Pac-12 Basketball Saturday Open Thread: Ducks Can Get Some Help in Their Conference Title Quest

Colorado (9-6) at California (11-5) :: 2:00 p.m. PT :: ESPNU

Arizona (11-5) at UCLA (11-4) :: 7:00 p.m. PT :: ESPN

Oregon is on a weekend bye after their win over Oregon State on Thursday. They currently stand at 12-4 in the conference, tied with UCLA in the loss column at the top of the league. As the Ducks hold the tiebreaker over the Bruins, they will be the Pac-12 champions should they sweep Colorado and Utah on the road next week.

However, the Ducks can get some major help today that would allow them to slip up in Boulder and still claim the crown. Should Arizona beat UCLA, both the Wildcats and Bruins would be a full game behind Oregon, with the Ducks holding the tiebreakers against each. You should be rooting for the Arizona win.

However, just as critical is the result of the California vs. Colorado game in Berkeley. Cal is surging late, and sits only a game behind the Ducks and Bruins in the standings. Further, in the event of a multi-team tie, Cal holds the tiebreakers against the other three teams vying for the title. With only Stanford to go on the schedule, the Ducks cannot lose another game and have a chance to be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament unless Cal loses.

So lets hope that the Ducks just take care of business next week. But a little breathing room would be nice. Getting one of these results to go our way doesn't really help us. We need the two in tandem.