The college basketball season will begin in roughly four weeks. The Pac-12 is still reeling from the October story in which several assistant coaches from a number of programs were caught up in a process of paying players with money from shoe companies playing a role in the violation of NCAA amateurism rules. These assistant coaches were tracked not by the NCAA, but by the FBI, which makes these situations a matter of criminal prosecution, not just NCAA violations. Two of the schools at the center of this story are Arizona and USC, the two teams expected to lead the Pac-12 this season. No statements about NCAA Tournament ineligibility have been issued, and no decisions have been made about those teams’ statuses for the upcoming postseason. Head coaches Andy Enfield (USC) and Sean Miller (Arizona) could face long suspensions, but no decisions have been made about them, either. Keep in mind that this list of games could therefore change if USC and/or Arizona are ruled ineligible to compete in the 2018 NCAA Tournament next March.
Arizona at Oregon
The Arizona Wildcats, if able to play in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, will have a loaded team which should contend for the Final Four. The return of Allonzo Trier, combined with the presence of several highly-rated new recruits, should give Arizona a lot of speed and length on the perimeter. The Wildcats will be very hard to score against and should be able to play at a fast tempo. Oregon loses all the star players from its Final Four run last season. Tyler Dorsey, Dillon Brooks, and Jordan Bell are all gone. The Ducks cannot expect to have a great team, but they could have a good one, and at home, they could still give anyone fits. The Arizona game is a supreme test for Oregon.
Colorado Buffaloes at Utah Utes
The battle of the Mountain time zone teams in the Pac-12 is also a battle between two teams which might be on the NCAA Tournament bubble this season. The Buffaloes and Utes don’t have as much talent as Arizona or the two Los Angeles-area schools, but a fourth-place finish in the conference could be enough for a March Madness bid.
USC Trojans at Arizona Wildcats
The college basketball game of the year in the Pac-12 could be this one. The Trojans’ 2017 team returns largely intact, plus the infusion of new talent on the recruiting trail. If any of several players had gone to the NBA, USC would not be viewed as a threat to make the Sweet 16 or Elite 8, but the Trojans have talent and depth on this roster because all the main players stayed put. Now they have to deliver. Trojans-Wildcats will be the biggest feast of basketball talent in the Pac-12 this season. This should determining the important pecking order in the Pac-12 and have a significant impact on March Madness seeding.
UCLA Bruins at USC Trojans
The UCLA Bruins were the flashiest, most fun team to watch for much of the past college basketball season, running and gunning behind Lonzo Ball and other college stars. Now USC might own that distinction for the coming season. UCLA will try to ruin the party in this game, which will be played late in the season. A game a UCLA will occur earlier in the season between these teams. Rivalry games are always worth the price of admission. A rivalry game that could change the course of the Pac-12 season figures to be even more exciting.
UCLA Bruins at Arizona Wildcats
This is the classic rivalry in Pac-12 basketball this century. UCLA is the old-school powerhouse, Arizona the team Lute Olson built from nothing in the 1980s after John Wooden retired from Westwood. Arizona won in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals last year, but the Wildcats couldn’t make the Final Four. They hope a win over UCLA can lead to a high NCAA seed and a better March result this time around.
The 2017 March Madness futures are out. There has been plenty of news to keep up with in the offseason but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest college basketball betting lines right here.
