RADIO
March is here, and the college basketball season is heating up. Conference tournaments have already begun. It is no surprise that the Pac-12 has been one of the more exciting conferences to follow this season, but only one Pac-12 team will be crowned the 2024 tournament champion.
This week, all 14 teams will battle it out at the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2024 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament. The teams hope to become tournament champions and punch their automatic ticket into March Madness.
Let's dive into the tournament, where we will discuss the outlook and predictions of how the bracket will unfold. So buckle up because this week could redefine the season for many of these teams.
First Round Preview
The first round of the 2024 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament begins on Wednesday. Game 1 will feature No. 9 seed USC against No. 8 seed Washington. Game 2 will feature No. 12 seed Oregon State versus No. 5 seed UCLA. Game 3 will be played between No. 10 seed Stanford and No. 7 seed California. Game 4 and the final game of the first round slate will be played between No. 11 seed Arizona State and No. 6 seed Utah.
The first-round games will be filled with groups not currently listed as potential March Madness bids, which means most of these teams will be playing for a chance to get a bid for the big dance. The most exciting game on the first-round slate could be between USC and Washington. Not only will that game be close, but the winner will advance to the quarterfinals and have a chance to take down top-seeded Arizona.
A sneaky first-round team that could see themselves advancing to the semifinals or beyond in the Pac-12 tournament is No. 6 seed Utah, which has wins over BYU, Colorado, and Oregon this season. It would be a long shot, but the Utah Utes could cause problems for higher-ranked teams in this tournament.
The #Pac12MBB Tournament bracket is set 👀
Snag your tickets at https://t.co/CrTVA4AFLD pic.twitter.com/6wgeHrUFHO
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) March 10, 2024
Tournament Odds
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Arizona Wildcats have the best odds of winning the Pac-12 Tournament at -160. Arizona is 24-7 on the season and is coming off a loss against USC after winning four straight games. The Wildcats have wins this season over Duke, Alabama, Wisconsin, and Oregon. Colorado is listed as the second-best odds at +500, followed by Washington State at +700 and Oregon at +1000. The complete list is provided below.
- Arizona -160
- Colorado +500
- Washington State +700
- Oregon +1000
- Utah +1500
- Washington +3000
- USC +3500
- UCLA +4500
- Stanford +6500
- California +13000
- Arizona State +16000
- Oregon State +35000
A value play that viewers should consider could be Washington State, which finished 23-8 on the season and second in the Pac-12. Washington State is the No. 2 seed in the tournament, and its odds are set at +700 despite finishing second in the Pac-12 during the regular season and having two wins over the one-seed Arizona Wildcats.
Washington State is ranked No. 22 in the country, allowing just 67.3 points per game this season. The Cougars play through forward Isaac Jones, who leads the team in scoring with 15.4 points per game this season. Another value play could be the Oregon Ducks, who are 20-11. Oregon started the year a little shaky as the team was dealing with multiple injuries to begin the season.
Tournament Prediction
The Pac-12 Tournament will be one to watch this week, but which team will most likely come out on top? Even though they are the one-seed, Arizona is the team that caught my eye to take home the 2024 championship as they have the most potent lineup in the conference and have star players such as Caleb Love and Oumar Ballo, who could be the two players who take over in the tournament.
Arizona has been one of the most dominant offenses in the country, with 89.5 points scored per game, which ranks fourth in the country. The Wildcats also rank second in the nation in assists per game at 19.0 and eighth in rebounds per game at 42.9. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday, March 17 at 1 p.m. EDT.
.@pac12 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎 🏆#BearDown pic.twitter.com/85BZa8nvfK
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 8, 2024
Stay tuned for all the college basketball news and updates here at RotoBaller throughout the entire season!
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