It's going to be a tough test, but not because Pepperdine has an unusually good team or we suck. Face it, the Pac 12 is not that much better than the WCC or Mountain West (if at all). Ask youself: in each of the past 5 years, which conference has had a better shot at a Final 4 team? The Pac 12 or the WCC? Which has had the better shot at multiple sweet 16 or Elite 8 teams? Sure, our basketball program is in much better shape than our football program, but the days of lopsided matchups between these conferences are, at least for now, over. We might be favored today, but a loss isn't that much of an upset (just like with SDSU)
Gonzaga has been the clear standard-bearer there, but I would easily argue the Pac-12 has been a much stronger conference, with better shots at having multiple Sweet 16 or Elite 8 teams. Literally, remove Gonzaga from the conversation and those other conferences you mentioned have combined to see the Sweet 16 once in the past 5 years, while the Pac-12 has gotten UCLA, Oregon, Arizona, and even Utah to that spot.
I was mainly focusing on the WCC, and it was more of a commentary on the Pac 12 being terrilbe than the WCC being good. And I was talking about having a shot at the sweet 16, not actually making it. I'd argue that the WCC, by virtue of St. Mary's and Gonzaga, consistently has a better shot at multiple sweet 16 teams. Sometimes it's a question of if the Pac 12 is going to even get two teams in the tourney.
I mean, most years it's a question of whether St. Mary's even makes the tournament. Meanwhile it was only 2019 that had a question of how few teams would make it to the tournament. Last year the Pac-12 was on the verge of sending 7 teams to the tournament.
I think the top-top teams in both of those conferences is making you forget that the Pac-12 is much deeper and has a general talent advantage among its top teams. Gonzaga is more of an outlier than anything.
I'm in. Go Bruins!!
Pepperdine beat UCI Wed. May be another tough test.
It's going to be a tough test, but not because Pepperdine has an unusually good team or we suck. Face it, the Pac 12 is not that much better than the WCC or Mountain West (if at all). Ask youself: in each of the past 5 years, which conference has had a better shot at a Final 4 team? The Pac 12 or the WCC? Which has had the better shot at multiple sweet 16 or Elite 8 teams? Sure, our basketball program is in much better shape than our football program, but the days of lopsided matchups between these conferences are, at least for now, over. We might be favored today, but a loss isn't that much of an upset (just like with SDSU)
Gonzaga has been the clear standard-bearer there, but I would easily argue the Pac-12 has been a much stronger conference, with better shots at having multiple Sweet 16 or Elite 8 teams. Literally, remove Gonzaga from the conversation and those other conferences you mentioned have combined to see the Sweet 16 once in the past 5 years, while the Pac-12 has gotten UCLA, Oregon, Arizona, and even Utah to that spot.
I was mainly focusing on the WCC, and it was more of a commentary on the Pac 12 being terrilbe than the WCC being good. And I was talking about having a shot at the sweet 16, not actually making it. I'd argue that the WCC, by virtue of St. Mary's and Gonzaga, consistently has a better shot at multiple sweet 16 teams. Sometimes it's a question of if the Pac 12 is going to even get two teams in the tourney.
I mean, most years it's a question of whether St. Mary's even makes the tournament. Meanwhile it was only 2019 that had a question of how few teams would make it to the tournament. Last year the Pac-12 was on the verge of sending 7 teams to the tournament.
I think the top-top teams in both of those conferences is making you forget that the Pac-12 is much deeper and has a general talent advantage among its top teams. Gonzaga is more of an outlier than anything.
We are small without Hill
We must drive the lane and draw fouls
Yup. Way too much passing around the perimeter and settling for long jumpers on Wed
Hope Smith has a good bounce back game after what must have been a frustrating opener
I appreciate all that Don Maclean did at UCLA but good lord the man is a nightmare on commentary.
Seriously the dude just said 8 fouls had been called so far and he's not even close to being right. Stop hiring him to shit all over the broadcast.
Nice drive by Smith. Gets fouled and hits both FT. Kingslook approves.
indeed
Like how the live stats has the logos flipped
Another decent start
Jan looks just like George
2 fouls on Riley already
Two fouls on Riley. Ugh. We are already thin up front.
Watch Pepperdine really go inside now.
Terrible refs. Riley got fouled. Looks like they missed a goaltending too
Nwuba should play currently
Top of the key shots for Smith and Jaime all night