Bracket Set for Men's Pac-12 Basketball Tournament

The bracket has been set for the Pac-12 men's basketball tournament to be held Wednesday through Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and there is a lot on the line for several teams.

The winner of the Pac-12 tournament gets an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament, and just two years ago Oregon State, which finished with a 10-10 conference record, won four straight games, all upsets, and won the Pac-12 tournament. The Beavers eventually reached the Elie Eight of the NCAA tournament.

Arizona State and Oregon are on the bubble for making the NCAA tournament, and both probably would be left out if the selection were made today. But a couple of wins in the conference tournament by either might lift it into the 68-team field, depending on what happens elsewhere in the county.

Sixth-seeded Arizona State faces Oregon State in its opening game of the conference tournament, while Oregon, as the No. 4 seed, gets a first-round bye as one of the top four seeds and will play the winner of the Cal-Washington State game in the quarterfinals. Besides UCLA, Washington State is the hottest team in the Pac-12, having won its last six games.

UCLA, the regular-season champ and No. 1 seed, and Arizona, the No. 2 seed, are still bidding for No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament. Arizona probably needs to win the conference tournament to have a shot at a top seed, while UCLA would probably ensure a No. 1 seed by winning in Las Vegas.

USC, which tied Arizona for second place, seems to be safely into the NCAA tournament field, but could improve its seeding with a few wins in the conference tournament.

USC would face Arizona in the semifinals if both win their first game of the conference tournament.

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