Experts across the country and within the Pac-12 footprint said this year's men's basketball race would be one of the closest in years. Sure enough, the Pac-12's regular season was as good as expected. Five teams, and sometimes seven were battling for the Pac-12's top four seeds, and eventually, Oregon distanced themselves from the pack to claim their first conference title since 2001-02.

Today the Pac-12 Conference Tournament starts in Las Vegas, and if the regular season was any indication for this week's action, the action will be hot and a number of teams who could run the table will be high.

The Ducks went 4-1 against the top four teams in the Pac-12 (Utah, Arizona, and Cal) and that makes Oregon the favorites going in. Since moving the tournament to Las Vegas, the Ducks have won a Pac-12 Tournament title, played for another, and have a 6-2 record in Vegas.

Utah has the Pac-12's conference Player of the Year in Jakob Poetl, and the Utes are playing their best basketball as of late winning seven straight games. Arizona is peaking at the right time and looks to be an elite defensive team once again. Cal has the NBA talent to go a long ways in Vegas and into the NCAA Tournament. The teams behind the top four have all shown the ability to beat the top seeds and can make a run.

Schedule

Wednesday Games

No. 8 Washington vs No. 9 Stanford 12 PM Pac-12 Network

No. 5 Colorado vs No. 12 Washington State 2:30 PM Pac-12 Network

No. 7 USC vs No. 10 UCLA 6 PM Pac-12 Network

No. 6 Oregon State vs No. 11 Arizona State 8:30 PM Pac-12 Network

Thursday Games

No. 8/9 vs No. 1 Oregon 12 PM Pac-12 Network

No. 5/12 vs No. 4 Arizona 2:30 PM Pac-12 Network

No. 7/10 vs No. 2 Utah 6 PM Pac-12 Network

No. 6/11 vs No. 3 California 8:30 PM FS1

[i]Friday Games[/i

Semifinal No. 1 6 PM Pac-12 Network

Semifinal No. 2 8:30 PM FS1

Saturday Game

Championship Game 7 PM FS1

The Favorite

The No. 1 seed Oregon Ducks have the best record among the top four teams in the Pac-12 against the other three (4-1) and play a style of basketball that's tough for every team in the Pac-12 to guard them. Depth is going to be an issue with just a seven-man rotation, but outside of point guard Casey Benson, Oregon's other six rotation players can play multiple spots. Dillon Brooks and Elgin Cook are two of the toughest players to defend in the Pac-12 because of their ability to play at the forward or guard spots. Chris Boucher is an elite shot blocker on defense and then a big man that can shoot threes on offense. Jordan Bell and Dwayne Benjamin come off the bench for the Ducks and would start for a lot of Pac-12 teams this season.

The Contenders

It's tough to say No. 2 seed Utah isn't the favorite if Oregon isn't. They beat Arizona and Colorado within the last two weeks and are riding a seven-game winning streak. Jakob Poeltl is a beast down low and now Utah's Brandon Taylor is starting to play like the star guard many expected all year.

If Utah or Oregon doesn't claim the league title, the next most logical choice is Arizona as the No. 4 seed. The Wildcats will have a homecourt feel with thousands of Arizona fans packing the MGM Garden Arena. Seniors Gabe York, Ryan Anderson, and Kaleb Tarczewski will shoulder the load, but freshman Allonzo Trier gives the Wildcats an athletic wing who can create for himself that might be the sleeper agent on their roster.

No. 3 seed California has the league's best talent, and are now starting to play like it. Freshman Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb are NBA Lotto picks in the upcoming draft this summer and senior Tyrone Wallace should also hear his name called in the draft. Jordan Mathews and Jabari Bird's shooting will decide how far this team goes.

The Cinderella

No. 7 seed USC has lost six of their last eight games to end the regular season, but their talent is undeniable. They've got six players who average double-figures in scoring, size, present great guard play, and have the shooters who can stretch a defense. If the Trojans put together a good stretch of games they can do a lot of damage.

MVP Candidates

The logical thought is the Pac-12's Player of the Year Jakob Poeltl will be the favorite here. He averaged 17.5 points and 9.1 rebounds in the regular season and is playing for a team set up for a title run. There's maybe three players in the Pac-12 who can guard him in a one-on-one situation.

Oregon sophomore Dillon Brooks or senior Elgin Cook would be the next most likely because of the problems they cause to opponent's post players. Brooks and Cook can score inside and out, and are also very good at creating good looks for teammates.

California freshman Jaylen Brown was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and has been the reason why the Bears have a top four seed this week. Brown is a lot like Brooks in that he can play inside and out and be a nightmare for opponents.

Arizona's Ryan Anderson was just one of two players in the Pac-12 to average a double-double this season. He's a terror on the boards and is efficient scoring on the block. While teams will focus on Gabe York and Allonzo Trier outside, Anderson will clean up in the paint.

Josh Scott from Colorado, Andrew Andrews of Washington, and Julian Jacobs from USC are three guys who can carry their programs to deep runs into the Pac-12 title game.

The Picks

No. 8 Washington over No. 9 Stanford

No. 5 Colorado over No. 12 Washington State

No. 7 USC over No. 10 UCLA

No. 6 Oregon State over No. 11 Arizona State

No. 1 Oregon over No. 8 Washington

No. 4 Arizona over No. 5 Colorado

No. 2 Utah over No. 7 USC

No. 3 Cal over No. 6 Oregon State

No. 1 Oregon over No. 4 Arizona

No. 3 Cal over No. 2 Utah

No. 1 Oregon over No. 3 Cal

Tournament MVP Oregon senior forward Elgin Cook

All-Tournament Team

G - Tyrone Wallace, senior, California

F - Dillon Brooks, sophomore, Oregon

F - Elgin Cook, senior, Oregon

F - Jaylen Brown, freshman, California

C - Jakob Poeltl, sophomore, Utah