We still have three and a half weeks until Selection Sunday, but that means we have only three weeks until the Pac-12 Tournament. That means we have just six games left in the Pac-12 regular season. It’s not early. It’s getting late out here in the West.
If bubble teams are going to make a move and stake a claim to an NCAA Tournament bid, they better get going.
Oregon did not. The Ducks blew an eight-point second-half lead to Washington, a brutal loss which puts the Ducks in the back of the line among Pac-12 bubble teams. If Oregon isn’t 100-percent finished as an at-large candidate, the Ducks must win each of their next six games to have any shot: Beat Washington State, beat Oregon State, beat Stanford and Cal, then get two wins in the Pac-12 Tournament. Anything less spells “N-I-T.”
Oregon stumbled. This leaves three other bubble teams with a chance to step into the gap and do something.
USC and Arizona State face must-win situations this week. There is zero question the Trojans and Sun Devils have to sweep at home. The Pac-12 team which faces the uphill bubble battle this week is Utah.
The Utes embark on a four-game gauntlet: at Arizona, at Arizona State, home against UCLA, home against USC. The Utes probably need to go 3-1 in these four games. If they go 2-2, the wins have to be against Arizona and UCLA to provide enough heft on the resume. If Utah goes 2-2 but doesn’t beat one of the two really big fishes (Arizona, UCLA), that won’t get it done. Utah’s recent home loss to Stanford made it essential for the Utes to grab a high-end win. USC and Arizona State are good wins, but losing to Stanford requires something much bigger for Utah to compensate.
It’s crunch time for the Pac-12 bubble. Oregon slipped on a banana peel. Let’s see if any of these other bubble teams can get their act together. The hour grows late.
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