College Basketball Betting: Pac-12 Conference Preview

The 2021-2022 college basketball season could mark the rise of the Pac-12. After last spring’s remarkable March Madness showing, in which the conference dramatically outperformed expectations and rose from the ashes of a mediocre regular season, the Pac-12 could be a serious player in 2022. Oregon State came from nowhere to make the Elite Eight as a No. 12 seed. Oregon blew out No. 2 seed Iowa in the second round. USC made the Elite Eight for just the second time since 1954. UCLA, which went to the First Four and had to play its way into the NCAA Tournament first round, caught fire and went all the way to the Final Four, playing a classic game against No. 1 Gonzaga before losing on a halfcourt shot at the buzzer. The Pac-12 emerged from obscurity and surprised everyone. Now comes the big test: With everyone watching, can this conference deliver the goods and build on what it started this past March?

Team Likely To Surprise

The Washington State Cougars could make the NCAA Tournament this year. They got transfers from South Alabama and other obscure programs. These aren’t splashy moves regular fans are aware of, but college basketball insiders think coach Kyle Smith has dramatically upgraded his program and given the Cougars a chance to do real damage in this conference. Oregon State surprised the nation with its Elite Eight run. The Beavers now have a target on their back, however. It’s Washington State which could become the true surprise team in a Pac-12 which is capable of sending seven teams to the NCAA Tournament this upcoming season.

Team Likely To Disappoint

The Arizona State Sun Devils have had so much potential under head coach Bobby Hurley. It’s true that Arizona State has recruited better and become a more regular NCAA Tournament contender under Hurley, compared to previous years in Tempe. However, Arizona State – which defeated Kansas in back-to-back years, 2017 and 2018 – has been so good in limited moments that the expectations for this program very understandably were elevated. Hurley is a national championship player from his days at Duke. The Mike Krzyzewski protégé, also the son of a legendary high school basketball coach in New Jersey, was believed to be the next big college basketball coaching star. It hasn’t turned out that way. Hurley’s Arizona State teams generally do just enough to make the NCAA Tournament (though they didn’t make it last year), but they have failed to make a really deep run in March Madness. Arizona State lost guard Remy Martin to Kansas in the transfer portal this past offseason. That’s a huge loss for a team which relied on Martin for big buckets in 2021. It will be another tough year in Tempe.

Conference Champion

The UCLA Bruins will be the popular pick, returning Johnny Juzang and their other main players after going all the way to the Final Four. However, Oregon coach Dana Altman has continued to hit the transfer portal. It’s what he does best. Oregon should once again find solutions to its roster limitations and get the most out of its talent. UCLA was a No. 11 seed last year in the Final Four. The Bruins are being given a lot of credit for one Final Four run. Their regular season in 2021 wasn’t very good. Oregon has a higher floor, even though UCLA might have a higher ceiling. Oregon will beat out UCLA for the conference title in the Pac-12.