Pac-10 Conference Notebook
by Scott Allen
Six-Pac: Six of the conference’s top players, teams and stories from the past week.
1. Brandon Roy: Averaged 23 points, six rebounds and 6.5 assists in wins over Oregon and Oregon State .
2. Chris Hernandez: Scored 28 points in losing effort against Arizona. Must get help from fellow seniors Matt Haryasz and Dan Grunfeld if the Cardinal are to keep their faint NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
3. Washington Huskies: Winners of four straight on the heels of a three-game losing streak has Huskies sniffing the top spot in the conference standings and a higher seed in NCAA Tournament.
4. Rodgers Returns: Arizona’s Chris Rodgers was quiet in his first two games since being reinstated by head coach Lute Olson. Rodgers scored a combined five points on 2-for-8 shooting in Arizona’s split in the Bay Area.
5. Bruins Upset: UCLA’s final visit to the Los Angeles Sports Arena was one to forget, as the Bruins were upset by the Trojans. UCLA was 105-28 all-time in the SA.
6. How Many Bids? Three? Four? More? Next few weeks will tell.
UCLA Bruins (20-6, 10-4)
With a chance to take control of the top spot in the conference, the Bruins suffered a 71-68 loss to cross-town rival USC on Sunday. Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo did their part offensively, combining for 40 points, but UCLA allowed USC to shoot 56 percent from the field.
Up Next: Oregon State, Oregon.
Postseason Prospects: The Bruins are an NCAA Tournament lock with the next few weeks determining their seeding.
California Golden Bears (16-7, 10-4)
After an impressive 75-66 victory over Arizona on Thursday, the Bears appeared in perfect position to stretch their winning streak to seven and take over the lead atop the Pac-10 standings with Arizona State coming to town on Saturday. But the Sun Devils pulled the upset, 65-64 in double-overtime, with Ayinde Ubaka misfiring on the Bears’ final possession. Leon Powe finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds two days after scoring 30 points and grabbing 10 boards in the win over the Wildcats. Powe has 12 double-doubles this season.
Up Next: at Washington State, at Washington.
Postseason Prospects: Like the Bruins, barring a complete collapse the Bears are playing for a higher seed at this point.
Washington Huskies (20-5, 9-5)
The Huskies are on a four-game winning streak after a three-game skid put their NCAA Tournament hopes on ice. Washington earned a 75-72 win at Oregon on Thursday before routing Oregon State 96-63 on Saturday to reach the 20-win plateau for the second consecutive season. Brandon Roy led the Huskies against the Beavers with 25 points, while Ryan Appleby added 15 on 5-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc off the bench.
Up Next: Stanford, California.
Postseason Prospects: The Huskies have played their way off the bubble and back into the NCAA Tournament. A season sweep by the Bay Area schools this weekend, however, could change that.
Stanford Cardinal (13-10, 9-5)
One week after a narrow loss at Gonzaga that would have seriously strengthened their case for a postseason bid, the Cardinal suffered another tough loss, this time to Arizona at home. Chris Hernandez scored a game-high 28 points but it wasn’t enough in a 76-72 loss that came on the heels of Stanford’s 82-69 over Arizona State on Thursday.
Up Next: at Washington, at Washington State.
Postseason Prospects: Not good. The Cardinal can’t afford another loss during Pac-10 play and would likely need to reach the finals of the Pac-10 Tournament to earn serious consideration. Even that might not be enough.
Arizona Wildcats (16-10, 9-6)
Arizona shook off a tough loss at Cal to knock off Stanford and earn an important split of the road trip to the Bay Area last weekend. Hassan Adams and Ivan Radenovic scored 23 points apiece in the victory over the Cardinal. Recently reinstated guard Chris Rodgers scored just two points in the game.
Up Next: Arizona State
Postseason Prospects: With the win over Stanford, the Wildcats are comfortably in for now thanks to a high RPI (18) and the nation’s fourth toughest schedule. A loss to Arizona State next week could leave the ‘Cats sweating again.
USC Trojans (16-9, 7-7)
Nick Young scored 15 points and Dwayne Shackleford added 12 off the bench to lead the Trojans to an upset of UCLA at home. USC was once again without second-leading scorer Gabe Pruitt, who is out with an injured left knee.
Up Next: Oregon, Oregon State.
Postseason Prospects: Recent three-game skid that included losses to Arizona State and Washington State likely means Trojans are NIT-bound.
Oregon Ducks (12-15, 6-9)
The Ducks earned a split with the Washington schools, falling to the Huskies despite 21 points from Chamberlain Oguchi on Thursday before dominating the Cougars 67-37 on Saturday. Oregon held Washington State to 10 first-half points of 3-for-23 shooting in Saturday’s win.
Up Next: at USC, at UCLA.
Postseason Prospects: The Ducks won’t be dancing barring a Pac-10 Tournament run.
Oregon State Beavers (11-15, 4-11)
The Beavers split with the Washington schools, knocking off the Cougars before suffering a humiliating defeat against the Huskies. Sasa Cuic scored 17 points in Saturday’s loss, but the Beavers had no answer for Brandon Roy. The Beavers committed 18 turnovers and were outrebounded 34-25.
Up Next: at UCLA, at USC.
Postseason Prospects: It’s all or nothing at the Pac-10 Tournament for the Beavers.
Washington State Cougars (11-12, 4-10)
The Cougars were swept by the Oregon schools, including a brutal loss to the Ducks on Saturday. Washington State shot just 27 percent from the field and Derrick Low missed all seven of his field goal attempts.
Up Next: California, Stanford.
Postseason Prospects: Cougars’ season will end at the Staples Center.
Arizona State Sun Devils (10-14, 4-11)
After a 13-point loss at Stanford, Arizona State salvaged a split of its Bay Area road trip with a hard-fought double-overtime victory at Cal. Bryson Krueger scored a team-high 19 points off the bench for the Sun Devils in Saturday’s win. Kevin Kruger hit a 3-pointer with 10.5 seconds remaining in the second overtime to give Arizona State the lead for good.
Up Next: at Arizona.
Postseason Prospects: A long season won’t become any longer come mid-March
