The Arizona Wildcats are coming off of a disappointing loss in Tempe, but we have bigger fish to fry here on the AZ Desert Swarm basketball roundtable. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
1. What song best describes the current state of the Pac-12?
Gabe Encinas: No Medicore - TI feat Iggy. The Pac-12 is filled with mediocrity and I don't want it. We're looking at a maximum of about four tournament teams depending on how the rest of the season plays out. Last year the Pac-12 had four teams with 23+ win seasons and just one team under .500. This year, there might just be two 23+ wins teams in Arizona and Utah, with a possibility of four teams finishing under .500.
Bryan Doherty: Friends in Low Places- Garth Brooks. Times are tough in the PAC-12. The bottom 6-7 teams are a mess. The top teams have taken ugly losses. Together we stand with one another as a conference looking to bounce back. In the meantime, let beer and whiskey chase our blues away.
Ryan Kelapire: Number One Spot - Ludacris. We're more than halfway through Pac-12 play, and Utah and Arizona are in a tie atop the conference standings. Arizona won the first matchup between the two teams, so they technically hold the tiebreaker but we're still due for one more matchup in Salt Lake City. In my opinion, the winner of that game will win the conference.
Zach Tennen: Get comfortable. Not the usual. Unpredictable to be precise. There are competitive teams that can score and defend with the best of them in this conference. There are young players and experienced players. Overall, the season is short and more can be determined as we approach the Pac-12 Conference Tournament.
Ben Leech: Jump Around - House of Pain. Every time a team in the Pac-12 has an impressive week they falter by losing a bad game or two. Arizona had won 6 straight games including 5 by double digits only to lose at Arizona State. Utah, from top 10 team, making an argument as possibly being the best team in the Pac-12 consideration goes and loses to a struggling UCLA team. Stanford, from consensus third best team in the Pac-12 and NCAA tournament bubble team lose at Washington State. UCLA losing 5 straight games entering conference play, to two separate 3 game win streaks only to lose to Cal. Cal goes from starting conference play at 1-6 before winning 4 conference games in a row and counting. Washington entered conference play ranked, only to lose Robert Upshaw due to a violation of team rules and now are sitting only above USC in the conference standings. Colorado, go from conference dark horse champion pick to losing Josh Scott and Xavier Johnson to injuries and being a 4-6 team in Pac-12 play. Finally, Oregon State goes from beating Arizona only to lose momentum by losing to Washington 4 days later.
David Potts: Toxic. I'm not worried about Arizona or Utah -- even with the Arizona loss, they're clearly the class of the Pac. I'm worried about every other school. Ken Pomeroy's ratings currently have Arizona as No. 3 in the country and Utah as No. 5. From there, it's not pretty. Stanford is No. 32, but the next highest rated team is Arizona State, who has almost no shot to make the tournament. At this point, I'm thinking three teams make the NCAA tournament -- maybe four if a wildcard wins the Pac-12 tournament. For the past few years, everyone has thought the Pac-12 was just having "down" years. Maybe those weren't "down" years at all. Maybe that's just the new normal. But at least we're better than the Mountain West.
2. What are your realistic expectations for this team in the NCAA Tournament now?
GE: As of now, I think this team reaches the Sweet 16. Despite the losses to Arizona State, Oregon State and UNLV, Arizona is capable of winning big games: Gonzaga, Utah and SDSU. However I think being a 2 or maybe 3 seed will benefit this team. There's a lot of added pressure owning a one seed, especially with every bracketologist predicting which 1 seed falls first. But when you look at the projected 1-3 seeds, all are equally dangerous and capable of making it to the Final Four.
BD: Same as before Saturday: Elite Eight at worst. There aren't 10 better teams in America. Sean Miller teams have always played to their maximum potential in March, and even going back to Xavier, teams must be great to knock his teams out. The Wildcats should get by anyone they see in the opening weekend and should be favored vs nearly anyone they'd see in the Sweet Sixteen. From there it's all about brackets and matchups.
RK: 2 seed with an Elite Eight appearance. Unless the defense sharpens up, I don't see this Wildcat team making it to the Final Four. However, if they can improve the defense, a Final Four and ultimately a National Championship certainly isn't out of the question.
ZT: The NCAA tournament is all about matchups and momentum so that is a tough question to answer. However, I think making it to the Final Four is a goal Sean Miller has set and it will happen sooner than later. This team is capable of hanging with just about anyone in the country.
BL: Comfortably can say an Elite Eight. A Final Four and beyond is still possible. A Final Four and a National Championship is always going to be the expectation at Arizona every year and it always should be. I say we'll go no further than the Elite Eight right now because of three reasons. The team this year goes as Kaleb Tarczewski goes. When Tarczewski plays a balanced game on offense and defense the team plays well and wins. When he doesn't finish at the rim on offense, is in foul trouble or fails to grab a minimum of 5 rebounds, Arizona is prone to losing to anyone. Second, Arizona offensively rely way too much on T.J. McConnell and Stanley Johnson. If these two don't play well offensively or are in foul trouble during the NCAA tournament, do you trust Brandon Ashley, Kaleb Tarczewski, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson or Gabe York to average 15 points per game during the NCAA tournament? Final reason why is shockingly because of our rebounding. Last year, Arizona's rebounding was a major strength and part of its identity. While Arizona is still a strong rebounding team, individually the starting PF and C, Ashley and Tarczewski, are not the top two rebounders. That needs to change in order to make a national championship dream become a reality.
DP: Honestly, the ASU game did not drastically change my expectations for this team. We lost on the road to a better-than-their-record ASU team. It's not the end of the world. That said, the team still can't shoot, which makes it difficult to score from everywhere because we don't have good spacing. I think it's a Sweet 16/Elite 8 team with a shot at the Final Four and a small chance at the national championship.