posted March 12, 2008 at 11:43 EST in NCAA B Articles

The Pacific 10 tournament takes place from March 12-15 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Here is a look at the field, as it is listed at BetUS Sportsbook:

BetUS March Madness Betting Odds

Team to win the Pacific 10 Conference

Arizona +900

Arizona State +1000

California +3000

Oregon +1000

Oregon State +15000

Stanford +500

UCLA EV

Southern Cal +750

Washington +3000

Washington State +450

There will be quite a few NCAA bids coming out of this conference. It can be safely said that UCLA, Stanford, Washington State and Southern Cal will get to the Big Dance, but there are three or four other possibilities. Let's take a look at some of these teams:

UCLA (Even) is the favorite, as one should be with people like Kevin Love, Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, et al. But you couldn't blame the Bruins if they felt there were bigger fish to fry, especially after Final Four appearances in the last two seasons. UCLA could possibly be a #1 regional seed, and can stay close to home in Orange County to play the sub-regional. Will that be enough motivation to go after the conference tournament with gusto?

ARIZONA STATE (+1000) looked like a shoo-in for an NCAA bid before conference play started and the Sun Devils had gotten themselves into the national rankings. But now this young team (dominated by freshman contributors), after struggling in Pac-10 play, will have to pull off a surprise or two to get consideration. They may go farther than expected, especially if star player James Harden (17.7 ppg) gets hot, but someone will pick them off along the way. And then coach Herb Sendek will have to roll the dice with the NCAA Committee.

USC (+750) has a dependable scorer in OJ Mayo, but Mayo has been such a prominent part of the Trojan offense that if you can shadow him and slow him down, there is a residual effect on the rest of the offense. And true depth is lacking, which makes thing tough when you have to play a few games on consecutive days. But you can't count USC completely out, because Tim Floyd helps to give this team mental toughness as well as some pretty dynamic defensive game plans. Remember that USC probably played Memphis tougher than anyone until Tennessee came along.......WASHINGTON STATE (+450) is potentially problematic for anyone, for the way it can lock down on defense, play deliberately on offense and "shorten" a game. But UCLA can do much the same thing, and the Bruins have better talent.

I like the chances for STANFORD (+500) and think they're undervalued at 5/1. Yes, the Cardinal lost consecutive games recently against UCLA and USC, but they were in control over the Bruins until a very late folderoo and losing that game in overtime had a carryover effect the next night at the Galen Center. And Stanford was #7 in the country going into that pair of contests. Redemption is the theme for them here. No, I'm not crazy about their perimeter players. But Brook Lopez is a legit All-American, and when twin brother Robin stays out of foul trouble, he is a good compliment on the defensive end.

ARIZONA (+900) has to win four games in four days to win this tournament, but there are a few factors that make the Wildcats a viable darkhorse team. One is that, with 13 losses on the record, they might need to go to the finals to seal up an NCAA bid. Another factor is that Nic Wise, who had eight assist without a turnover in the finale against Oregon, is back from injury to give 'Zona a real point guard, and allows Jerryd Bayless, a fab frosh for sure (20.3 ppg) to concentrate on shooting and scoring. Also, Chase Budinger, who had 24 points recently against UCLA, is completely capable of taking over any game. And the team gets a little lift by the announcement that Lute Olson will be taking over again after the season. Don't discount a talented team that has just gotten healthier.

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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)