Pac-12 Hotline: Forecasting the fate of the Pac-12's best teams, UCLA and Arizona, in the NCAA Tournament — and predicting the outcome of every matchup.
Jon Wilner The last time a Pac-12 team claimed the national championship, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd was playing for Whitman College in Walla Walla and UCLA coach Mick Cronin was handling video work for Cincinnati’s coaching staff.
Will either of the Pac-12’s heavyweights end the drought? The Wildcats and Bruins are No. 2 seeds; both open the NCAAs in Sacramento; and both carry 12-to-1 odds to win the championship.Our questions about the Wildcats: Are they tough enough up and down the lineup? Are the guards good enough on both ends of the court? Will star forward Azuolas Tubelis respond when the pressure is most intense?
UCLA’s issue isn’t toughness. Nope. The Bruins are well suited for grinding affairs in which each possession is a steel-cage match unto itself. Our hunch: Regional salvation depends on freshman Amari Bailey, one of the few Bruins with the athleticism to create his own shot in the final seconds of a difficult possession.
Second round: Alabama over West Virginia, Furman over San Diego State, Creighton over Baylor and Arizona over Utah StateComment: The Crimson Tide have the best player in the region and the easiest path to the Final Four of the No. 1 seeds, partly because of the tenuous No. 4 . Arizona could face a rematch against Creighton in the Sweet 16. Of note: Alabama coach Nate Oats eliminated Arizona in the first round of the 2018 tournament during his tenure at Buffalo.
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