Pac-12

[Buffnik]

Stanford has been exposed. 5-7 Butler just knocked them off in Palo Alto.

Utah falls to 3-9 with a 29 point loss to Weber State

Oregon currently in a battle with Stephen F. Austin

USC hosts Kansas later on tonight

At least Wazzu seems to be in good shape against Pepperdine. I was worried about that one.

 

[JimmyBuff]

USC has 13 points at halftime vs Kansas

 

[jgisland]

That stanford score bothers me the most, butler is down this year and they lose at home, getting outscored by 10 in the secnd half. Luckily the p12 conf winner gets an auto bid or this could be a zero bid conf......

 

[sackman]

I watched the first 5 minutes of the USC/KU game. Cheesus, what a snore fest. Two teams that looked like they couldn't get out of their own way. KU at least looked like it had a plan and was implementing it. USC just looked awful.

 

[CVilleBuff]

That stanford score bothers me the most, butler is down this year and they lose at home, getting outscored by 10 in the secnd half. Luckily the p12 conf winner gets an auto bid or this could be a zero bid conf......

I think most of us suspected Stanford was kind of a fraud, or at least far worse than their 10-1 record indicated before tonight's loss. But yes, they should have beaten a 5-7 Butler team at home.

I think some people thought I was joking a few days ago when I said this could be a 1 bid league, and I most definitely wasn't. Right now, Cal gets in. Arizona has some serious work to do to get in (4 losses. every team they've faced with a pulse has been a loss), and Washington has nearly played themselves out of contention already (5 losses, and that 21 point loss at home to South Dakota State is worth about 4 losses by itself in the eyes of the committee). Stanford won't even be in the picture in a month's time. Right now, this looks like a 1 bid league if Cal wins the Pac-12 tourney.

 

[jgisland]

I think most of us suspected Stanford was kind of a fraud, or at least far worse than their 10-1 record indicated before tonight's loss. But yes, they should have beaten a 5-7 Butler team at home.

I think some people thought I was joking a few days ago when I said this could be a 1 bid league, and I most definitely wasn't. Right now, Cal gets in. Arizona has some serious work to do to get in, and Washington has nearly played themselves out of contention already. Stanford won't even be in the picture in a month's time. Right now, this looks like a 1 bid league if Cal wins the Pac-12 tourney.

At this point the entier conf is a fraud or a mid-major, take your pick. Stanford only looked good to date b/c of their strong showing against syracuse and the rest of the confs incompetence. I still think this is a 2 bid conf, my gut (and my odd love affair) has washington winning the tourney and cal getting an at large.

 

[CVilleBuff]

At this point the entier conf is a fraud or a mid-major, take your pick. Stanford only looked good to date b/c of their strong showing against syracuse and the rest of the confs incompetence. I still think this is a 2 bid conf, my gut (and my odd love affair) has washington winning the tourney and cal getting an at large.

Ya can't still be loving Washington after that South Dakota St 21 pt loss :lol:. I understand inconsistent, but that's just downright humiliating for them. I think it will probably be a two bid league at the end of the day due to Arizona winning the conference tournament, but with the way things are going this year 1 bid would honestly be pretty much appropriate.

 

[jgisland]

Ya can't still be loving Washington after that South Dakota St 21 pt loss :lol:. I understand inconsistent, but that's just downright humiliating for them. I think it will probably be a two bid league at the end of the day due to Arizona winning the conference tournament, but with the way things are going this year 1 bid would honestly be pretty much appropriate.

Well washington and i did break up after the sd st loss, but there is still this odd infactuation there i can't explain. For some reason i think there is so much talent on that team if they can somehow figuee it out they are hands down the best p12 team. Mind you they are doing EVERYTHING they can to prove me wrong.

 

[shang]

Well washington and i did break up after the sd st loss, but there is still this odd infactuation there i can't explain. For some reason i think there is so much talent on that team if they can somehow figuee it out they are hands down the best p12 team. Mind you they are doing EVERYTHING they can to prove me wrong.

Washington is deep, really deep, but they are struggling w/ consistantcy issues... as we are as witnessed by CU's second half against Texas Southern. The reality is kudos to those teams that make the halftime adjustments/late second half adjustments(as in Texas Southern,Cal St Bakersfield, Wyoming, CSU) and roar right back to either kick our asses or barely lose?!?!?!?

I'm thinking that the first 2-3 conference games is going to set the tone for the season for Washington, Arizona and I really think Cal is going to surprise. For the PAC 12 to be have any respect, they really need to get 3 bids in the tourney....imho

 

[Buffnik]

UNLV crushed Cal by 17 tonight. As I've said, no one in the Pac-12 would have a chance at winning the MWC this year.

 

[liverflukes]

UNLV crushed Cal by 17 tonight.

I prefer "soundly defeated".

Happy Holidays to All Buffs!

 

[boulder77]

I prefer "squeeked by".

Happy Holidays to All Buffs!

Holiday Greetings back atcha.

 

[JimmyBuff]

I think Long Beach State, UNLV and San Diego State could win the Pac 12

 

[Buffnik]

I should add that nobody in the Pac-12 would win the WCC either. St. Mary's, BYU and Gonzaga are definitely better than anyone in our conference.

 

[jgisland]

thebiglead.com now chimes in on how terrible the P12 is, arguing that it may be a 1 bid league.

Some ugly facts outlined in the article:

Here’s how bad things are for the Pac-12: It doesn’t have a team in the top 45 of the RPI (highest: Arizona at 49). The Pac-12 is currently 0-10 against the RPI Top 25. The Pac-12 has one win (!) against the RPI Top 50, which is the same amount of wins the Ivy League has against the Top 50. The Missouri Valley has four, so does Conference USA, and the A-10 has eight.

 

[shang]

thebiglead.com now chimes in on how terrible the P12 is, arguing that it may be a 1 bid league.

Some ugly facts outlined in the article:

Here’s how bad things are for the Pac-12: It doesn’t have a team in the top 45 of the RPI (highest: Arizona at 49). The Pac-12 is currently 0-10 against the RPI Top 25. The Pac-12 has one win (!) against the RPI Top 50, which is the same amount of wins the Ivy League has against the Top 50. The Missouri Valley has four, so does Conference USA, and the A-10 has eight.

uhh, what he's doing to my left.....

 

[jgisland]

A couple of interesting(?) P12 games tonight, not sure if you can call any of them "good".

Oregon st @ Washington - UW up big(17) early

UCLA @ Stanford - is UCLA really this bad? Is Stanford really any good? We get to find out a little more tonight......

 

[Darth Snow]

That UW game at home his huge for us.

 

[DesertDawg526]

Bigger than Huge if they "W".

Wish I could make it, still hoping too weather-depending....

 

[jgisland]

UW picks up the W. 95-80 (Vegas had them a 4 1/2 pt fav). UW looks solid, Oregon St tried some zone on them to slow them down, marginally worked.

Oregon looks like they will pick up the W over OSU

CAL at home in a barn burner with USC

 

[sackman]

The Stanford/UCLA game is a snooze fest. Extremely sloppy.

 

[CVilleBuff]

Cal only beats USC 53-49, in Berkeley. Cal might be 11-3 but they're looking less and less like the best team in the Pac-12. USC still is simply incapable of producing any offense - it's been a problem all season long for them.

Oregon beats Wazzu 92-75 in Pullman. Arguably the best result all year for the Ducks thus far, but this confirms Wazzu is as bad as suspected.

Washington holds home court against Oregon State, winning 95-80. No surprise here, the talent gap is too wide. Make no mistake, despite their 10-3 record, Oregon State is another mediocre team.

Stanford up 24-23 on UCLA at Maples Pavilion right before half.

 

[CanadianDuck]

I cant believe the Ducks shot 70% as a team and I missed the ****ing game.... The one game I decide not to watch and they finally get their shooting act together lol.

 

[CVilleBuff]

I cant believe the Ducks shot 70% as a team and I missed the ****ing game.... The one game I decide not to watch and they finally get their shooting act together lol.

I still think the Ducks are a mess, but tonight points to confirming my belief that Oregon is probably ~5th team in the Pac.

Wazzu is likely 8th or 9th -- CU really should be able to hold home court and beat the Cougs. Very important game.

USC looks like they're clearly the 10th team in the Pac. They aren't as bad as Utah or ASU, but they're 5-9 and simply cannot score (336th in ppg). Cal will finish 1st/2nd, but they've been increasingly unimpressive these last couple games.

Stanford held on at home 60-59 over UCLA. In the back of your mind you had to wonder if maybe UCLA wasn't starting to get things together after winning 5 in a row (although it was hardly pretty). I think it's clear that UCLA is destined for finishing somewhere around 6th, although they're still one of the harder teams to place in the pecking order. The 7-6 Bruins just don't have it this year, and playing "home games" in various gyms around Los Angeles in front of 34 students is going to prevent them from having home games to rely on and gain traction from. I think Stanford is the 4th team in the Pac, but there's a pretty big drop off between the Cardinal and the top 3 (Stanford has no chance of making the dance).

Washington is going to present some problems for us. Huskies are the 3rd team in the Pac, imo. They've got more upside than anyone, but the consistency is far from being there. Hard to see us winning that game, but if they can lose at home to South Dakota State by 21, they can certainly lose a game in Boulder. Oregon State is going to start picking up some losses. They're undoubtedly much improved, but they'd still be lucky to finish 5th in the Pac.

It'll be a bumpy ride for everyone - we've got 10 inconsistent teams of varying degrees of mediocrity, and then two downright horrendous teams (Utah and ASU).

 

[CanadianDuck]

I still think the Ducks are a mess, but tonight points to confirming my belief that Oregon is probably ~5th team in the Pac.

Wazzu is likely 8th or 9th -- CU really should be able to hold home court and beat the Cougs. Very important game.

USC looks like they're clearly the 10th team in the Pac. They aren't as bad as Utah or ASU, but they're 5-9 and simply cannot score (336th in ppg). Cal will finish 1st/2nd, but they've been increasingly unimpressive these last couple games.

Stanford held on at home 60-59 over UCLA. In the back of your mind you had to wonder if maybe UCLA wasn't starting to get things together after winning 5 in a row (although it was hardly pretty). I think it's clear that UCLA is destined for finishing somewhere around 6th, although they're still one of the harder teams to place in the pecking order. The 7-6 Bruins just don't have it this year, and playing "home games" in various gyms around Los Angeles in front of 34 students is going to prevent them from having home games to rely on and gain traction from. I think Stanford is the 4th team in the Pac, but there's a pretty big drop off between the Cardinal and the top 3 (Stanford has no chance of making the dance).

Washington is going to present some problems for us. Huskies are the 3rd team in the Pac, imo. They've got more upside than anyone, but the consistency is far from being there. Hard to see us winning that game, but if they can lose at home to South Dakota State by 21, they can certainly lose a game in Boulder. Oregon State is going to start picking up some losses. They're undoubtedly much improved, but they'd still be lucky to finish 5th in the Pac.

It'll be a bumpy ride for everyone - we've got 10 inconsistent teams of varying degrees of mediocrity, and then two downright horrendous teams (Utah and ASU).

This Oregon team has quite a bit of talent, but most of it is transfers so it will be a while before it will gel. The question is though will it be like last years team and it doesn't gel til the half way point of the Pac-12 season and loses out on any legitimate tournament or was today what I should except to see out of the Ducks. The team still is having its fair share of turnover battles, but tonight is the first night in a while where they rebounded and shot well.

 

[jgisland]

Stanford ends up squeaking by UCLA at home (60-59).

My thoughts on the P12 after the first night of conf games:

There maybe nearly complete parity in P12 bball (probably taking out Utah). UW beats OSU, a team with one of the best p12 records to date, Cal wins a close one @ home to what is a seemingly terrible USC team and Stanford wins a close one at home against UCLA.

Could be a lot of P12 teams with around .500 conf records this year.

 

[CVilleBuff]

This Oregon team has quite a bit of talent, but most of it is transfers so it will be a while before it will gel. The question is though will it be like last years team and it doesn't gel til the half way point of the Pac-12 season and loses out on any legitimate tournament or was today what I should except to see out of the Ducks. The team still is having its fair share of turnover battles, but tonight is the first night in a while where they rebounded and shot well.

Oregon has their chance to prove everyone wrong. Next up: @ Washington, Stanford, Cal (with @ Arizona being game #5). That's about as tough a stretch as you're gonna find in the Pac this year. Don't see the Ducks winning at Washington, but that homestand against Stanford and Cal is pretty huge for you guys for any hopes of finishing 3rd or 4th. From what I've seen of Oregon this far, I'd be surprised if they broke the top 5, but it's a long conference season and a few teams are bound to come on strong.

It looks like Cain is ready to start practicing. If Cain can finally become a factor, this season will take a big swing for the better and 6th will look at a lot more manageable.

 

[Mick Ronson]

Could be a lot of P12 teams with around .500 conf records this year.

why defending the home court is so important for us. steal one or two on the road and all of a sudden, maybe the bubble...if we take care of it at home. any home loss is two steps back.

now, i don't think this in an NCAA team....but, i like to be proven wrong.

 

[sackman]

Can you imagine how good CU would be if Burks hadn't left?

I'm glad for him and all, but damn, we'd be looking at winning the conference with him on the team.

 

[CanadianDuck]

Wow you guys absolutely dominated Utah so congratulations on owning your new rival in the 2 most important sports!

Arizona handled ASU rather easily
Cal destroyed UCLA
Stanford/USC and WSU/OSU are close games with time left
Then Oregon gets to see if its for real tonight when they play UW.