Pac-12 Basketball: 2022 Conference Tournament preview and predictions
By Tuck Clarry
The 2021-2022 regular season for Pac-12 Basketball showed the strength at the top of this conference and the gap between the top three and their peers. UCLA and USC were pegged as clear frontrunners of the conference, primed to repeat their success and return to the tournament once again.
The third team that would join them, however, was a bit of a surprise. As Oregon was thought to be a team that would replicate their formula of building to March, the Ducks could just never find consistency all season. Instead, Arizona and first-time head coach Tommy Lloyd not only took their place but raced away with the regular-season title. The Wildcats of Tuscon won the league decisively, playing a brand of basketball that was all too familiar to those that watched Gonzaga teams that Lloyd had been a lead assistant on.
The Bruins quietly had a more consistent season than last year’s teams that went on to go to the Final Four. Throughout another year of team pauses and battling injuries, head coach Mick Cronin was able to get his guys to buy in on his defensive playstyle that was visible in March but only here and there in 2020-2021. UCLA was one of two teams that were able to give the Wildcats a loss in the conference regular season.
The Trojans were expected to repeat their consistent play from last year despite losing their freshman sensation of Evan Mobley, and for the most part, his brother Isaiah Mobley and Chevez Goodwin were able to deliver. They finished third in the conference and took a noticeable step back, but had one of the highest floors because of their post-play and interior defense.
The aforementioned Oregon Ducks were the missing team all season. Dana Altman’s approach of finding system fits in the transfer portal seemed to have a hiccup this year as the pieces never gelled and the Ducks struggled to find their footing. Their bad beats in nonconference play seemed to tie an anchor to their year and the back half left many wondering if and when they’d be able to turn it on and play themselves into the national tournament.
And the Ducks were not alone in coming up short of expectations this season. Darkhorse darlings Washington State were a favorite to be a surprise bid earner and get back to the national tournament for the first time since 2008. But Kyle Smith’s team struggled to maintain their defensive identity and the offense never really showed up.
Instead of a four or five-bid surprise season, the Pac-12 stayed a three-team race. Now, the other nine team’s hopes lie in the favors of the conference tournament and its auto-bid. Can any of these other teams go on a run like Oregon State did last year and punch their ticket?