In the meantime, if you want to see championship-caliber basketball being played in the Pac-12 Conference, it’s increasingly clear that you need to buy a ticket to watch the women play: Of the final 16 teams in this year’s women’s tournament, four hail from the Pac-12, a tribute to the strength of the conference.

Compare that to the lackluster performance their male counterparts from the Pac-12 posted in this year’s tournament: A record seven Pac-12 teams earned slots in the men’s tourney, and then five of them (including the Beavers) promptly lost in the first round. The sixth team, Utah, scraped by in the first round that then was promptly routed by Gonzaga in the second — so that when the tournament reached its second weekend, only Oregon survived from the Pac-12. (To be fair, the Ducks have played extremely well thus far in the tournament; on Thursday, they were clearly the better team in a game against defending national champion Duke.)

At least the Beavers have an excuse: Under second-year coach Wayne Tinkle, this year’s team earned a slot in the tournament a full year earlier than knowledgeable observers expected. The Beavers lost in the first round to what appeared to be a better team from Virginia Commonwealth University. No shame there, and Tinkle has continued to helm another remarkable turnaround that has mid-valley basketball fans salivating to see what comes next.