Congrats to the schedule maker for putting the Duke vs North Carolina game on the week after the Super Bowl. The game last night officially turned the nation’s attention to college basketball and I couldn’t be more excited. The Pac 10 hasn’t been getting much attention this year and a lot of that has to do with only getting two teams into last year’s NCAA Tournament. While the conference still isn’t up to its lofty standards, it is slightly better than last year. While no team is a lock right now, Arizona (20-4) would have to go completely in the tank to miss out on getting an invitation. Washington, UCLA, and Washington State are the only other teams that look like they can play their way into the field without winning the Pac 10 Tournament. Let’s look at the players that will determine if these teams can make a late push.
Isaiah Thomas, Guard, Washington
It wasn’t long ago that Thomas was making a push as the top point guard in the country and the Huskies (15-7, 7-4) were cruising through the Pac 10, but a recent three game losing streak has them squarely on the bubble. Teams have been going to a 2-3 zone look lately and it has completely taken away Thomas’s ability to finish at the rim. The Huskies are not a good road team (3-7) and a lot of that has to do with the play of Thomas. In the road losses he is averaging 13.4 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.4 turnovers while shooting only 32% from the field. The good news is that of the three games left away from home only Arizona looks like it could be a challenge. Look for Thomas to rebound and get the Huskies back on track with home games this week against Cal and Stanford.
Joshua Smith, Center, UCLA
No team in the conference has the resume the Bruins (16-7, 7-3) have. Wins over BYU and St. John’s and a one-point loss at Kansas should help them get into the field if they continue their recent hot play. The Bruins have won seven of their last eight games and the 6-foot-10 freshman from Kent, WA has been behind the surge. He is averaging 12.2 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 63% from the field over that stretch. More importantly, he is becoming a monster down low getting opponents in foul trouble and unleashing monster dunks to get his team fired up. They still have a shot to finish in first place and a rematch against Arizona looms large on Feb. 26 but they must take care of the Oregon schools this week at Pauley Pavilion.
Reggie Moore, Guard, Washington State
The Cougars (16-7, 6-5) have a couple of nice wins over Gonzaga and Baylor but they are going to have to pick up the pace in conference play if they are going to be a happy bunch come Selection Sunday. It has been a disappointing year for the sophomore guard after dealing with injuries and drug charges earlier in the season. As much as Klay Thompson does for the Cougars, it’s Moore who is a better barometer for their success. In the teams last six losses he has shot 11-for-51 from the floor while only scoring 8.3 points. The good news is that he is starting to show signs of shaking off the rust and becoming the player that we saw last year. He has been attacking the rim more lately with his outside shot still shaky and it has seen him score in double figures in his last eight games. If they split their last eight games that would give them 20 wins on the season. Will that be enough?
I have felt all along that Arizona, UCLA, Washington, and Washington State were NCAA Tournament type teams and I expect all of them to get to 20 regular season wins and find their way into the Big Dance. Now don’t let me down!