Ranking the Pac-12's worst showings in a dismal start to the tournament
Other than the nation learning Charles Barkley cannot work a touch-screen TV, one thing was clear during Selection Sunday: The committee loved the Pac-12.
Seven schools from the so-called "conference of champions" were selected for the NCAA tournament, with all seven receiving top-eight seeds.
Only two remain.
Five schools were sent packing after the first round, despite being the better seed in every contest, with most going down in embarrassing fashion. Utah got past Fresno State late Thursday night, and No. 1 Oregon faces No. 16 Holy Cross in a Friday night affair.
Considering a 16-seed has never beaten a 1-seed, it's probably safe to assume the Ducks will also make it through the Round of 64, leaving only the pair.
Let's examine which school had the worst showing in the tournament.
1. Cal
No. 4 Cal suffered a beatdown Friday at the hands of No. 13 Hawaii, ending an absolute trainwreck of a week for the Golden Bears program. It began with the dismissal of assistant coach Yann Hufnagel for allegedly sexually harassing a reporter. Then, starters Tyrone Wallace and Jabari Bird both missed the game due to injuries sustained during the week, and prized freshman Jaylen Brown turned in one of his worst performances of the season.
2. Arizona
The ugliness of sixth-seeded Arizona's beatdown at the hands of No. 11 Wichita State was rivaled only by the sweating display of its coach, Sean Miller. The Wildcats were absolutely destroyed by a veteran Shockers team that left most wondering how the committee handed them a double-digit seed. The loss was bad, but the manner in which Arizona went down was shocking.
3. USC
USC faced off with Providence in a hotly-contested eight versus nine affair, with the Friars scoring a last-second victory as the Trojans botched their defensive assignments. Missed free throws killed USC down the stretch, and they certainly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
4. Colorado
No. 8 Colorado faced a tournament-tested team in No. 9 UConn, but rode Josh Scott to a nine-point halftime lead. The Buffaloes then proceeded to collapse in the second frame, getting outscored 47-31 to register yet another embarrassing loss for the conference. Once again, the manner in which Colorado went down, and not necessarily the loss, was the troubling thing in this one.
5. Oregon State
Simply put, Oregon State had zero business being a No. 7 seed, and the Vegas odds reflected that, having the Beavers as a four-point underdog to No. 10 VCU. The Rams were in control throughout, and, minus a couple Gary Payton II monster dunks, the highlights were few and far between for the Beavers.