Bracketology: Bubble Watch (Building a resume and the bubble as it is)
Pac-12
Lead-Pipe Lock: N/A
Some Perspiration: UCLA, USC, Arizona, Oregon
Better Double-Up on the Deodorant: Colorado, California, Utah, Stanford
UCLA Bruins, 13-0: UCLA has been great this season;13-0 with four awesome wins, including a win on the road against Kentucky. Lonzo Ball has led the Bruins into the top-10 and now up No. 2 in the country. With the Pac-12 schedule starting soon, they’re looking to compete for a one seed in a couple of months.
Quality wins: @ Kentucky, vs. Texas A&M, vs. Michigan, vs. Ohio State
Bad losses: see record above.
Missed opportunities: again, see record above.
Up next: @ Oregon (12/28), @ Oregon State (12/30)
USC Trojans, 13-0: Another undefeated team in the Pac-12, USC has not nearly had the schedule that UCLA has had. USC has taken advantage of both of their games against solid opponents, but the fact that there are only two is indicative of an all-around poor non-conference schedule. Still, 13-0 is something, and it rightfully puts them among the elite teams in the NCAA.
Quality wins: vs. SMU, @ Texas A&M
Bad losses: see record above.
Missed opportunities: again, see record above.
Up next: @ Oregon State (12/28), @ Oregon (12/30)
Arizona Wildcats, 11-2: Losses against Gonzaga and Butler do not hurt a resume, and wins over Texas A&M and Michigan State are definite helpers. The Wildcats are about where people expected them at the beginning of the season, and they will do their best to compete for a Pac-12 title. Arizona brings two very talented big men to the table, who can control the paint against just about any team in the country.
Quality wins: vs. Texas A&M, vs. Michigan State
Bad losses: None
Missed opportunities: vs. Gonzaga, vs. Butler
Up next: @ California (12/30), @ Stanford (1/1)
Oregon Ducks, 11-2: Oregon has very few good wins, and a few missed opportunities, but that just makes their resume fairly average for what is a very good team. When healthy, Oregon will be one of the top teams in this conference and will likely be under-seeded in March because of their weak non-conference schedule. They start the Pac-12 schedule off with a bang, though, as they take on UCLA and USC (both undefeated) in their first two games.
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
Missed opportunities: @ Baylor, vs. Georgetown
Up next: vs. UCLA (12/28), vs. USC (12/30)
Colorado Buffaloes, 10-3: You beat Xavier and your resume automatically looks better, and that is exactly the case with Colorado. They have three losses and two of them are against pretty weak opponents. Nonetheless, beating Xavier can carry a non-conference resume. The Buffs need some more big wins in the coming days though, as they’re still are on the outside of my Bracketology.
Quality wins: vs. Xavier
Bad losses: @ BYU, vs. Colorado State
Missed opportunities: vs. Notre Dame
Up next: @ Utah (1/1), @ Arizona State (1/5)
Utah Utes, 9-3: Utah has been fine so far this year but they need to start getting some good wins in Pac-12 play. They went 0-2 in big games against the Big East and also suffered a loss to San Francisco. Marquee wins are what make a resume, and Utah is without them at the moment. Beating Arizona on the road would be a good start.
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: vs. San Francisco
Missed opportunities: vs. Butler, @ Xavier
Up next: vs. Colorado (1/1), @ Arizona (1/5)
Stanford Cardinal, 8-4: Seton Hall is a good win and Stanford has no bad losses. Add a few more wins to the resume and then take care of business in the games that you should win, and Stanford might squeak into tournament contention. They’re lacking any media attention at this point, but that could all change with a win against Arizona on New Years’ Day.
Quality wins: vs. Seton Hall
Bad losses: None
Missed opportunities: @ Kansas, vs. Saint Mary’s, @ SMU, vs. Miami
Up next: vs. Arizona State (12/30), vs. Arizona (1/1)