If push came to shove, who deserves an NCAA tournament bid, the U of A or ASU? I write this blog a couple of days before Wildcats take the court against Oregon State in the Pac 10 tournament. It's a no brainer that the Cats have no right to the Big Dance if they lose to the lowly Beavers but that will not happen. So that brings us to who is more deserving.

U OF A: They played the toughest schedule in the country. They had quality losses, if there is
such a thing, against highly ranked Memphis and Kansas. Their reputation will help
them with the selection committee. Under Lute Olson they've been to the post season
23 years in a row and a nice Pac 10 tournament run would get them in. The Cats play
in the best conference in the country where they finished 7th.

ASU: The Devils finished 5th in the Pac 10 regular season. They had quality victories over
Xavier and Stanford, both top 20 ranked teams. They swept Arizona for the
first time in over a decade. They split with Oregon and beat USC by 14 points.
A victory over the Trojans would make them a lock for March Madness. ASU
is also one of those feel good stories of a program turning around in one short year.

Arizona State is the most deserving today. I can't imagine beating a storied program like Arizona's, not once, but twice and beating then 7th ranked Stanford and 11th ranked Xavier along with a 5th place finish in America's toughest conference, where just one team had a losing record, gets them back to the Big Dance for the first time in 5 years. The UofA, with 2 Pac 10 tournament wins, should also be a lock.

Let me end by saying, it is possible that neither team will get selected but that doesn't mean the state won't be represented at the NCAA party. Remember that little school in Flagstaff. The NAU Lumberjacks have a chance to qualify with a Big Sky Conference tournament win over Portland State. I know why it's called MARCH MADNESS! gcruz@kpho.com

Gary Cruz
CBS 5 Sports Anchor