I have been watching the NCAA Tournament pretty closely for the first time in almost 20 years (my son is in college now) - it's amazing how children immediately impact one's life, BTW. I went to every night of the Pac-10 Tournament (at Staples) except the Final (thanks, Louie!), so I am familiar with three of the Sweet Sixteen teams. The Pacific-10 has emerged as one of the powerhouse conferences of the nation, and deservedly so. If Washington State hadn't lost in double overtime to Vanderbilt, 4 of the 6 Pac-10 teams that qualified for the Tournament would have made it to the round of sixteen.
Some observations from my attending the Pac-10 tournament:
Aaron Afflalo - definitely his final year at UCLA, regardless of the outcome of this season. This guy has the NBA body - it remains to be seen if he has the NBA skills, however. He really choked to the max in the Pac-10 tounament, causing UCLA to get bounced in the first round.
Gabe Pruitt - I would be very surprised if this guy did not make it to the NBA. A real floor general, and a steady offensive production and great defensive skills. It's no surprise that USC has advanced as far as they have - at least to those who watched their performance at the tourney.
Oregon - the sleeper team.
-RB
Shaq #1