The 2011 Pac-10 Conference Basketball Tournament final is upon us, and the two participants are not a surprise, sort of. The Washington Huskies were overwhelming conference favorites heading into the season, but slumped at various times during the season, ending up as the No. 3 seed heading into the tournament. Meanwhile, the Arizona Wildcats were picked to finish second in the conference, in a close battle with UCLA, but Arizona did one better, capturing the regular season conference title.
Both Arizona and Washington are securely in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats much more so than the Huskies, and the two schools battle today for the automatic berth in March Madness. Arizona beat No. 9 Oregon St. and No. 4 USC in their path to the final, while Washington dispatched No. 6 Washington St. and No. 7 Oregon.
Arizona and Washington split two meetings this season, with each team winning at home. The Huskies won handily in Seattle on January 20, 85-68. The Wildcats won in Tucson on February 19, 87-86, sealing the win with a last-second block by conference Player of the Year Derrick Williams.
For more Pac-10 Conference Tournament news and updates, be sure to stay tuned to this StoryStream. For more news on each specific team, be sure to read the SB Nation blogs Arizona Desert Swarm and UW Dawg Pound.