Pac-12 Tournament futures: UCLA makes final push for No. 1 seed

The Pac-12 has at least one elite team in UCLA and another surefire Tournament team in Arizona. Beyond that, there are a host of teams that could play their way in or out of the NCAA field this week.

UCLA is a great bet if you want to make a Final Four or champion play right now. They have not lost in more than a month when they lost back-to-back against Arizona and USC. Since then no team has gotten closer than seven points and they are the prohibitive favorites coming into this event - see below. 

Arizona is a clear No. 2, but the rest of the field has a lot to prove. Of note, is that USC has beaten UCLA during the season, but not the Wildcats. Do they have it in them to do that for the first time this week? 

Pac-12 Tournament Futures

UCLA Bruins +120
Arizona Wildcats +190
USC +700
Oregon Ducks +1100
Arizona State Sun Devils +1900

Note; The top 4 teams in the conference get a bye (UCLA, ARZ, USC and ORE)

Best Bet: Arizona Wildcats +190

UCLA is probably the better team but at that price, there is not a ton of value with the Bruins. Rolling over the moneylines probably makes more sense. The same might be true for the Wildcats, but we have more value to play with and UCLA is missing a critical piece with Jaylen Clark out. He is not their best player, but he is experienced and he is their most versatile defensive piece. Odds are UCLA and Arizona meet in the finals, so there could be some pretty good hedging opportunities if you go with either.

Sleeper: USC Trojans +700

I know going all the way to third in the standings is hardly digging deep, but when you look at the pricing gap I think USC qualifies. I like the Trojans, even though the bracket is set up so that they could have to beat both Arizona and UCLA. The primary reason is the presence of Boogie Ellis. The senior guard is having his best season yet and has the kind of game that plays well this time of year when you can lean on just one player. They were in losses but he has scored 30+ points against the Bruins and Wildcats this season. With just a little help the Trojans can nudge those into wins. 

And maybe the Oregon Ducks +1100

The Ducks struggled at the start of the season and never really found their footing. If UCLA prioritizes being healthy for the NCAAs over winning this week, they could be the beneficiary and they have no guarantee of tomorrow so motivation for this experienced team should be high.