LOOKING AHEAD TO PAC-10 TOURNEY

The PAC-10 is preparing for the first tip-off of its men’s basketball tournament today in Los Angeles at the Staple Center. Unfortunately for UCLA, one of their top scorers and the guy who manages the Bruins’ attack may not be one hundred percent. Doctor’s indicated that Collison’s x-rays were negative for major damage to his tailbone but the bruising and stiffness are still bothering the Bruins’ point guard who participated in the team shoot-around on Tuesday.

Today, No 8 Oregon State takes on No 9 Stanford. Ordinarily this would be a no-brainer but you have to take into consideration the complete turnaround for the Beavers who have gone 7-11 in conference play compared to their abysmal 0-18 conference record of a year ago. A lot of that can be attributed to the First Brother In-Law, Craig Robinson who has helped the Beavers shore up a woeful defense and now has athleticism at the back court and the three spot. But Calvin Haynes is injured (hand) and although they are scrappy, they still have to deal with the deadly shooting of The Cardinal guards and their size up front. The Beavers will have a tough time throughout the tournament, but they are still very entertaining. PICK: Oregon State

In the other game today, Washington State (7) plays No 10 Oregon. The Ducks have been completely lame this season finishing 8-22 overall and 2-16 in conference play. Considering the numbers and the lack of depth on the Oregon bench, this looks like it will be a cakewalk for Wazoo and they will need the warmup because the winner of this contest moves on to play No 2 UCLA. PICK: Washington State

Tomorrow:
(4) Arizona State vs. (5) Arizona
Always a heated rivalry between these two schools and Arizona has often gotten the best of the Sun Devils. The Devils beat the ‘Cats in both meetings this season but you can never count Arizona out in tournament play. They have seasoned veterans in Chase Budinger and Junior forward Jordan Hill. This will be the most competitive game in the tournament but I’m giving the edge to Arizona simply because they play better as the underdog. But if the Devils can’t get consistent scoring out of James Hardin, the ‘Cats will be in trouble. PICK: Arizona

(3) California vs. (6) USC
Cal really needs to step it up to get past the Trojans who beat them in the regular season but got blown out in the other contest. The Bears lead the nation in 3-point-shooting percentage (43.8) and when they’re hot they can’t be beat. If guard Jerome Randle, their top scorer, has an off night, there’s really not much for the Bears to turn to. On the other end of the court, USC’s Taj Gibson is an inside presence on defense that the Bears will have to contend with but on offense, the Trojans have had issues taking care of the ball resulting in the worst turnover ration (-26) in the PAC-10. Look for coach Mike Montgomery who ruled the PAC-10 for years while at Stanford, to make this a half-court game with the Bears coming out on top. PICK: California

BYE’s: No 1 Washington / No 2 UCLA