2012 Pac 12 Tournament Basketball Predictions & Schedule

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The 2012 Pac-12 Conference tournament is set to get underway Wednesday, March 7 and will conclude  Saturday, March 10.  Below, I have laid out the tournament schedule and made my predictions on how I see it shaking out.

First Round – Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Game 1 – #8 Washington State v. #9 Oregon State: I can’t see Oregon State losing a third straight this season to Washington State. The Beavers, which rank ninth nationally in scoring with 79.6 points per game, are capable of making a run in this tournament because of their explosiveness.

Game 2 – #5 UCLA v. #12 USC: The Trojans, who have lost nine in a row, just want this season to be over with. UCLA swept the season series with a pair of double-digit wins and should move on here.

Game 3 – #7 Stanford v. #10 Arizona State: Stanford, which is coming off a big win over Cal, crushed the Sun Devils by 24 on Feb. 2. This one likely won’t be as easy, but I expect the Cardinal to advance nevertheless.

Game 4 – #6 Colorado v. #11 Utah: Colorado limps in off a pair of losses on the road to Oregon and Oregon State but shouldn’t have much trouble versus a Utah squad it defeated by 40 and seven points this season.

Second Round – Thursday, March 8, 2012

Game 5 – #9 Oregon State v. #1 Washington: Although Washington won both meetings this season, I don’t believe a win will come easy here. With that said, the Huskies are the two-time defending tournament champions and are playing the best ball in the league. They have the edge.

Game 6 – #5 UCLA v. #4 Arizona: Despite all the distractions this season, UCLA is quietly playing very well entering the Pac-12 tourney. It will be very motivated here as it looks to avenge a recent two-point loss at Arizona and confident because it defeated the Wildcats 65-58 at home earlier this season.

Game 7 – #7 Stanford v. #2 California: Cal isn’t about to show any mercy to a Stanford team that cost it a share of the Pac-12 regular season title. Plus, a loss here could leave the Bears on the outside looking in comes next week. Expect Cal to move on.

Game 8 – #6 Colorado v. #3 Oregon: After losing at Colorado by a single point on Feb. 4, the Ducks took care of business at home with a nine-point win in the rematch on March 1. Oregon has been playing consistently good for nearly two months. It has won four in a row and 11 of its last 14 with none of those three defeats coming by more than five points. I like the Ducks here.

Semifinals – Friday March 9, 2012

Game 9 – #5 UCLA v. #1 Washington: UCLA gave Washington problems this season. The Bruins only lost at Washington by two points before defeating the Huskies by six at home in their regular season finale. This Washington squad isn’t as good as the one that took the last two Pac-10 tourney titles, and I believe it will be susceptible here. Look for UCLA to knock out the reigning champs.

Game 10 – #2 Cal v. #3 Oregon: Cal swept the regular season series with wins of 17 and three points, but I’m going to take the Ducks in this double-revenge spot. Oregon has a deep rotation of nine guys playing big minutes while Cal relies heavily on its starting five to carry the load. This gives the advantage to the Ducks in a back-to-back situation.

Championship – Saturday, March 10, 2012

Game 11 – #5 UCLA v. #3 Oregon: These two played once this season with Oregon earning a seven-point win. I don’t put too much stock in that, but I do put stock in the fact that Oregon has the deeper bench. That means a ton when playing three games in three days. Look for the Ducks to come out on top in what could be a wild Pac-12 tourney.

Jimmy Boyd is regarded as one of the best March Madness handicappers in the industry. Score big with a proven winner this March!

About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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