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It’s awkward time as we approach the 15^th of March. A day also known as the Ides of March, in Ancient Rome the day was a celebration of Mars, their God of war, but was more famously the day of Julius Caesar’s untimely assassination and betrayal by the friends he considered close. On the 15^th of March fans of NCAA College Basketball will be celebrating the famous ‘Ides’ in their own way. Yes, after the opening round of the First Four (the first four play-in games to enter the tournament’s overall field of 64 teams) the NCAA Tournament will officially begin. March Madness is the colloquial term for the time over the duration of the NCAA Tournament; where buzzer-beating shots regularly encroach on narrowly-lead teams and lesser known teams ordinarily poach off more commonly branded basketball. It is a time of passion, persistence and revelry in the arts of war; not unlike the ancient Roman’s celebrations of the God of war. Today, I’ll be starting off tournament coverage of possible tournament teams conference by conference, each of the major conferences, and a bundle of the mid-majors.

When it comes to the first blog of conferences talked about, it’s hard not to go with arguably the worst conference of the Big Six; my hometown Pac-12. Considered having the least talented teams of the Big Six because of it’s low measuring RPI ranking (Rating Percentage Index – a quantitative number that ranks teams based on win-loss record and strength of schedule). The Pac-12 currently sits 10^th of out a possible 32 NCAA Division I conferences, having a current Avg. RPI rating of .5257; sitting directly behind such notable conferences as the Conference USA, Missouri Valley and Atlantic 10 in ratings. Because of the Pac-12’s lack of quality wins against top 50 RPI-ranked teams, it is likely the only team getting a bid for the NCAA Tournament could be the team that wins the Pac-12 Tournament, and receives the conference’s automatic bid. Right now there are 5 teams that could be considered in contention for the Pac-12 season title; currently, #1 Cal and UW, #2 Arizona and  #3 Colorado and Oregon. It’s important to note when looking at the NCAA Tournament’s bracket selection guidelines, a team’s conference must not be taken into account. This means that although UW is currently tied for first place, when the selection committee is looking to rank teams they would first have to start with Cal (21-8), Arizona (19-8) and then Washington, Oregon and Stanford (18-8). Stanford would likely get a small bump in the eyes of the committee, because it is the only team in the league with two wins against top 50 RPI opponents (Colorado State and NC State).

Most funny (ironic…) about the league’s one-bid situation is that this is the Pac-12′s first full year as a conference. High-profile additions, Colorado and Utah, have played not great, but just good enough to hinder the team’s around them without adding to their own basketball esteem. If I had to think of one team to get the NCAA selection committee’s nod, like many of the experts predict, I would have to look at the team’s 3 best NBA prospects that could get hot and carry their through the Pac-12 tournament, to the conference’s automatic bid. The three team’s would be UW, Cal and Colorado, and the three sophomore prospects, respectively, shooting guard Terence Ross, shooting guard Allen Crabbe, and strong forward Andre Roberson; Ross, because of his overall athleticism and ability to put up contested shots; Crabbe, because of spot-up shooting ability; Roberson, because of his overall ability offensive-defensive ability (only player in the Pac 12 to average a double-double). It’s sad to see the Pac 12′s prestigious history of basketball reduced to potentially one March Madness team. But the justice goes ultimately to all those mid-major team’s, proving that it takes more than just a high-profile college, and NBA-ready recruits to win March Madness hearts. Get ready for the war on March 15th.