PHOENIX -- The Pac-12 is as strong at the top as it's been in some time.
But get past No. 5 Arizona, No. 11 UCLA and No. 13 Oregon, and the conference doesn't look quite as strong.
A year after setting a conference record with seven teams in the NCAA Tournament, the Pac-12 could have as few as four this season.
Arizona (21-2, 10-0 Pac-12) has been one of the best teams in the country over the past month and recently added star guard Allonzo Trier at a time when many teams are losing players. A No. 1 seed could be in the cards for the Wildcats.
UCLA (20-3, 9-1) had a slip-up against Southern California but is loaded with talent, led by freshman Lonzo Ball.
The Ducks (20-3, 9-1) are as talented as any team in the country, despite a surprising loss to Colorado.
After those locks for the NCAA Tournament, the Pac-12's hope for adding teams to the bracket is down to California, Southern Cal and Utah.
The Bears (16-6, 7-3) appeared to be on the outside looking in, but they have come to life. Cal has won six of its past seven games and has victories over Utah -- 77-75 in double overtime Thursday night -- and USC, which could end up serving as a de facto tiebreaker.
USC (19-4, 6-4) had a great start against a weak schedule. The Trojans lost three of their first five conference games to start fading away from the NCAA Tournament bubble, only to steer themselves back toward it with a victory over UCLA last week.
Utah (15-7, 6-4) is seeing its NCAA hopes fade fast. The Utes lost in their two potential resume-building nonconference games -- Butler and Xavier -- and did not have victories against top-200 teams in the kenpom.com rankings.
Here are some other teams hanging around the bubble:
ON THE RISE
Georgetown. The Hoyas did not look like an NCAA Tournament team after losing four of their first six games, including to Arkansas State 78-72 on Nov. 17. Georgetown (13-10, 3-6 Big East) still has a losing record in conference but beat No. 16 Butler and No. 22 Creighton in consecutive games to bring its bubble chances back to life.
Oklahoma State. A healthy Jawun Evans makes all the difference for the Cowboys. A shoulder injury limited Oklahoma State's dynamic guard and was a big reason the Cowboys opened the Big 12 0-6. Evans has regained his form recently and Oklahoma State (14-8, 3-6) has responded with four consecutive victories, including a 99-71 demolishing of Arkansas. Two big opportunities are ahead: At No. 7 West Virginia today and vs. No. 2 Baylor on Wednesday.
Illinois State. The Redbirds have put themselves in position to knock Wichita State off the top perch in the Missouri Valley Conference. Illinois State (19-4) is undefeated in the Valley (11-0) and beat the Shockers once already, with another game against them today.
Tennessee. The Vols were middling at 9-9 in mid-January and looked like NCAA Tournament outsiders. Tennessee (13-9, 5-4 SEC) took a huge step by knocking off then-No. 4 Kentucky on Jan. 24 and has won four consecutive games heading into today's game at Mississippi State.
FADING HOPES
Iowa State. The Cyclones (13-8, 5-4 Big 12) are likely still on the right side of the bubble, but they can't afford more letdowns. Iowa State missed a big opportunity by losing 85-72 to West Virginia on Tuesday.
Minnesota. The Gophers (15-7, 3-6 Big Ten) were once 15-2 and climbing the AP Top 25. Five consecutive losses have pushed them to the bubble's edge.
Marquette. It's hard to imagine a team having a bigger two-week bubble swing than the Golden Eagles. Marquette (14-8, 5-5 Big East) had one of the best weeks by any team, knocking off top-ranked Villanova and Creighton, only to follow that with losses to Providence and St. John's.
Sports on 02/04/2017