The most readily identifiable change in the reformed Pac-12 this season was the shift from a round-robin to an unbalanced schedule, but the change with the most impact will be felt in the postseason conference tournament.
For the first time in league history, the top four teams will get a bye into the second round of the tournament, with the other eight basically forced into a play-in game. The bottom-seeded eight must win four games to earn the Pac-12’s automatic NCAA bid, one more than the top four.
In recent previous Pac-10 conference tournaments, the top six teams receive a
bye, with the bottom four teams forced into play-in games.
The change has not escaped notice of league coaches.
Arizona's Sean Miller: "It’s life or death as far as being able to win the conference tournament. There is so much parity. Making one team play four games in four days, as opposed to three games in three days, makes a big difference."
Oregon's Dana Altman: "Playing three games in three days in a tournament is pretty tough. Playing four games is really, really tough."
California's Mike Montgomery: "From a depth issue, it is critical."
With four weeks to go, seven teams are jostling for top-four position, headed by first-place Washington (16-7, 9-2).
California (18-6, 8-3) and Colorado (16-7, 8-3) are tied for second, one game ahead of Arizona (16-8, 7-4) and Oregon (16-7, 7-4), with UCLA (13-10, 6-5) and Stanford (16-7, 6-5) just one loss out of bye position. The Wildcats helped themselves the most last weekend with a sweep in the Bay Area, becoming the first team to win a road series when both opponents had a winning record.
UCLA’s Ben Howland knows first hand the difficulty posed by that extra game, having experienced it while coaching at Pittsburgh in the Big East Conference. When Gerry McNamara led Syracuse to the Big East tournament title as a ninth seed in 2006, it was the first time that a team seeded that low won the tournament since it began in 1980.
“Finally someone won it that had to win four games, but it took a quarter of a century,” Howland said.
Connecticut took it to another level last year, winning five games in the Big East tournament as a ninth seed, then carrying all that momentum to another NCAA title. It beat Arizona by two in the NCAA West Finals, its closest tournament game.
“That was a freak of nature,” Howland said.
Howland has believed since early in the season that his Bruins must win the Pac-12 tournament to make the NCAAs. That seems to make a top four finish imperative.
“Absolutely,” Howland said.
Like UCLA, Arizona and California have a lot to gain from a first-round bye, but for other reasons. Neither team is particularly deep, and each plays its final regular-season game on the road March 4. The tournament begins March 7.
Arizona appears to have the most advantageous schedule among the top seven down the stretch, starting with a home game against contender Colorado on Thursday. Three of their remaining seven games are against teams in the top seven (Colorado, UCLA and Washington), and three of the remaining seven are on the road (Washington State, Washington and Arizona).
Washington is the only other team with three games against the top seven, but the Huskies play five of their final seven games on the road. California and Colorado also have five road games remaining.
