2) Is the Pac 12 the strongest conference?

I hope they are, because I have five of these outfits at long odds. I was convinced early on that Oregon was legitimate and took them at 150-1. For better or worse, I was also convinced USC was pretty good and took them at 250-1. USC has staggered recently and clearly is not as good as I thought. I also have a decent investment on Utah, who can put a couple of big boys on the floor, and Cal, which I think is a real sleeper. Plus I have lunch money on Colorado, which reminds me of a not-quite-as-good Baylor in terms of size and style of play.

The only team I do not have is the biggest hoops brand name -- Arizona. The Wildcats handed Cal its only recent loss.

In terms of RPI, all of these Pac 12 teams are right there in the top 20 (except USC). Frankly, I don't know why the powers that be think USC should be in the tournament, but I need the committee to squeeze them in, and given the brand name, I think they will.

Comments?