Pac-12 seeing odd bid, seed scenarios
His 3-year tenure with 49ers ending
The Pac-12’s disrupted basketball season has reached an unpredictable finish, with a sixth-place team, Oregon State, on the brink of winning the conference tournament.
And there’s plenty more chaos to come: A slew of Pac-12 bracket matters must be resolved on Selection Sunday and — as we’ll explain below — perhaps early next week.
Our look at the top storylines ahead of the big reveal on Sunday afternoon.
Pac-12 bids
The conference will send at least three teams to March Madness: Colorado, USC and Oregon have locked up at-large bids. Beyond that, the situation is muddled.
With four consecutive losses, UCLA has seemingly fallen onto the bubble. The Bruins are No. 47 in the NET rankings, a precarious position, and No. 46 in the Pomeroy efficiency ratings.
But no team is evaluated in a vacuum, and UCLA’s resume compares favorably to the profiles of other contenders for the final at-large spots. What the Bruins don’t have just might be their salvation: They don’t have any bad losses.
UCLA’s record against ... Quad 1 opponents: 2-6 Quad 2 opponents: 3-3 Quad 3 opponents: 8-0 Quad 4 opponents: 4-0 The conference has a fifth team lurking. If Oregon State defeats Colorado in the tournament championship, the Beavers will claim the Pac12’s automatic berth and make their first appearance in March Madness since 2016.
They will also steal a bid from a bubble team hoping to sneak into the at-large field — perhaps even UCLA. Meanwhile, a loss to the Buffaloes would eliminate OSU.
As the situation currently stands, the Pac-12 could send as few as three teams to the NCAAs, or as many as five.
Pac-12 seeds
We do not expect the conference to produce a top-four seed. The highest-rated teams in the
NET rankings, Colorado and USC, simply don’t have enough elite wins to support a No. 4 seed (or higher). Our best guess is the Buffaloes and Trojans, along with Oregon, will land in the No. 5-7 seed range, with UCLA on the No. 10 or 11 line (if the Bruins make it).
Oregon State would be in that range, as well. The more immediate issue is how many Pac-12 teams, if any, are slotted as No. 8 or 9 seeds.
That’s the death pairing, because of the secondround game against the No. 1.
All that said, the bracket reveal could feature more surprises than usual. The reduction in non-conference games nationally (due to COVID) has limited the selection committee’s ability to make cross-conference comparisons.
The No. 1 seeds
At the top of the bracket, there is less drama than usual. Gonzaga and Baylor are locks for No. 1 seeds, with Michigan and Illinois the heavy favorites to claim the other top spots.
And if one of those Big Ten powerhouses isn’t on the top line, the void could be fill by ... another Big
Ten team.
Iowa and Ohio State also have stout resumes, thanks to all the games played in the toughest conference in the country. Alabama is the other contender. The Tide lost to Stanford by 18 in November, but was the best team in the SEC all season.
Region Represents
The western third of the country is guaranteed to place six teams in the NCAA field: Tournament champs from the Pac-12, Mountain West, West Coast, Big Sky, Big West and WAC get automatic bids.
Marvin Hagler, the middleweight boxing great whose title reign and career ended with a split-decision loss to “Sugar” Ray Leonard in 1987, died Saturday. He was 66.
Wife Kay G. Hagler confirmed the death on Facebook on the verified Marvelous Marvin Hagler Fan Club page.
“I am sorry to make a very sad announcement,” she wrote. “Today unfortunately my beloved husband Marvelous Marvin passed away unexpectedly at his home here in New Hampshire. Our family requests that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.”
Hagler was 62-3-2 with 52 knockouts from 1973 to 1987. He was the undisputed middleweight champion from 1980 to his loss to Leonard at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on April
6, 1987.
The fierce left-hander had two of his biggest victories at Caesars Palace, unanimously outpointing Roberto Duran in 1983 and knocking out Thomas Hearns in the third round in 1985.
Hagler was born in Newark, New Jersey, and moved with his family to Brockton, Massachusetts, in the late 1960s. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1983.
Richard Sherman’s defection to the San Francisco 49ers three years ago was a surprise.
It shouldn’t have been. Their defense was ripe for his skillset, savviness and leadership.
He went from one of the 49ers’ all-time arch enemies with Seattle to a three-time captain for them. he reestablished himself as a Pro Bowl and All-Pro during the 2019 journey to the Super Bowl, only for his troublesome calves get caught up in the 49ers’ injury curse last year.
So where to next? Sherman turns 33 on March 30. He’s maintained since December that he’ll be on the move again, with a couple more years to go before calling it a career.
That presumes his surgically repaired Achilles and calves are up for it rather than retire and count down the years to Canton, which would be an understandable
exit:
The 49ers’ other top cornerbacks also are unsigned: Jason Verrett and K’Waun Williams. The 49ers did resign a cornerback who Sherman has long stumped for: restricted free agent Emmanuel
Moseley (two years, $10.5 million, according to ESPN).
Staying on or close to the West Coast seems most logical for Sherman. Let’s scout it out those and other options:
SEAHAWKS >> A Seattle sequel is highly unlikely, especially if Russell Wilson remains there.
RAMS>> Suiting up for the Rams (or the Chargers) could appeal to Sherman, a Compton native, as he seeks another Super Bowl, which will be held at SoFi Stadium next season. Sherman’s only interception in last season’s injury-shortened season came in a win at the Rams, and he’d make for quite a Hollywood pairing with Jalen Ramsey (“ShermSey”).
CHARGERS >> The Chargers are an up-and-comer, and Sherman could help firstyear coach Brandon Staley’s transition, and he’d join Joey Bosa and Derwin James as defensive stars. CARDINALS >> If he wants another NFC West team, Arizona also could work, though it’s splurged on a past-his-prime defender in J.J. Watt. A Patrick Peterson exit would open a spot for Sherman.
RAIDERS >> Vegas should be in play. Sherman and Raiders coach Jon Gruden already flirted on a podcast about their mutual affection for a potential union. His mentorship could be helpful for high draft picks in Damon Arnette and Trayvon Mullen.
OTHERS >> Having gone 1-for-3 in Super Bowl appearances, Sherman’s best path to improve on that mark would require a relocation to such locales as Buffalo, Indianapolis, Tampa Bay, Green Bay, Kansas City and Indianapolis
Pairing with Jaire Alexander as the Packers’ starting tandem could keep Sherman in NFC title contention. New Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn could use Sherman for that unit’s needed makeover in the wide-open NFC East.
If Sherman flees to the AFC, the Bills need a left corner to replace Josh Norman, the Chiefs are moving all sorts of parts around (if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em), and the Colts make sense if Sherman thinks Carson Wentz truly can rebound.
Sherman shrewdly acted as his own agent when brokering his deal with the 49ers in 2017, from dining with Kyle Shanahan in Los Gatos to negotiating in the 49ers’ boardroom with their cap specialists.
His upcoming contract talks will challenge other front offices. Are the 49ers truly out of it? He’s said so — or at least he sandbagged it that way while acting as his own agent.