Arizona is clear favorite to win Pac-12 tourney

Sixth-ranked Arizona not only enters the Pac-12 Tournament as the clear favorite, coach Tommy Lloyd has been unbeaten in this event at T-mobile Arena.

The Wildcats won the conference tournament the past two seasons, going through UCLA each time.

The Bruins were on Arizona’s level, but there is no real equivalent to the Wildcats (24-7) this season with the conference tournament opening today. No. 22 Washington State (238) is the only other ranked Pac-12 team.

“We’re thankful,” Lloyd said. “The guys had a great regular season. To win a Pac-12 regular-season conference championship is not something to be taken lightly.”

Arizona will try to become the first team to win three Pac-12 tournaments in a row since the Wildcats won four straight in 1988-90 and 2002. There were no conference tournaments between 19912001.

The Pac-12 announced Tuesday that Arizona senior guard Caleb Love was named player of the year after he averaged 18.7 points. Against Pac12 teams, he averaged 20 points with a conferencehigh 59 3-pointers.

Lloyd has a couple of motivational tricks at his disposal. Arizona’s last visit to this arena resulted in a 96-95 double-overtime loss to then-no. 14 Florida Atlantic two days before Christmas. That loss gave Lloyd a 9-1 record in Las Vegas. The Owls, coming off a Final Four appearance, have since dropped out of the rankings.

Also, the Wildcats enter

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PAC-12 TOURNAMENT

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the conference tournament — the last one for the Pac-12 before 10 teams leave for other conferences — after falling 78-65 to USC on Saturday, ending a stretch in which they had won 10 of 11 games.

“We knew we were given a gift by SC and we can really learn from this,” Lloyd said. “That’s going to be our focus.”

Arizona opens in Thursday’s quarterfinals against the winner of today’s opening-round game between Washington (17-14) and USC (14-17).

Lunardi's predictions

ESPN’S Joe Lunardi forecasts three Pac-12 teams making the NCAA Tournament — Arizona, Washington State and Colorado. Lunardi projects the Buffaloes (22-9) to make the field as a First Four team in Dayton, Ohio.

All three teams are ranked in the top 45 of the NCAA’S NET rankings, which the tournament committee uses as a guide, as well as Kenpom. Utah (1813) is next at No. 52 in the NET and 51st in Kenpom.

Lunardi predicts six other conferences to send more teams to the tournament than the Pac-12, including the mid-major Mountain West, which has five teams in ESPN’S projection.

Four Pac-12 teams made the tournament last season.