The beginning of the 2011 Pac-10 Tournament is close. After giving the participating schools a few days off to rest and practice, the four day competition tips off at 7:10 P.M. Arizona time this evening on FSN.
Tonight is the opening round of the tournament, where the bottom four schools (Oregon, Stanford, Oregon State, and Arizona State) battle it out to earn the right to play Arizona and UCLA in the next round.
Oddly enough, I've been looking forward to this tournament all week. Maybe it's because the Sun Devils have won their last two games, or maybe because I love the postseason of NCAA basketball, but either way: March Madness has arrived.
Based on recent trends, expect Stanford and ASU to advance to the quarterfinals. Both Oregon and Oregon State lost both of their last two contests, and have been fairly uncompetitive as of late. Stanford and Oregon State split their season series, with both games being won by the home school. At a neutral site, expect the Cardinal to reign supreme. ASU swept the season series against the Ducks.
To check out the full bracket, go here.