Though the UCLA Basketball team fell short of a Pac-12 Tournament Championship as they lost to Arizona in the Pac-12 semifinal, there is reason for optimism.
Last night’s Pac-12 semifinal between the Arizona and UCLA Basketball teams was past my bedtime, so I didn’t watch and only found out this morning that we lost. I’ve been mulling over the Bruins’ predicament all day, and I’m far from despondent. Here’s why:
1. The most immediate (and most tenuous) reason is that we have a stake in who wins the conference final tonight. Anathema as it may be to consider, I think UCLA fans have to root hard for Arizona over Oregon.
If Oregon wins, then both teams will have airtight cases to be seeded over UCLA. Oregon will likely get a #1 seed, and Arizona will have just demonstrated why it deserves the #2 in the West over UCLA.
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However, if Arizona wins, they likely get the #1 seed. By virtue of having lost to Gonzaga in December, though, the 32-1 Zags should get the #1 seed out West. This leaves the #2 seed in the West open for UCLA or Oregon. Simply put, the Bruins have a better case if the alternative is Oregon than they do if the alternative is Arizona. Go Cats!
2. Because of the number of contending teams that all lost early in their conference tournaments, UCLA did not cost themselves as much last night as it may seem.
Kansas and Baylor both lost on Thursday. Purdue lost on Friday. Louisville lost to Duke Friday, and UNC did the same yesterday. Virginia and Florida both lost on Friday.
Of course, this doesn’t automatically put UCLA above any or all of these teams, but it serves as a reminder that there’s no absolute definition of a 2-seed. It’s all relative, and UCLA did not lose ground this weekend given the number of national competitors who also lost.
3. Kentucky and Michigan each making deep runs in their conference tournaments boosts UCLA’s strength of schedule.