports. Then I wouldn't even have to post this.