Pac-10 must win to gain respect

By Ben Miller

Mar 14, 2005, 12:00 AM

March Madness is a time of tradition in college basketball. It is a time for Cinderellas, buzzer-beaters and the Final Four. It is 65 teams reaching for the same goal at the end of a long, strenuous journey. Here on the West Coast, March Madness is also the time for one of our favorite traditions -- complaining that the Pac-10 gets no respect in the NCAA tournament. How many times have we heard that protest, year after year? When the selection committee is making out the official bracket and everyone is talking about who's in and who's out, cries of an "East Coast bias" run rampant from Seattle to Tucson, Ariz. While it may be the case that this partiality does exist -- that one conference may get preferential treatment over another simply because of its regional placement -- it is not fair to claim that the bias exists against the Pac-10 this year. Respect is something that is earned, not something that is simply given away without reason. After last year's performance in the Big Dance, it is something that the Pac-10 needs to earn once again. Last season, only three teams were selected out of the Pac-10 to participate in the tournament, and without the Huskies' miraculous late-season dash for a spot it seemed possible that only two teams might enter the dance. As usual, West Coast fans were adamant that the Pac-10 was not receiving the recognition it deserved. But, putting aside season results and how they got there, if you look at how the teams performed once they were in, their late-season success was less than impressive. Arizona came in as a No. 9 seed and promptly lost to Seton Hall while Washington lost a closely contested opening round matchup against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Stanford was the only team in the conference to get out of the first round. However, the Cardinal was met by an Alabama team that was getting hot at the right time. The Crimson Tide upset top-seed Stanford on its way to the Elite Eight. Even the Atlantic-10, considered by most not to be a major conference, put up a far superior showing last year than the Pac-10. With only two entries in the tournament, St. Joseph's and Xavier made the most of their chance to shine as they both advanced to the Elite Eight, a combined five points away from the Final Four. That is how you gain attention on the national scale in the NCAA tournament. Teams that win and make deep runs are going to get the respect they should. And that is exactly the reason why the media should not pay attention to an underperforming Pac-10 this year. Right now, the Pac-10 is in a down cycle. The conference is loaded with youth and talent, but so far, the results have not been evident. Over the next few years, as youth turns into experience, the quality of play will increase in the conference. At that point, respect will come to the teams that deserve it the most. Until then, the teams that are currently playing at a high level need to do one thing to turn people's attention to the West Coast. They need to come into the tournament, play strong and come out with a few victories. Then, the Pac-10 might begin to receive the recognition that it has demanded. Respect is earned, and the only way to earn it in the NCAA tournament is to win.

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