Still, Arizona's prospects are better than they might seem, largely because the Wildcats played a schedule rated the most difficult in the nation, and they will get consideration from the selection committee for the four games they played without leading scorer Jerryd Bayless and the seven without guard Nic Wise.
But here's where Arizona State and Oregon would have a big complaint if Arizona got in and they didn't: The Sun Devils and Ducks both swept the Wildcats.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday, March 11, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 36 words Type of Material: Correction
College basketball: In Monday's Sports section, a list of Wednesday night's Pacific 10 tournament games at Staples Center said Washington State would play California at 6. The game is between the University of Washington and California.
Even though only four Pac-10 teams are locks -- UCLA, Stanford, Washington State and USC -- that seems to leave the door open for as many as seven to make the field. Arizona State and Oregon would be dealt significant setbacks if they don't win their quarterfinal games against surging USC and Washington State on Thursday, however.
Also lurking in the field is California, which would have to win the Pac-10 tournament to make the NCAA tournament but proved its mettle with an overtime loss to USC and a controversial one-point loss to UCLA last week.
The Golden Bears could play the Bruins on Thursday in a rematch of the game UCLA won Saturday after a no-call on an apparent foul on an inbounds play and Josh Shipp's probably illegal miracle shot from behind the backboard.
"It's one of those calls when you're not at home, you don't get," the Bears' Jamal Boykin said. "It's put a rage in us. I've never seen guys on this team this mad after a loss.
"This game will help us. This game wasn't to get us into the Pac-10 tournament. The Pac-10 tournament will get us into the NCAA tournament. I believe we can win it."
To do that, they'd have to start by getting by Washington and then UCLA, which is playing for a No. 1 seeding and the Anaheim-Phoenix scenario, although it's important to remember UCLA might still get its preferred route even as a No. 2-seeded team, as it did the last two years.
The other likely top-seeded teams as the major conference tournaments begin are North Carolina, Memphis and Tennessee, with Duke a candidate to join North Carolina as a No. 1 if the Blue Devils beat North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and another top-seeding prospect falters.
As for the teams that are borderline just to make the field, they are encountering the most forgiving bubble in recent memory, with some teams whose resumes typically wouldn't be nearly good enough likely to make the field.
Consider that 18-11 Kentucky, which lost at home to Gardner-Webb and San Diego, looks as if it will make it, even after losing freshman standout Patrick Patterson to injury.
"I've been around a lot of tough teams, but no team tougher than this one," Kentucky Coach Billy Gillispie said after his team defeated Florida. "They defy the odds. Not one person spoke about losing an unbelievable player since that time it happened last week. All our guys have been doing is concentrating on how we are going to do this."
Come Sunday, they'll know whether they have succeeded.
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robyn.norwood@latimes.com
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PACIFIC 10 TOURNAMENT
Wednesday
night's games
at Staples Center
Washington St.
vs. California, 6
Oregon State
vs. Arizona, 8:30
