As we look at where the Pac-10 has been over the past couple decades, it’s clear that it goes through times of prosperity and times of drought. From the 2006-2007 through 2008-2009 seasons, the conference saw its greatest collective success with six teams being selected to the NCAA tournament in each of those three years. But then things dropped off drastically last season when only two teams — Washington and California — made it to the Big Dance. Even mighty Arizona fell upon lean times when it missed the tournament for the first time in more than two decades.
This season doesn’t look like it will shape up to be much better. Currently, only one team is ranked in the AP top 25 (Washington at No. 20), and Arizona squeaks into the Coaches Poll at No. 25. Other than that, nobody else is really getting much attention nationally.
There were shades of brilliance in the non-conference part of the schedule, though: Washington’s win over Texas A&M, Washington State roasting Gonzaga and Baylor, and USC beating Texas. But since the conference schedule began, those who once looked like pleasant surprises have turned out to be mediocre and the top teams are still not on par with the elite of the nation. Three weeks into the games that matter and both Arizona and Washington have lost to lesser teams, Washington State is 3-3 after going 10-2 in non-league, and even lowly Oregon has won a Pac-10 game. If the conference gets more than two teams into March Madness this year, it will be a miracle.
vs Miss State: Mississippi State led 40-39 at halftime and Wazzu outscored the Bulldogs 44-17 in the second half.
vs Baylor…Wazzu once again jumped out to their customary early lead, 19-11, after junior guard Klay Thompson hit a three-ball with 13:02 remaining in the half. The Cougars kept padding the lead throughout much of the first half as an 8-0 run produced their largest first half lead at 35-19 with 5:36 remaining.
Vs Butler: Down only 2 at half. A 15-0 second-half run fueled the Bulldogs (9-4) to their fifth straight win. Shelvin Mack scored 20 points to pace Butler to an 84-68 victory over Washington State in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic on Saturday night.
My notes: Nice surprise… Verse Butler, this team could score. Thompson is one of the best payers int he country and he is EXTREMELY comfortable hitting pro 3 pointers and driving hard to the hole. They have a series of shooters and DeAngelo Casto is a nasty big man who plays like he wants to be the man.
Vs Washington: Washington State (15-6, 5-4 Pac-10) held high-scoring Washington to 37 percent shooting and forced 23 turnovers. Isaiah Thomas scored 19 points but he made just 3 of 13 from the floor, all late in the game, and committed seven turnovers. Matthew Bryan-Amaning, who averages 16 per game, was held to six points. “A lot of the difference was the turnovers they forced,” Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. “We average 12 turnovers a game.” ”They got their hands on a lot of balls and they were able to get us out of synch,” Romar said.
