NCAA News

PAC-10 Men's Basketball & Football Blog

March 16, 2008

So the madness is here. The Bruins get a one seed and stay in Anaheim and play in the easiest bracket of the four.

Their opponent, the Delta Devils from Mississippi Valley State. Get ready to hear Jerry Rice's name about 500 times before now and Thursday, the MVSU alum.

They shoot about 40 percent from the field, I'm guessing they shoot about 15 percent for the first half against the Bruins.

Meanwhile, OJ Mayo the prophet said USC would play Kansas State in the first round. He was right and it's far and away the most exciting game in the first round. Everyone will be watching th fantastic freshman Mayo vs. Beasley.

The Trojans got a tough bracket with Wisconsin, who should have been a 2-seed waiting in the second round.

Pac-10 represented well, getting six teams in the field. I belive ASU is not eligible for NCAA tournament bid otherwise their is no explanation for Arizona and Oregon to be included over the Devils. ASU got slighted in the BCS by school's who played horrible non-conference schedules, now they get hurt by playing a bad non-conference schedule in basketball. They were rewarded with the top-seed in the NIT.. Exciting. 

March 9, 2008

How are the Bruins going to respond after getting swept at home by Stanford and Cal?

Oh right, they actually got two wins but the Pac-10 has conceeded several errors in the officiating in both the Bruins games this weekend. 
So the Bruins can coast into Staples Center knowing they need just one win to most likely secure a 1-seed.
 
This week's Pac-10 tournament is g oing to be the most exciting ever.

Arizona needs to win two games to go dancing.. weird thought? OSU is an easy win , unless they hit another 75 3's like they did vs. ASU.. Actually just a season-high 13, not bad for the second worst shooting team in the nation!

Oregon is in, unless the commitee feels like giving an at-large bid to a team like VCU, who fell to William and Mary on Saturday. VCU does have a high-profile one point win at home over Houston! 

ASU is in unless they lose by 20 or more to USC. Don't fault the Devils for their poor non-conference schedule. They played in Maui (who expected Illinois, Princeton and LSU to be so bad?) Destroyed Xavier and throttled Florida Gulf Coast! 

USC is playing better than anyone in the PAC-10. Give them a 5-seed with a semi-final appearance in the PAC.

UCLA needs one win to keep a one seed in Anaheim. 

WSU needs to get going. Nobody is exactly afraid of this team anymore. 


problem?
bagold@cbs.com


March 3, 2008

BUBBLY:

Locks for the dance: UCLA, STAN, WSU, USC
In: ASU (Unless OSU Beats Them)
Work Left To Do: Arizona, Oregon


How can Oregon not be considered a tournament team if they finish .500 in Pac-10 play? Wins over Stanford and Kansas State will go a long way. Losing to Oakland (16-13) doesn't help. 
If the Ducks sweep the Arizona schools in Eugene, the Ducks  go dancing.

Arizona: No Pac-10 team has ever gone to the tourney at 9-9. So you think 8-10 will get the Cats in? No CHANCE, That's why they must win at OSU and Oregon. The UA-ORE game that ends the season is probably about a big a bubble game as you can get.

ASU-  Win at OSU and Herb Sendek will have done the impossible. Taken a program dead in the water to the dance in just his second year. Coach of the year? ASU can't overlook Oregon State. OSU will be 0-17 when they host ASU. They do not want to be the first team to ever go winless in conference history.







March 1, 2008

23 And Done?
Things have gotten interesting in Tucson. No longer are the Wildcats a sure thing for the big dance. RPI ranking can only go so far. Arizona needs two more victories to get 9 wins in conference play. They play UCLA on Sunday and at the Oregon schools next week. Win two of three and they are dancing.  Basically, the game at Oregon on Thursday may be their season. 

So what's next for their program? Lute Olson has made it clear of late that he wants to coach next year. It's been 23 straight seasons that UA has made the NCAA tournament. It would be 24 if Lute was roaming the sidelines, his presence means everything to that program

MAYO Pours in 37
While his teammates were imploding, OJ Mayo tried to do his part to pull the Trojans back into the game at ASU on Saturday. The fantastic freshman has seen his draft stock soar in recent weeks. 

USC played out of control in Tempe, Four players fouled out and they were clearly frustrated by the Devils match-up zone defense. 

Ben Braun's Future At Cal
After 11 seasons at Cal, it's looking like Ben Braun's days are numbered. Cal used to be one of the toughest places to play in the nation, now their crowds are reminicent of Sports Arena USC crowds. With Ryan Anderson and Devon Hardin, Cal should have been to the tourney this year. CAL has no choice but to part ways with Braun.

February 21, 2008
Tonight's Games:

OSU at UCLA: No Pac-10 team has ever gone 0-18 in conference play. Don't think for a second the Beavers get their first win this week.

Prediction: UCLA 78  OSU 45

OREGON at USC: Game of the week in the conference. This is a swing game in the Pac, Oregon can't afford a winless week in So Cal. SC can't afford a loss this weekend. Somethings got to give.

Prediction : USC 75 ORE 68

Arizona at UW: Arizona's RPI is keeping tem in the tourney talk, while UW won't face an opponent who won't make the post-season the rest of the way.

Prediction:  Wash 83  Ariz 77

ASU at WSU: ASU and Texas are the only two schools in Division I men's basketball to have beaten multiple teams currently ranked in the top 10 of this week's AP Top 25. Yet the Devils RPI is still terrible (mid 70's) WSU escaped Tempe with a one point win by using an 18-2 run.

Prediction: WSU 61 ASU 60


February 16, 2008
The showdown is approaching, all week long we have been hearing from the likes of Kevin Love, Ben Howland and others of the importance of this game for the Bruins.

Sunday night's game at USC is the biggest of the season for both teams. UCLA looked unbeatable when they destroyed the Arizona schools, only to follow it up with a head-scratching split in Washington.

The Bruins will be heading to a capacity Galen Center crowd in a revenge game. If that's not enough, Stanford is right on their heels for first place in the Pac-10.

It's safe to say UCLA will be focsed, oh and they are getting healthy. Luc Ricahrd Mbah A Moute is expected to play.

Trojans need to find out how good they are without Daniel Hackett. Can Angelo Johnson step it up? Hackett is a huge loss, maybe not numbers wise, but the intangibles he brought are going to be missed.

Prediction: BRUINS 62  TROJANS 58


February 15, 2008
Arizona's Jerry Bayless was years away from middle school the last time his Wildcats lost in Tucson to California. Last night's win by Arizona extends their streak in Tuscon to 13 years over the Golden Bears. In doing so, it may have been the last straw in the Ben Braun era. (I said that before and they go ahead and upset WSU)

About 90 miles up the 10, ASU and Stanford played a wild one in Tempe that gave ASU their fourth win over an RPI Top 25 team this season. Barring a loss tomorrow and complete meltdown, the Sun Devils probably clinched their first NCAA birth since Ike Diogu lead them to a first round victory over Memphis.

In Eugene, the Ducks followed up their 18 made 3's versus Cal, with 6 more makes in the beginning of the second half to dominate the Huskies.


Saturday's Games

Stanford at Arizona: Anyone tell me why Stanford wasn't doubling James Harden in overtime?

Prediction: Stanford 71  Arizona 64

California at ASU: Fairfax HS Junior Renardo Sidney is rumored to be tripping to Tempe for this game. Sidney is the number one recruit in the 2009 class, so it's safe to say a lot riding on this one for ASU.
Cal simply cannot afford to lose another game.

Prediction: ASU 60 CAL 54

Washington-Oregon State: OK Beavers, here's your best oppurtunity. No team has ever gone thru the Pac-10 schedule winless.

Prediction Wash 70 OSU 60

Washington State- Oregon: Wanna watch the 3-point contest? No need to watch that little event in New Orleans, instead the one in Eugene will have 3's flying away.

Prediction: ORE 70 WSU 68


UCLA-USC PREVIEW COMING SATURDAY

February 14, 2008
Now the fight for the conference champion heats up. Stanford and UCLA have all but clinched 1-2 in the PAC. The Cardinal's resurgance has Trent Johnson as the favorite for PAC-10 coach of the year and maybe even national coach of the year.
 
Thursday's Games:

Stanford at ASU:
The Sun Devils had a 12-point lead in the second half at Maples earlier in the season... only to see it blow-up. ASU is back on the bubble and I place their magic number at 4 more wins to get an at-large bid.


Prediction: Stanford 66  ASU 64


CAL at Arizona:

Arizona's season is falling apart. Getting 39 points from Bayless and still losing for the second time to your rival is obviously trouble. If you ever needed a road trip, the Wildcats probably would like to hit the road. Instead, they are dealing with the local media that is calling for change.
Cal meanwhile has a legit chance to get back into the tournament talk with a sweep in the desert.

PREDICTION:
CAL 72  ARIZONA 63

WSU at OSU:
Gotta get these prediction out, this one tips-off in about an hour. Can't see the Beavers staying close

Prediction
WSU 58  OSU 50

Washington vs Oregon:
How does Washington follow-up their upset over UCLA? Oregon needs a sweep badly.

Prediction:
Oregon 82  Washington 73


February 6, 2008

The Arizona schools probably have no desire seeing the UCLA Bruins ever again. I don't remember seeing a weekend sweep as impressive as UCLA's in quite some time. The Bruins took two pretty good basketball teams and took them apart.

Now the Bruins get their rematch with Washington State. Probably the worst time for WSU. The Cougars were stunned last weekend and now catch UCLA playing at their highest level.

WSU needs a win to get back in the hunt for a two seed in the big dance.

Meanwhile, Stanford is surging, while ASU has played themselves out of bubble consideration.

If the tourney started today, UCLA,STAN,WSU,ARIZ,USC are sure fire locks. ORE,CAL,ASU all can make a run.

Thursday Games

UCLA-WSU:
You would have to give me a great reason to pick against UCLA. Wash St is in need of a win, especially a marquee win. UCLA would be that win... Just can't see it happening

UCLA 70  WSU 60


USC-WASH:
The Trojans are getting to the point we all thought they would be, take away a red-hot Chase Budinger and the Trojans would really be on a roll. Washington really is struggling, dropping three straight.

Trojans 73 WASH 67

Oregon-Stanford:
Cardinal have suddenly bolted into the top 10. This team is challenging for a 2-seed in the dance. Can't see them not holding home court.

STAN 74  ORE 67

OSU-CAL:
After finally getting a sweep last weekend, the Bears couldn't get lowly OSU at home at a better time. Ryan Anderson is not only making a push towards Pac-10 POY but needs All-American consideration.

CAL 76 OSU 52


 
January 30, 2008
USC, Arizona and Stanford are the three hottest teams in the pac-10. USC will host Arizona on Thursday night in my game of the week.

Historically, USC has handled Arizona pretty well.

Arizona's resurgence has coincided with the return of a healthy Jerryd Bayless, but it's the emergence of a low post threat in Jordan Hill.

Hill had his coming out party in an overtime loss at ASU, since he has been nearly unstoppable. 

Prediction: USC 74 ARIZONA 70


ASU AT UCLA

At Pauley, the Bruins face a team that's beyond desperate for a win in ASU.

The Sun Devils have fallen onto the so called bubble and a road win at UCLA would do wonders.

UCLA meanwhile got their big road win over Oregon despite some key players not playing up to their ability.
 
ASU plays a tough matchup zone defense that to date UCLA has struggled with.
 
If ASU can knock down their jumper, they will steal a win at UCLA

Prediction: UCLA 60 ASU 58

California at Washington State:
If Cal can't get a victory on the road this week, it may be the final straw in the coaching career of Ben Braun at Cal.

The natives are getting restless in the Bay. WSU somehow came out of Tempe with a miraculous one point win to salvage a split in the desert. WSU's first half slumps are getting to be a problem.

Prediction: WSU 70  CAL 61

Stanford at Washington 
Suddenly the Cardinal are in the top 15 in the nation and playing the way Trent Edwards wants.

Washington needs a sweep at home and they will be right back in the thick of tournament talk.

I like an "upset here"

Washington 78 Stanford 71


January 22, 2008
First of all, a big thank you to the emails telling me it's not 2007 anymore. As you can see it's fixed. What's funni is,  I get more feedback telling me the year is wrong then anything else.

Moving forward, Oregon State has put the nix on coach Jay John and C CJ Giles. OSU can look at typical basement programs, ASU and WSU and be optimistic for the future. What the Bennett's and Herb Sendek have done to those programs is remarkable.

What else is remarkable is the performance turned  in by Davon Jefferson vs. UCLA. DJ continues to fly under the radar while the Trojans picked up a statement victory.

How do the Bruins recover? A trip to Eugene is never easy. Kevin Love is going to be harassed by the fans like he's never heard before. The freshman is from Lake Oswego, Oregon and you can bet there is a ton of bitter fans in that region wishing he stayed home.

Have you noticed ACC homer James Worthy has EIGHT Pac-10 teams making the NCAA tournament in his latest tournament projections?

 http://cbs2.com/ncaa/James.Worthy.Bracketology.2.629728.html 

Now to the predictions, I won't be able to post Saturday's games.

WSU-UA: Arizona needs a sweep badly. They got a split up in the Bay. Now they need some big-time wins to keep their inflated RPI. Meanwhile, WSU continues to answer the critics.

Prediction: WSU 66  ARIZONA 63

UW-ASU:  I predicted ASU would beat Stanford if Pendergraph could stay out of foul trouble. He did for the first half. Second half a couple quick fouls and ASU's 12 point lead quickly was reversed. To make things worse for ASU, James Harden is questionable to go. Washington needs to get hot or start focusing on the PAC-10 tournament.

Prediction (With Harden): ASU 67  Wash 58

USC-OSU:  Trojans probably have no idea what to expect from OSU. New coach, new center. Trojans roll.

Prediction:  USC 73 OSU 57

UCLA-ORE: Mac Court will be loud and into the game. Oregon may have found that magic from last year that sent them to the Elite 8. Kevin Love's homecoming won't be a loss for UCLA. But a close one.

UCLA  72  ORE 70

Contact: bagold@cbs.com

January 18, 2007
There seems to be so much local hype for the showdown at Pauley on Saturday between the two most heralded freshman in the conference, OJ Mayo and Kevin Love. The hype fits the Bruins well, Love doesn't seem to get got up in the media attention, as evident when he ditched a session with the media earlier in the week. OJ on the other hand needs to take his team on his back, not by launching 30 shots, but by getting Taj Gibson the ball.

Thursday's games, Washington got that much needed win over Oregon. While WSU cruised past Oregon State.
Arizona is in major trouble, after another loss, the Wildcats need to get better and quick. It's not Kevin O'Neil missing big free-throws or turning the ball over, but having Lute Olson's sideline precense is certainly missed.

Up in Berkeley, the Sun Devils turned in another gritty performance from a team that just doesn't quit. Freshman James Harden gets the attetnion, but without another freshman, Ty Abbott, the Sun Devils are on a two-game losing streak, not a 10-game winning streak. The turnaround is incredible, ASU was in danger of becoming the first ever PAC-10 team to go winless in conference play last year, then freshman Christian Polk was their go to guy at guard, now he can't get any playing time in a back-court loaded with talent. 

Predictions 

USC-UCLA: CBS2 12:00

The Trojans have the talent to hang with UCLA, but that's about all they have going for them. USC will have to control the pace to beat the Bruins in Westwood.

UCLA 75   USC  59 


OREGON STATE-WASHINGTON:

Jon Brockman threw down 21 points and 16 rebounds to keep the Dawgs season from going into free-fall mode.

Prediction: Washington 72  OSU 50

ARIZONA STATE AT STANFORD:
How does ASU match-up with the bigs? If ASU's Pendergraph can stay out of foul trouble, ASU can win this one. 

Prediction: Stanford 66  ASU 64

ARIZONA AT CAL
How will the Bears react to losing a double-ot thriller at home? Does Arizona have an answer for Ryan Anderson?

Prediction: CAL 77  ARIZONA 65

January 14, 2007
It was pretty clear by the first media timeout that UCLA was just way too athletic for a streaky Washington State Cougar team.

WSU couldn't get a shot off as the Bruin defense just punished the Cougars for 38 minutes on Saturday morning.

Derrick Low went nuts in the second half, including a final minute where WSU had Bruin fans extremeley nervous. The result probably will be different when this game moves up to Pullman, probably the most likely place for a Bruin slip-up.

A couple other notes from the weekend: I said it last week Jerryd Bayless may be the most important player in the conference. Without Bayless, Arizona lost at ASU, a place where Arizona never loses. Saturday, a healthier Bayless played and the Wildcats beat a very good Houston team on the road.

Don't forget the Ducks. Oregon proved this weekend that they are not going away. The Ducks have won 3 straight in the PAC.

Thursday's Games:


Oregon at Washington:
If ever there is a must-sweep weekend for the Huskies, it's this one. After losses to WSU, at UCLA and at USC, the Dawgs are struggling. A sweep over Oregon and Oregon State is vital, especially with a trip to Tempe and Tucson looming next week.

Prediction: Washington 77   Oregon 75


Oregon State at Washington State:
Not sure the Beavers can compete in Pullman. CJ Giles hasn't been the answer Beaver fans had hoped for. WSU gets back in the win column.

Prediction:  WSU 65  OSU 42

Arizona State- Cal: Okay, honey moon may be over for ASU. Time to finally hit the road. One true road game on their resume and it was an ugly loss at Nebraska. Cal withstood a heavy Oregon State assault and managed a split at the Oregon schools. Ryan Anderson may be the most under-appreciated player in the country.

Prediction:  CAL 56 ASU 52

Arizona at Stanford:
For whatever reason this is one game I enjoy watching the most every season. Does Arizona have the size to slow down the big guys from Stanford? Will an early 3rd loss knock the Wildcats out of contention for the PAC-10 title?

Prediction:  Arizona 83 Stanford 75


Saturday: USC at UCLA  on CBS






January 9, 2008

Opening weekend was about what we thought. Seven of the 10 Pac-10 teams already have a conference win. Washington lost a heart-breaker to WSU, Oregon State and USC are on the outside looking in so far.

Thursday Games:

CAL-OREGON: Talk about a great game, Oregon gets a split in Arizona, while the Bears get a split vs. the So Cal schools. If Cal wins, they will be feeling great about themselves.

Prediction: Oregon 70 CAL 65

 STANFORD-OSU:
Beavers had Arizona on the ropes and hung with ASU for a half. They are getting better, but will clearly be overmatched by the Lopez' in Palo Alto.

Prediction: Stanford 78 OSU 59

Washington-UCLA:
Huskies should have pulled out a win versus undefeated WSU. But they are still without a marquee win on the season. Meanwhile, Darren Collison is out of the hospital after a bout with food poisoning for UCLA. I can't imagine the Bruins lose at home.

PREDICTION: UCLA 68  WASHINGTON 54

WSU-USC:
Cougars are unbeaten, Trojans are winless. Something's gotta give right? WSU is a dangerously good basketball team. This may be a bit of a trap game for WSU, with a major showdown on Saturdav vs. UCLA.
USC is hungry for a win and don't want to start 0-3.

PREDICTION:  USC 64  WSU 63

Arizona State is 3-0 in PAC-10 play, congrats to Herb Sendek. Their OT win againt Arizona was their second win in 26 games vs. their arch rival.
James Harden, last week's player of the week is making a serious run at Kevin Love for top freshman. I'm not ready to pick the Devils as this year's WSU, especially since Arizona was without Jerryd Bayless once again. But what Sendek is doing in Tempe is remarkable.

Power rankings to come


email your question and comments: bagold@cbs.com
I will start posting some of them in the blog.
January 4, 2008

   After Thursday's opening slate, it's fairly obvious that the freshman in this conference are having an incredible impact.
 
Former Dorsey High Star Omari Johnson took Oregon State on his back and nearly pulled off an upset over Arizona.

Former Artesia High Stud James Harden has turned ASU into a serious tourney contender. He dropped 20 points vs. Oregon. 

OJ Mayo scored 34 points in the Trojan loss to Cal and Kevin Love has been getting all the accolades for UCLA.  

As good as these guys are, Jerryd Bayless is showing why he is the most important newcomer in the conference.

Bayless is out with a sprained knee and the Wildcats are reeling because of his absence.
 
With a healthy Bayless, Arizona probably beats Memphis and runs Oregon State out of the gym. 

The Wildcats are hoping to have him back by the ASU game next week.  


Freshman aside, how nice was it to watch the back and forth showdown at Haas Pavilion between Cal and USC? What about the Sun Devils' big win over Oregon? Right, unless you were there, it's impossible. No TV this day in age is one word, ridiculous   






December 31, 2007

So it's now official, the Bruins have introduced Rick Neuheisel. If Dan Guerrero waited any longer he could have gone after Brian Billick, who was Neuheisel's boss with the Ravens. Wouldn't it be ironic if Billick took over as the UCLA OC? It's just a thought, I know it's not happening.

The PAC-10 really resurrected themselves on this New Year's Eve. Jeff Tedford let Desean Jackson, Robert Jordan and Thomas DeCoud sleep in a little longer then their teammates. Why does a Pac-10 team ever play at 9 AM pacific time? When the suspended trio returned, the Bears overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the Air Force Academy. 

Oregon meanwhile, left for dead, exploded past South Florida. It's safe to say after Monday's games, Jonathan Stewart and DeSean Jackson won't be returning for their senior seasons. We'll be seeing Jackson next year in the Metrodome as a perfect fit for the Vikings.

Looking to next season, pretty much same ole, what can we expect from teams 2 thru 10 ? 

Arizona- The offense came to life in the second half of the season, but it was the defense that pulled a disappearing act. 64 teams qualify for a bowl game, Arizona hasn't gone since 1998. How much longer can this coaching regime last? I think Stoops gets one more season or it's cya later.

Arizona State- Dennis Erickson made it seem like the QB position will be wide open next season, despite Rudy Carpenter still having a year of eligibility left.  Maybe they should address their real weakness, the offensive line. Oh yeah, a punter too.

California- Nate Longshore vs. Kevin Riley? I would hate to see the protests in Berkeley if Riley isn't the starter when Michigan State comes to town on August 30th.

Oregon- Did anyone see this coming? As you saw on CBS, Oregon crushed South Florida. Now the Ducks must find a way to replace most of  their game-breakers on offense. (Stewart probably will declare). Good news, Oregon will have one of the best defenses the school has ever had in '08.

Oregon State- Somebody please help this school with their PR! Another nine win season for Riley's crew, all this while breaking in a new quarterback. Probably my pick right now for second place in the Pac-10 in '08.

Stanford- As frustrating as the Walt Harris era was in Palo Alto, year one under Jim Harbaugh was the complete opposite. Wins over USC and Cal will keep alumni happy any season. Can the Cardinal take the next step?

Washington - Tyrone Willingham has been given one more season. That's a lot of pressure to put on Sophomore QB Jake Locker. If there is a player that can handle it, Locker may be the guy.

WSU- Paul Wolff has his hands full in rebuilding a once very proud program. Improvement in talent is going to be a needed in Pullman.

UCLA- Once RN completes his staff, the process of rebuilding UCLA will begin. Can Neuheisel secure some of Dorrell's commits? Who's going to be the QB next season? A lot of question in Westwood


 December 24, 2007

Three weeks since the firing of Karl Dorrell, UCLA still has not hired a football coach.

In the meantime, the likes of Arizona State, Oregon and California are getting stronger and stronger as they keep poaching away at Bruin verbal commits.

Everyone seems to think it's a lock that Rick Neuheisel will get the job.

So why hasn't it happened already?

I get the impression with each passing day, Neuheisel will not be the next UCLA football coach, it should have been done by now. I still think it can happen, but I don't understand the delay.

So who else? The known candidates are: DeWayne Walker, Rick Neuheisel and Al Golden.

Golden would be a fantastic hire, just not for UCLA. 

As for Walker, how will the Bruin fan base react to a hire of another coach who has never been in charge of a D1 school?

There is no question that the Bruin defense is a force and that is because of Walker.

So if you are Dan Guerrero, where do you go to find a coach?

He tried for Mike Bellottii and predictably failed. 

How about making a run at Jeff Tedford?
 
If I'm Guerrero, he is my top choice. 

I know the Bears had an awful season this year, but JT is a phenomenal football coach. 

He is a brilliant recruiter, a  tireless worker and certainly is qualified to coach at UCLA. 

But would he leave Berkeley for Westwood?