This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The outcome of Sunday's game between Utah and USC in Los Angeles could make the difference between finishing first in Pac-12 men's basketball and having to play a first-round game in the conference tournament. The league's continuing theme of 2015-16 is the jumbled standings. Going into this weekend's schedule, 1.5 games separate the top five teams: Arizona (10-4), Oregon (9-4), Utah (9-5), USC (8-5) and California (8-5). Utah would have to get some help from somebody against Oregon to earn a share of the championship, but the Utes have a good shot at catching Arizona because they host the Wildcats next week. That's getting ahead of things. Saturday's key game, affecting the top tier of the standings, is Oregon State at Oregon. Sunday, Utah visits USC and California is at Washington State. Cal's 78-75 win at Washington on Thursday was big for Bears, because they at least would be tied for fourth place if they can beat WSU. The top four teams receive byes into the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament, which begins March 9 in Las Vegas with first-round games for the Nos. 5-12 seeds. – Kurt Kragthorpe