It’s the Pac-12’s NCAA men’s tournament, and many of the ‘big dogs’ can only watch

The answer to the trivia question is not the Big Ten, which had the most teams in the men's NCAA Tournament. It's also not the Atlantic Coast Conference or Big 12, which tied for the second-most.

The answer to the question about which league has the biggest representation in the Sweet 16 is the Pac-12 with four. Making the success even more impressive is the league's batting average, with only five teams receiving bids.

The Big Ten had nine spots and only advanced one while losing three No. 1 or No. 2 seeds. The ACC and Big 12 each were represented by seven schools and have two and one team left, respectively. That means just four of the 23 schools in the tournament from the perceived "big dogs" are still alive.

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Southern Cal's Chevez Goodwin (1) celebrated with Isaiah Mobley in the second half against Kansas. (Photo: Patrick Gorski, USA TODAY Sports)

Perhaps that is a surprise to observers of college basketball, where much of the season's attention has been paid to the three biggest leagues. Air time on ESPN focuses on those games or talking about those games. 

It's created a burning desire for respect inside the Pac-12. The coaches have been asked repeatedly what their wins mean for the perception of the league. Each has been adamant that not enough attention is paid to the quality of play and depth of the conference. Its success this tournament provides some tangible evidence beyond the platitudes from coaches.

"The Pac-12, when I got the job, people would say, 'Oh, you go out there, your teams will play hard, you'll win,' " said UCLA coach Mick Cronin, who is in his second year with the Bruins after 13 seasons at Cincinnati.

"I've got news for you: teams in the Pac-12 play hard. We have excellent coaching in the Pac-12, and I mean that. Teams — it's way more competitive physically than the rest of the country knows because most people are sleeping when we play, and the coaching is really, really good."

The four Sweet 16 berths this year are the most ever for the conference. 

The achievement this season is notable given the disadvantage West Coast schools faced. COVID-19 concerns in those states led to much of the summer activities being lost, as other conferences had players on campus and could oversee workout regimens. 

The Pac-12's success over the first weekend of the tournament can't be written off on easy brackets. The paths haven't been easy, partly because the tournament committee wasn't high on any of the teams.

Oregon, the regular-season champion, somehow was a No. 7 seed, yet blew away one of the Big Ten's top dogs in No. 2 seed Iowa. Southern California, which finished second in the league and was seeded sixth, wiped out Big 12 standard-bearer Kansas, a No. 3 seed.

Oregon State and UCLA started as double-digit seeds. The Beavers took down Tennessee and Oklahoma State in impressive fashion. The Bruins had to beat Michigan State in a First Four game, BYU and then Abilene Christian. 

Colorado, the league's highest seed at No. 5, is the only team out. The Buffaloes made the conference tournament final before losing to Oregon State, which got the Beavers in the field. 

Compare those seedings with the Big 12 and Big Ten, which had five teams seeded No. 4 or better. The ACC had two. 

So it's no surprise there's a feeling of lack of respect, especially given the recent tournament success of the league. Three times in the past six tournaments, it had three Sweet 16 teams. Oregon made the Final Four in 2017.

The slights have forged an unlikely bond among the coaches. 

"We have really come together as a group of coaches these last couple of years because we are tired of it," Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. "I would have never guessed getting texts from multiple coaches after we won the tournament, the Pac-12 tournament.

"Then the support after the win the other night. …  We need to go to bat for each other. Yeah, we want to kick each other's ass when we go head-to-head. But let's pull for each other."

USC coach Andy Enfield echoed those thoughts when asked how the Trojans were handling their down time with mobility limited in Indianapolis.

"We've really enjoyed watching the Pac-12 win all these tournament games," Enfield said. "That's how we keep ourselves entertained. We're locked up in our rooms, we just turn the tournament on, watch the Pac-12 do well."

The only thing stopping all four teams from reaching the Elite Eight? Oregon and USC are in the same half of the West Regional. The Ducks and Trojans will play Saturday in an unfortunate scheduling quirk. Typically, conference teams avoid each other before the regional finals.

The bright side? At least one will be advancing. The other two have good chances. UCLA faces Alabama but seems to have found an identity during its three-game run. Oregon State faces Loyola Chicago with an opportunity to reach its first Elite Eight since 1982.

"Our league has done great, and I hope we can keep it up," Oregon coach Dana Altman said.

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