Pac-12 Tournament Predictions: Arizona is King of the Hill

Feb 14, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Norman Powell (4) drives against Oregon Ducks guard Joseph Young (3) during the game at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Stumbling out of the Semifinals

No. 2 Oregon Ducks: Our first “upset” of this tournament. The Oregon Ducks have been riding high to close out the season, winning five straight games including three straight road wins, and a win over Utah.

The Ducks have been surprisingly good even after the distraction of rape allegations the previous year. A big reason for that success is star guard Joseph Young.

Young has been the gunslinger Oregon head coach Dana Altman has asked for, averaging 19.8 points per game to lead the Pac-12 in scoring. More than that, Young averaged a career-high 3.7 assists per game, showing that he can be a playmaker as well as a sniper from the outside. Young’s talent, as well as the contributions from Dillon Brooks and Elgin Cook should get them past Oregon State.

Though they had already defeated Utah before, a second game against the Utes will prove incredibly difficult against a hard-nosed defense that gave up 56.9 points per game, the least amount of points in all of the Pac-12. Unless Joe Young scores 40 points, the Ducks will fall to Utah in the semifinal round.

UCLA Bruins

No. 4 UCLA Bruins: It’s been a weird season for the Bruins. To start, they lost to all their ranked opponents during non-conference play. When the conference schedule began, they started by winning three of their first seven games.

Give credit to UCLA though, who stuck with it, and finished the regular season winning eight of their last eleven games. Late season losses to Arizona and Arizona State have put the Bruins on the bubble, but at least they possess an outside shot of making the NCAA Tournament, which is a lot more than most teams have at this point in the Pac-12 conference.

For the second consecutive year, head coach Steve Alford has gotten his guys to play their best basketball at the end of year, but it might be too little too late, especially against a stacked Arizona Wildcat team.

Outside of starters Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton, Kevon Looney, Tony Parker, and Norman Powell, no one on the team averages more than four points per game. That lack of depth will be a huge factor against Arizona, where UCLA will lose in the semifinal.

Next: Championship Final