They’ll Try Hard to Be No. 2

They might not make for must-see TV, but today’s Pacific 10 Conference basketball games mean a great deal to the league’s top five teams--particularly UCLA and Arizona.

The Bruins and Wildcats each overcame slow starts this season and now are angling for No. 2 seedings in the NCAA tournament. For a chance at those, each team must win today. UCLA plays at Washington; Arizona plays at California.

“Your hope as a coach is that your team is peaking and hitting on all cylinders at this stage of the season,” said UCLA Coach Steve Lavin, whose 13th-ranked Bruins have won nine of 10.

The Pac-10 is a tale of haves and have-nots. The conference is virtually guaranteed to be sending five teams to the tournament: Stanford, Arizona, UCLA, Cal and USC. As for the bottom half? Even the National Invitation Tournament is out of reach for those teams, each of which will finish below .500.

This is the last season that conference play will mean anything in the Pac-10. Next season, the league will determine its champion with a season-ending tournament, just like every conference in the country except the Ivy League.

When it comes to today’s drama, everything starts with Stanford. The No. 1 Cardinal, which already clinched a share of its third consecutive conference title by beating UCLA last Saturday, can win the crown outright today with a victory over Arizona State.

But if Stanford loses, Arizona and UCLA could stake a claim to a share of the conference title by winning. And that would strengthen their case for a No. 2 seeding.

Does it really make a difference whether you’re seeded second or third? Definitely. Since the tournament was expanded to 64 teams in 1985, teams seeded No. 2 have gone 61-3 in first-round games. Meanwhile, those seeded third have gone 51-13.

Other teams that can make strong cases for No. 2 seedings this season are Kansas, Kentucky, Florida, Boston College, Maryland and Illinois. It helped the cause of Arizona and UCLA that Iowa State and Virginia, teams that could have contended for No. 2 seedings, lost Friday.

The seeding in the Pac-10 could shake down any number of ways. Stanford, the only team in the country with only two losses, probably will be seeded first and probably will stay in the West regional. UCLA and Arizona could both be seeded second, maybe third. The seedings might go 1, 2, 3--Stanford, Arizona and UCLA. Cal and USC probably will be seeded from seventh to ninth.

“Just like fans, I kind of have fun with all the different possibilities,” Lavin said. “Then, you just wait for that half-hour selection show. There’s a real buzz to that.”

The Bruins plan to adhere to their Selection Sunday ritual of ordering out for pizza and chicken and watching the show on a big-screen TV in their locker room.

“I’m not concerned where we’re going,” Lavin said. “If we’re playing in the East, that would be exciting. If we play in the Midwest, that’s great. The West? Great. We’re just excited to be going back to the tournament.”

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Pacific 10 Standings

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Conf. Overall Team W L W L Stanford 15 2 27 2 Arizona 14 3 22 7 UCLA 14 3 21 7 California 11 6 20 9 USC 10 7 20 9 Arizona St. 5 12 13 15 Washington St. 5 12 12 15 Oregon 4 13 13 14 Oregon St. 4 13 10 19 Washington 3 14 9 20

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Today’s Schedule

USC at Washington St., 1 p.m.

UCLA at Washington, 3 p.m.

Arizona St. at Stanford, 1 p.m.

Arizona at California, 5 p.m.

Oregon at Oregon St., 7 p.m.