If you were to ask Pac-12 basketball experts right now about the conference’s NCAA Tournament contingent, you would not get a sunny outlook. To be brutally honest, the conference’s ceiling for NCAA Tournament bids is getting lower and lower. Three bids looks like the maximum haul for the conference, a bitterly disappointing prospect heading into the final week of February.
The needle certainly moved in the direction of a two-bid Pac-12 over the past two nights. On Wednesday, Oregon lost to Washington, which reduced the Ducks’ already-slim margin for error.
On Thursday, Arizona State suffered a damaging loss at home to Colorado, grabbing a six-point lead with just under six minutes left and then allowing a 17-3 run to the Buffaloes.
Utah, without Gabe Madsen, got hammered by Arizona on Thursday.
The only Pac-12 bubble team which won was USC, but before we throw a parade for the Trojans, let’s be real: They merely beat Cal, one of the worst college basketball teams in the country.
Nevertheless, USC’s bubble position has clearly improved over the week. USC’s three Pac-12 bubble competitors all lost. Oregon’s and ASU’s losses were legitimately bad. Utah missed a chance for a quality win and will now have to beat UCLA next week to have a realistic shot at an at-large bid. Beating Arizona State and USC won’t be enough if the Utes fail to beat the Bruins.
In non-Pac-12 action, USC received good bubble news.
Tennessee, a USC opponent this season, beat No. 1 Alabama. That will improve the Trojans’ metrics.
New Mexico lost. Virginia Tech lost. USC isn’t rising on the bubble, but other teams are falling. If the Trojans can beat Stanford and Colorado in their next two games, they might create some margin for error.
Now they simply have to take advantage of the opportunity other bubble teams are giving them.
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