AP/Wide World
NEXT UP: BASKETBALL
he Pac-12 men’s and women’s basketball teams are already hitting the court all across the West, getting ready for Conference play that starts later in December. All 24 teams are playing with an eye toward the 2012 Pacif- ic Life Pac-12 Basketball Tournament, to be played at the STAPLES Center and Galen Center in Los Angeles. All the exciting tournament action tips off March 7 and runs through March 10. Every school in the Conference will send
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a men’s and women’s team to the event, which will make for four fabulous days of hoops. As for the months leading up to that event, the men’s competition should be a season-long battle. “You’re going to see a Pac-12 season that, in my opinion, is going to be up for grabs for four or fi ve teams,” said analyst Ernie Kent from FOX Sports Network. The media picked UCLA to win in 2012, but that’s why
they play the games. Just look at last year’s tournament, which ended up with Washington, the No. 3 seed, beating No. 1-seed Arizona on a buzzer-beater by Isaiah Thomas.
Of Cal star Jorge Gutierrez, a member of the preseason All- Conference team (see box), Kent added, “Every coach in the country would like a player like Gutierrez. He’s smart, he’s skilled, he understands the game very well. He’s a great talent.” Kent also called Josh Smith of UCLA one of the best big men in the country. Turning to the women’s teams, Stanford
won last season’s tournament and was picked by media to repeat in 2012. USC and Cal are aiming to knock off the
defending champs. Stanford is bolstered by returning All-American forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike. A National
Player of the Year candidate, she helped Stanford reach the NCAA Final Four. USC, with a pair of preseason All-Conference players in its back- court, was the media and coaches’ favorite to challenge the Cardi- nal for the top spot. Cal and UCLA were also highly ranked in the preseason polls. For more on the tournament, including ticket and schedule information, please visit
www.pac-12.org.
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