Five teams have shot at making Tournament

Tanith L. Balaban Arizona Daily Wildcat Pacific 10 Conference champion UCLA,, led by Chalres OÍBannon, has laid claim to the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. It will have its seeding determined after the Washington and WSU games this week.

Conference champ UCLA (19-7 overall, 13-3 in the Pac-10) has already clinched a spot in the Tournament, but their possible seeding is still up in the air. If the Bruins can finish the season with a sweep of the Washington schools, they should have a lock on a No. 2 seed. But even if the Bruins falter and split this weekend, they still might finish in a good situation. As a two-seed, UCLA would almost certainly get shipped out of the West. If the Bruins receive a three-seed, though, they would likely stay in the coveted West Region.

"We have plenty of things to work on," said UCLA coach Steve Lavin, following the team's 74-67 win over Oregon on Saturday. "We have two games left on the road, but in the last two (home) games, we have learned that we cannot be complacent."

Arizona (19-7, 11-5) is next in line and should enter the Tournament as either a three or four seed. If the Wildcats can manage a split in the Bay Area, they would most likely be a four-seed in the East. If they sweep, they could get a three-seed bid, sta ying in the West and playing in Salt Lake City.

"Right now, I can see us anywhere from a three to a six-seed depending on what happens this weekend," UA coach Lute Olson said. "I think the tournament committee takes into account your non-league schedule and your performance in the last couple of weeks. And I think our performance in non-conference play will help us out."

With its 73-63 win over Cal on national television last weekend, Stanford (18-7, 10-6) has nearly assured itself of a tournament bid.

"Well, that felt good," said Stanford coach Mike Montgomery, following the victory. "This was a great win. This win was huge. I mean huge. A loss would have put a lot of pressure on us."

The Cardinal could get an eight or nine-seed depending on how they do this weekend. If Stanford sweeps, it could be an eight, but a split or two losses pairs them with a probable nine seed or worse.

The Golden Bears (19-8, 10-6) have dropped since the loss of the conference's leading scorer, Ed Gray, to a broken foot. Once projected as a four seed, Cal is now just hoping to make the tournament. If they can split with the Arizona schools, they could b e an eight-seed. If they lose both games, however, the Golden Bears might be bumped for a Temple or a Fresno State.

One team that still has an outside chance is Washington (16-9, 9-7). Even though the Huskies lost an ugly one on national television in Arizona on Sunday, their season could still be salvaged. If they can put together a home sweep of the Los Angeles schoo ls, they would move to 18-9 with 11 conference wins. And with the Pac-10 ranking as the third strongest in the nation according to some polls, Washington could be "on the bubble," with a good chance of receiving a bid.