In the last week, Oregon fans have been able to see Shaquala Williams stare down the Mendiola (Giuliana and Gioconda) sisters, Arizona State stop the big red machine, and Oregon State barely squeak by an equally-talented USC squad.
Isn’t the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament great?
And with the men’s play already started, there’s sure to be at least a couple of close games mixed in there, and possibly even a couple of upsets. But then again, with the level of competition in the Pac-10, upset is not a word that is common.
It’s unfathomable to believe that the conference waited more than a decade to reinstall the men’s tournament, and just began the women’s version this year. The play from the Oregon women was about as intense as it gets during the three games the team participated in, and just about every other squad played to its highest potential.
While other conferences — most notably the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten Conference — were reaping the benefits of an extended season in past years, the Pac-10 sat on its behind because of three schools. Stanford, Arizona and UCLA all dissented to playing the tournament, at least until this season.
“It’s just asinine that we beat up on each other for 18 games, then turn around and exhaust whichever team goes through to the finals in preparation for the real tournament,” Arizona head coach Lute Olson said recently.
Olson is one of two coaches who doesn’t particularly care for the conference’s decision to hold this year’s tournament. The other — Stanford’s Mike Montgomery — has been quiet of late.
That, however, does not matter, as eight schools — the required amount to consent to play in the tournament — decided it was time to extend the season.
Of course, if the men’s side hadn’t agreed to the tournament, then the women’s version would have never happened. And what a shame that would have been, especially after witnessing the great play of last weekend.
Not only did the Ducks supplant themselves as a possibility of having an NCAA Tournament bid thrown their way — even after a so-so season — Oregon State, Stanford and Arizona State all laid foundations for a strong postseason experience.
For the Ducks and Beavers, those experiences may come in the form of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, but that’s still a good representation for the conference.
And Stanford, which many believed was unbeatable, received a wake up call from Arizona State in the women’s championship game Monday. But it’s probably the best thing that could have happened to Stanford. After sweeping through the Pac-10, the Cardinal are blood thirsty once again and should go into the Big Dance with a new sense of life.
The trick now will be sustaining the tournaments in the coming seasons.
The men’s version will become synonymous with Los Angeles, at least until the 2006 season. The conference agreed to a contract with the Staples Center to become partners for the tournament, and a gut feeling tells me that contract will be extended to the seasons after that.
The folks that ran the women’s tournament at McArthur Court should be commended for hosting a great set of games, but the decision to play next season in San Jose, Calif., could not have been any more right on.
Compaq Center at San Jose is a grand facility, emblazoned with marble everywhere the eye can see, and the entrance to the building is breathtaking. But what is more important regards the fact that it is a modern, 21st century arena, and is one of the finest on the West Coast.
Unlike Mac Court, which had a problem fitting 10 teams and personnel into its space, the San Jose building has that taken care of. It was built with tournaments like the Pac-10 in mind, and will be a boon to the future of the women’s basketball in the conference.
With Fox Sports Net most likely in tow for the next few years, women’s basketball will be put on the map, and schools like Arizona State and Washington — and perhaps even the Ducks — will become household names.
When it comes right down to it, the Pac-10 Tournaments are more about promoting the game and its players than making money. At least that’s the way it should be.