Pacific Takes

Pac-12 Basketball Officiating Coordinator: Ed Rush

2012-05-17T15:03:46Z

Remember when you first started hearing a lot about Mark Cuban?

Cuban went after the referees again in wake of Dallas' 105-103 loss to San Antonio on Jan. 5, and in particular, the NBA's director of officials, Ed Rush, himself a former referee. Cuban, a repeat offender, was fined an NBA record $500,000 for his comments.

The kicker was this: "Ed Rush might have been a great ref, but I wouldn't hire him to manage a Dairy Queen."

In short, Ed Rush is responsible for the image above. This is clearly the greatest basketball official of all time, trailing Earl Strom and this dude.

I have about as much to say about Rush as I do about Bulgarian monetary policy. The man was before my time. The best thing you can find on Rush is this interview he did about a decade ago with Charlie Rosen, where he goes in-depth into how he managed the game.

We take a look at some of the salient points from the interview.

But if referees must focus on mistakes and misplays, then what's a perfect game? One where there's no mistakes? No fouls? No turnovers? One where every call, and every no-call, is totally accurate?

Rush: Mistakes can't ever be eliminated. We see ourselves as choreographing an athletic event and providing the proper setting where the world's greatest athletes can show their skills. If we can succeed, then that's a perfect game.

Translation: Stop calling fouls. You're ruining the movie!

When a ref has a bad game -- maybe he blew a call that cost a game -- what kind of support system is there?

Rush: The entire staff is divided up into four groups of 15 each. And every group has its own crew chief, former officials who act kind of like an officiating coach -- Lee Jones, Hugh Evans, Mike Lauerman and Billy Oates. In addition, there's a lot of leadership from within the ranks. Ronnie Nunn, for example, takes it upon himself to call any official who's had a problem with a call, a game, a player or a coach. So nobody is out there on his own.

Translation: They're going to be racking up the phone bills this year.

When I was coaching, it was taken as gospel that every judicious technical that a coach received would buy his team a few calls in his favor. What's the official view of this?

Rush: I'm sure that what you say is written in capital letters in The Coaches' Manual. I think it's even on page one. But once again, if such a thing happens, it's not done in a conscious way. During the officials' preseason and offseason training camps, the officials are exposed to all kinds of crazy situations, so there's nothing that a coach can do or say during the season that will surprise a referee. One of the things we monitor when we watch the game videos is how does an official react after he's called for a technical.

Translation: Oh man, some of you are getting in trouble!

What about matching certain refs to certain teams? Like maybe assigning a crew who tends to allow more physical play to work a Pistons game.

Rush: No, we never do anything like that. What we will do, though, is pay close attention to crew dynamics. Let's say that one official is an outstanding game manager. He can set the tone of a game and is good at conflict resolution. But he doesn't have a great percentage in making the right calls. Overall, the videos prove that NBA officials are correct ninety-three percent of the time. So if somebody is around ninety percent, then he's not up to par.

Translation: 93%? Rush better be satisfied with the Pac-12 being graded on a curve.

Beyond the technical considerations, are there officials who just aren't compatible?

Rush: Certainly. Guys occasionally have fights in the locker room. But the beauty of something like this is that all of them are accustomed to resolving conflicts. They'll get into whatever disagreement they might have. Maybe somebody felt that somebody else incorrectly overruled his call. Then it's like, "OK, are you done? Good, then let's get out of here and go get something to eat." I never get involved in stuff like this only because the hassles never get that big or last that long.

Translation: Oh man, I'd so watch Pac-12 Officiating Hard Knocks! People probably got their teeth knocked in.

You should know that Rush was the coordinator of NBA officials during the period between 1998-2003, which was renowned for having some really lame officiating (although you could blame the impossible-to-officiate Shaquille O'Neal for causing the refs so much trouble during that time). But hey, it's not like they have anything on Pac-12 officiating, which routinely called touch falls to decide basketball games.

Really, how much can you change in one offseason? Unless they fire all the officials, don't expect too much of a change next year. It'll take time (just like with Pac-12 football) to get the new systems locked into place and see improvement from basketball refs.

Pac-12 Basketball Recruiting: The 10 Biggest Busts of the Past Decade

2012-05-17T11:00:17Z

There is a very good chance that only two Pac-12 players will be selected in next month's NBA Draft and while much of this can be attributed to players leaving early in previous drafts, the conference simply just hasn't been able to keep its shelves stocked with NBA caliber players in the last few seasons. One of the main reasons for this is that a large number of the supposedly NBA level players who have signed with Pac-12 schools in recent years either haven't panned out of haven't fit in with the program and have had to transfer.

Since almost every high rated basketball recruit coming out of high school has spent the last five years or so playing select hoops with other top level players by the time they sign with a college, there are far fewer "busts" in college basketball then there are in football and the 5-star recruits are almost always the guys who end up being lottery picks. However, over the course of the last decade, the Pac-12 has seen some busts who were expected to lead their program and instead, for the most part, left their program.

While transfers have just become a part of the college game and many of these guys have gone on to have success at other programs, I wanted to take a look at the ten biggest busts in the last decade of Pac-12 basketball recruiting and how they have affected different programs.

1. J'mison Morgan - C - Class of 2008 - Dallas, TX (South Oak Cliff) - UCLA

It looked like the Bruins had capped one of the greatest classes in the history of the conference when they were able to get Morgan to back out of a previous commitment to LSU in 2008. All five of their signees were top 50 players and the big man from Texas might have been the most highly regarded of them all. Morgan struggled on and off the court, averaging just two points per game and being suspended for behavior before eventually being kicked off of the team. Morgan has since transferred to Baylor where he failed to make much more of an impact in his junior season and redshirted last season.

2. Jabari Brown - SG - Class of 2011 - Oakland, CA - Oregon

One of the strangest careers in the history of college basketball thus far, the five-star Brown surprisingly signed with Oregon over more elite programs only to play just two games for the Ducks before abruptly quitting. It is speculated that Brown wasn't happy with his role on the team and that Ducks coach Dana Altman doesn't do well with big egos. Luckily for Brown, he should have four years to prove himself at Missouri where he transferred.

3. Josiah Turner - PG - Class of 2011 - Sacramento, CA - Arizona

Lauded as the next great Arizona point guard, Sean Miller beat out Kansas, Louisville and UCLA for the talented guard's signature only to have him play one season with the Wildcats before transferring to SMU. Turner was suspended indefinitely prior to last season's Pac-12 Tournament, so it is likely that he had off thecourt issues along with not living up to his billing on the court.

4. Evan Burns - SF - Class of 2002 - Los Angeles, CA - UCLA

The local McDonalds All-American was supposed to help keep the Bruins near the top of the conference when he signed in 2002 but instead failed to qualify and never ended up playing a game for UCLA. Burns ended up at San Diego State but only played one season before a brief professional career in the NBDL.

5. J.P. Prince - PG - Class of 2005 - Memphis, TN (White Station) - Arizona

A highly decorated point guard, Arizona scored by plucking Prince out of SEC country but only had him on the team for a total of three games before he decided to transfer back home. It turned out to be an unfortunate loss for the Wildcats as Prince had a successful career at Tennessee.

6. Michael Dunigan - C - Class of 2008 - Chicago, IL (Farragut Academy) - Oregon

One of the only players on this list to not transfer to another program, Dunigan shockingly signed with the Ducks in 2008 despite being offered by almost every elite program in the nation. Regarded as one of the best big men in his class, Dunigan never lived up to his potential during two seasons in Eugene and decided to declare early for the NBA Draft, but would not be drafted. Dunigan has since played professionally overseas.

7. Jamil Wilson - SF - Class of 2009 - Racine, WI (Horlick) - Oregon

Yet another highly rated recruit that the Ducks pulled away from more elite programs that didn't work out. Wilson started some games during his freshman season and was a solid contributor for the Ducks but transferred home to Marquette after just that one season and was a stand out for the Golden Eagles last season.

8. Rodrick Stewart - SG - Class of 2003 - Seattle, WA (Rainier Beach) - USC

Rodrick and his twin brother, Lodrick were extremely hyped in the Seattle area coming out of powerhouse Rainier Beach and ended up as a package deal at USC. Despite great athleticism, neither twin ever became superstars and while Lodrick had a solid career with the Trojans, Rodrick transferred to Kansas where he struggled with injuries, but did end up winning a national championship.

9. Drew Gordon - PF - Class of 2008 - San Jose, CA (Archbishop Mitty) - UCLA

Another member of the vaunted UCLA class of 2008 that was supposed to be the West Coast's version of the Fab 5, Gordon was pointed out in a nasty Sports Illustrated article about the Bruins as being one of the players who contributed to the downfall of the program. Despite his struggles as a Bruin, Gordon transferred to New Mexico and helped lead the Lobos to the NCAA Tournament and should be a second round draft pick in this year's NBA Draft.

10. Jerime Anderson - PG - Class of 2008 - Anaheim, CA (Canyon) - UCLA

While Anderson ended up playing all four years of his career for the Bruins, he didn't live up to the billing he garnered coming out of high school as one of the most high regarded point guards in the country. Anderson was also specifically pointed out as being one of the most troublesome of UCLA's catastrophically disappointing class of 2008 and was arrested in 2011.

Honorable Mention

Jeremy Barr (Class of 2005 C Houston, TX USC), Marquis Kately (Class of 2002 SF San Francisco, CA Cal), James Keefe (Class of 2006 PF Santa Margarita, CA UCLA), Adrian Oliver (2006 PG Modesto, CA Washington)

Big Ten Surrenders Homefield Playoffs In Favor Of Rose Bowl [Wetzel]

2012-05-16T20:46:20Z

Big Ten Surrenders Homefield Playoffs In Favor Of Rose Bowl [Wetzel]

"Somewhere Mike Slive of the SEC and Larry Scott of the Pac-12 are kicking back with a cackle of delight. These guys are angling for every possible edge while the Big Ten and the Rose Bowl sit in adjacent bathtubs, holding hands and waiting for the moment to be right."

Hard to see what the Big Ten gains from this, but oh well. Pac-12 would be happy to host Rose Bowl games instead of neutral site games, no skin off their bones.

Pac-12 Network: Rick Neuheisel A Perfect Fit for the Booth

2012-05-16T17:00:12Z

I still remember the second time I met Rick Neuheisel. It was the Fall of 2003 and he was biding his time as the quarterbacks coach for Rainier Beach High School in Seattle before scoring 4.5 million from the University of Washington and his next foray into head coaching. I still don't know how it happened, but my high school, Sedro-Woolley (Yes, this is the real name of the high school), had gotten into a home and home series with the powerhouse high school from inner Seattle and in the second year of the series, they had to travel 70 miles or so North to our stadium.

It was a shock to everyone that Sedro-Woolley almost pulled off the upset and Rainier Beach barely escaped with a win. Having met Neuheisel before at his coaches clinic which I attended when I was 15 (Long story), I was under the false impression that he would remember me, so I waited for him to head back to the locker room where I imagined we would chat like old friends. I wasn't completely wrong about this as I shook his hand and reminded him that I went to his coaches clinic and he pretended like he actually remembered me. While it may have just been him being nice, I think it is this exact characteristic that has allowed him to grab three elite college football jobs without a great deal of success, and it is also why I think he is an overrated coach, but may have finally found his calling in the broadcaster's booth.

Neuheisel's overall record as a coach is solid at 88-59, but I don't feel that it accurately conveys a lot of the struggles he had as a coach. He started off strong both at Colorado and Washington, but was drifting into hot water towards the end of both tenures as his team's underachieved, lacked toughness and discipline and were prone to making costly mistakes at the worst times. These same problems plagued him at UCLA from the start and he was pretty much sitting in the hot tub by the end of his first year in Westwood. As a coach, Neuheisel was kind of that "cool guy" teacher or camp counselor that wanted to be just "one of the kids" a little too much and crack jokes and strum the acoustic guitar. The problem was that this kind of figure is taken advantage of 100 percent of the time and always struggles with the kids that are difficult to manage.

Because of these traits, the man who declared that the football monopoly in LA was over was always kind of more of a politician than a football coach and would probably actually be a magnate in the corporate world of mind control, cult of personality and the perpetual shifting of blame. Unfortunately for Neuheisel, college football isn't the corporate world and you can't talk your way out of losses. In the end it all just boils down to wins and losses - as Neuheisel once said himself to Mike Bellotti, "Scoreboard, baby."

The good news here is that I believe that the long awaited Pac-12 Network and Neuheisel have come together to find what should be a great fit for him. Frequently, the best commentators are guys who weren't necessarily the greatest at the sport themselves (Check out most NBA commentators) because a lot of it hinges on personality, and though the man was nicknamed "Slick Rick," he has that ability where it is almost impossible to hate him despite what he does. For example, for how bad he left the Huskies, there actually isn't a ton of animosity in the Seattle area for him, especially when compared to Tyrone Willingham. I think I remember my Dad once even suggesting that he would be happy to have him back as coach before Sarkisian was hired although this is about on par with his idea to suit up Lawyer Milloy for the Oregon game last season.

Many former Pac-10 coaches have already gone on to be very good announcers as well. While I may have hated the aforementioned Belotti when he coached the Ducks, I am always glad when I find out that he is doing the game that I am watching, and Terry Donahue has been solid in the booth for quite a while now. Some of my favorite commentary has also come from former coaches who are ironically entertaining like former WSU coach Jim Walden, who just left doing radio for the Cougars, who was my favorite "Homer" color guy of all time (He thought there was a Cougar getting held on every single play) and former Beavers coach Jerry Pettibone who actually had a weekly coaches show where he would play the "What If" game with each game during his 13-52 tenure with the Beavers. The "What if" game was that Jerry would watch a game and perpetually go, "Well if USC doesn't run in those two touchdowns early, we don't fumble in the second quarter and we don't miss that tackle in the fourth, then we're right in the game." While he is a great character, I see Neuheisel fitting in more of the Belotti mold, he will have a lot of great insight, mixed with interesting color and knowledge of the conference and the game.

So while he may not be at the helm of a Pac-12 ship anymore, I'm still looking forward to seeing how Coach Neuheisel does come September.

Pac-12 Network Should Help Conference School Athletic Revenues: Oregon Ducks Only Profitable Public Program

2012-05-16T14:00:18Z

In news that should be shocking to approximately no one, many college athletic departments lose money. The Pac-12 gets by, but many of their members have needed financial assistance recently.

By trying to sustain numerous non-revenue sports with the operating revenues from football, a lot of teams foot too huge a bill for their profitable sports to cover, particulary when football (and to a lesser extent men's basketball) performs worse than expected. Departments are forced to tap into student fees, outside support and state money to try and keep their programs upright. A majority of Division I FBS teams receive over 50% of their total revenue from subsidies, leaving themselves perilously vulnerable when things go south for the team's football program.

USA Today released college revenues and expenses from 2006 to 2011 for schools wiling to disclose that info. At first glance, things don't look so bad: Revenues exceed expenses for five of the eight conference members back then. However, subtract the subsidies, and things don't look so peachy for almost anyone. Every program here would be millions of dollars in the red if things worked out like that.

(Stanford and USC do not disclose revenues and operating expenses, but I'd be surprised if they had many if any subsidies, as both programs have very wealthy boosters and donors that help foot the bill.)

Only the Oregon Ducks maintain healthy profits for their football program without having to worry about huge subsidies. Bryan Fischer of CBS Sports went inside the numbers and pointed out how important it was for Oregon to make the national championship game:

Thanks to mega-booster Phil Knight and the most successful run in school history on the football field, Oregon has seen revenues skyrocket and expenses shoot up 71% since 2006. It's also notable that the run to the BCS championship game caused revenue to go from $59 million to $122.4 million in a year. Because USC, which gets a nice chunk of change from ticket sales at the massive Coliseum and big merchandise money, is private we won't really know how the Ducks compare to their rival down South but it's safe to say Scrooge McDuck approves.

The overall revenue increases clearly go to Oregon, which you can view after the jump.

89.9% 33.9% 26.8% 34.7% 41% 3.6%
10% 25.2%

There are also two more shools that aren't doing so bad with regard to subsidies in Washington and UCLA. The Washington Huskies also maintain one of the strongest booster networks in the country, and that might have helped them come in second. UCLA is close behind, probably thanks to their storied basketball tradition and huge alumni network.

Every other school (including Colorado and Utah) need considerable subsidies to stay profitable.

There are some schools that have it more difficult than other. Subsidies couldn't keep Washington State and Arizona State (two of the schools with around 20 to 30% of their revenue coming from subsidies) from hitting the red. Oregon State's lack of revenue increases have forced them to be far more heavily subsidized (30%!). Washington State has increased their revenue but still remain heavily dependent on subsidies as well.

In the upcoming years, the Pac-12 might stand a good shot at shedding all that. Notice that the Big Ten is the only school that is nearly subsidy free (four schools with 0%, six schools with less than 1%, all eleven schools that publicly disclose at 10% or less) . Guess what the Big Ten also has? A TV network dedicated to the conference that provides much needed revenue to its members.

Keep in mind the new super-duper Pac-12 TV contract should ease the burden on a bunch of these schools, as the TV money coming in per year to each school will total around $20.8 million per year for every school. That could reduce the dependency for programs to rely on subsidies and ensure future self-sufficiency down the line. The Pac-12 Network could make a huge difference in the fortunes of total conference revenue.

So for now, the conference is on the netural side of overallcollege athletics revenue.

Pac-12 Football Recruiting: Ty Isaac And Justin Davis, Future USC Running Back Tandem?

2012-05-16T12:36:01Z

(Click here for previous recruiting update)

The big commitment of the week so far is USC snaring RB Ty Isaac (Joliet Catholic, Joliet, IL), who is considered by many to be one of the surest things at the next level. At 6'3", 215, Isaac figures to be the type of player to bring the bruising power that's lately been lacking for the Trojans run attack.

The commitment by Isaac won't change things for Justin Davis (RB, Lincoln, Stockton, CA), who plans to make his low-key announcement this Thursday. All signs would point to USC landing him, as the Trojans will visit him the day before the announcement. USC, Cal and Washington are also in consideration.

USC taking both Isaac and Davis would likely give the Trojans the best running back class in the Pac-12. Although Oregon does have Thomas Tyner (perhaps the top overall runner in this class), Isaac gives the Trojans a power option and Davis a feature three down back. That would definitely replenish the coffers on a USC team that is currently very low on running back depth.

USC is all over our latest Pac-12 recruiting update.

Max Redfield (S, Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo, CA) has a top 5 of Notre Dame, USC, LSU, Oregon and Washington.

Tahaan Goodman (S, Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Cucamonga, CA) wants to play with Priest Willis (S, Marco De Niza, Tempe, AZ) in college. Both will be visiting LSU when they play Alabama. Goodman also is ready to visit Hawaii.

Eddie Vanderdoes (DE, Placer, Auburn, CA) is reportedly planning on an official visit to Penn State.

Elijah Qualls (ATH, Casa Grande, Petaluma, CA) has received an offer from USC. Oregon, Cal and Arizona all visited earlier this week. The Trojans want him at defensive tackle.

Derek Babiash (CB, Poway, Poway, CA) decommitted from Washington; he wasn't 100% quite certain about his commitment.

Demorea Stringfellow (WR, Rancho Verde, Moreno Valley, CA) also got his USC offer.

Sebastian LaRue (ATH, Santa Monica, Santa Monica, CA) could be garnering a Notre Dame offer ($) in the near future.

Charlie Reid (TE, All Saints, Fort Worth, TX) picked up offers from Utah and Oregon State.

Maurice Stewart (DB, Dulles, Sugar Land, TX) managed an offer from Arizona State.

USC commit Kenny Bigelow (DE, Eastern Christian Academy, Elkton, MD) gets some highlight reel tape courtesy of Scout!

Pierre Cormier (RB, Madison, San Diego, CA) could be getting looks from USC and Oregon ($).

Tyler Foreman (CB, Crespi, Encino, CA) received an offer from Colorado.

Christian Morris (OL, Memphis East, Memphis, TN) has UCLA at the top of his list for his top six schools.

Demarcus Ayers (ATH, Lancaster, Lancaster, TX) has an offer from Washington State.

John Lopez (OT, Lutheran, Orange, CA) has high interest from Wisconsin ($), who wants the big offensive lineman to pay a visit to Madison.

Nicholas Halmon (DB, Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Bamberg, SC) got an offer from Arizona.

Stanford coaches were apparently at Timberview in Mansfield, Texas. Only three recruits are available from Mansfield in the Rivals database, with one already committed to Washington State.

Tanner Vallejo (LB, Nevada Union, Grass Valley, CA) received a Washington State offer. Boise State and Arizona are at the top of his list, with Colorado close behind.

Edward Tandy (LB, Tustin, Tustin, CA) got his first offer from Cal.

Darren Carrington (WR, Horizon, San Diego, CA) dreams of an offer from Oregon (and Miami (FL)) ($).

Walter Jones (ATH, Redlands, Redlands, CA) received an offer from Utah.

Jamal Morrow (RB, Heritage, Romoland, CA) landed his first offer from Utah.

Pac-12 Softball: Eight Teams Make NCAA Tournament

2012-05-15T18:42:31Z

Eight of nine Pac-12 softball teams will be playing for the NCAA Championship in the coming weeks, as the NCAA Committee announced Sunday night the 64 teams vying for the 2012 NCAA Division 1 Softball Championship. All regionals will be held May 18-20, except for the Eugene regional that will take place May 17-19.

30 conferences were given automatic qualification and the other 34 spots were filled with at-large selections, the NCAA website stated. The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and are set to play at campuses this weekend. Four teams will play each of the 16 regional sites in double-elimination format.

"I feel like this year more than any other year its been more wide open," said Jessica Mendoza, Stanford left fielder (1999-02), four time 1st All-American and 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist. "You've seen the bats kind of quiet down, the pitching really step up and because of that you're seeing less runs scored. You're going to see a lot closer games."

"This has been the year of the freshmen and the year of the underclassmen," said Michele Smith, Oklahoma State pitcher (1986-89) and ASA Softball Hall of Fame Inductee (2004). "We've had some outstanding effort by the young kids."

SCHEDULE

May 17-20: Regionals -- Double Elimination

May 24-27: Super Regionals -- Best-of-3

May 31-June 6: Women's College World Series -- Double Elimination

June 4-6: Championship Series -- Best-of-3

The top 8 seeds will host regionals and if they can hold on, super regionals.

California -- Overall No. 1 seed -- Making its 28th NCAA appearance and 27th straight -- Finished the regular season 50-4 overall and captured the Pac-12 regular season title with a 21-3 record -- Led by Valerie Arioto, Jolene Henderson and Jamia Reid -- 3rd consecutive year with a Top-16 seed -- Ranked No. 1 in polls in 12 of 13 weeks -- Won 2002 National Championship.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for us, we've waited so many years to be able to host," said Cal head coach Diane Ninemire. "What I saw in that team in 2002 was the strong will to win and the same team in 2012 has the same will as the 2002 team and so I think we have all the pieces that we need in order to win a championship."

2. Alabama -- Won the SEC regular season and SEC tournament titles; the latter after defeating Florida 10-1 last Saturday -- Led by SEC Pitcher of the Year Jackie Traina -- 8 of 9 starters are hitting over .300 -- SEC Coach of the Year Patrick Murphy -- Led SEC in BA, HR and runs scored.

3. Arizona State -- Defending NCAA Champions - Finished 2nd in the Pac-12 -- Lost only one series all year (Cal) -- Went 46-7 overall -- Last year then-freshman Dallas Escobedo led the Sun Devils on the mound and this year senior Katelyn Boyd and the offense can hit hard -- Led Pac-12 in scoring (7.3 runs per game).

4. Oklahoma -- 2012 Big 12 Champions -- Keilani Ricketts is strong in the circle and freshman Lauren Chamberlain is a three-time Big 12 Player of the Week, having been named May 14 after breaking the Big 12 single-season record for home runs with 25 with three in Oklahoma's three-game sweep of Iowa State.

5. Florida -- 13th NCAA appearance -- Lone senior Michelle Moultrie leads as well as freshmen like Lauren Haeger and Sami Fagan and sophomore Hannah Rogers in the circle. The Gators lost to Arizona State in the finals last season and to Washington in 2009.

6. Texas -- 12th NCAA trip -- Blaire Luna is a top pitcher and the Longhorns have speedy offense for big runs.

7. Tennessee -- 10th appearance -- Raven Chavanne, Lauren Gibson, Madison Shipman and the Renfroe sisters pitching are names to watch out for.

8. Texas A&M -- 23rd NCAA appearance -- Led by junior pitcher Mel Dumezich and junior catcher/first baseman Meagan May.

9. Missouri

10. Georgia

11. Oregon -- 3rd straight NCAA appearance.

12. UCLA -- NCAA-leading 11 titles, with the most recent win in 2010.

13. Arizona -- 8-time winners; last time captured back-to-back trophies in 2007 and 2006.

14. UL Lafayette

15. Louisville

16. Washington -- Defeated Florida in 2009 for the Huskies' first title.

BERKELEY REGIONAL

No. 1 California vs. Iona

Arkansas vs. Boston University

SEATTLE REGIONAL

No. 16 Washington vs. Harvard

Maryland vs. Texas Tech

COLUMBIA REGIONAL

No. 9 Missouri vs. Illinois State

Massachusetts vs. DePaul

COLLEGE STATION REGIONAL

No. 8 Texas A&M vs. Bethune-Cookman

Texas State vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE REGIONAL

No. 5 Florida vs. Florida Gulf Coast

Central Florida vs. South Florida

LOS ANGELES REGIONAL

No. 12 UCLA vs. Hofstra

San Diego State vs. Florida State

TUCSON REGIONAL

No. 13 Arizona vs. North Dakota State

Notre Dame vs. Hawaii

NORMAN REGIONAL

Oregon State vs. Tulsa -- OSU's first NCAA appearance since 2007. Had best season since last appearance.

Lehigh vs. No. 4 Oklahoma

TEMPE REGIONAL

No. 3 Arizona State vs. LIU Brooklyn

Long Beach State vs. Syracuse

LAFAYETTE REGIONAL

No. 14 UL Lafayette vs. Mississippi Valley State

Baylor vs. Stanford -- The Cardinal's 15th NCAA trip.

EUGUENE REGIONAL

No. 11 Oregon vs. Portland State

Mississippi State vs. BYU

AUSTIN REGIONAL

No. 6 Texas vs. Northwestern

Houston vs. Auburn

KNOXVILLE REGIONAL

No. 7 Tennessee vs. Miami (OH)

UAB vs. Virginia Tech

ATHENS REGIONAL

No. 10 Georgia vs. Coastal Carolina

Georgia Southern vs. North Carolina

LOUISVILLE REGIONAL

No. 15 Louisville vs. Valparaiso

Kentucky vs. Michigan

TUSCALOOSA REGIONAL

No. 2 Alabama vs. Tenn-Martin

South Alabama vs. Georgia Tech

Poll

How far will California go?

Up And Down The Coast, Pac-12 Lunch Links: Protecting The Rose Bowl

2012-05-15T18:37:29Z

It's Tuesday, which means it's time for links, where were bring you the latest news, notes and commentary throughout the Pac-12 conference. Let's go ahead and get rolling.

As we discussed earlier this morning, four former Pac-12 players -- California QB Steve Bartkowski, Colorado OG John Wooten, UCLA OT Jonathan Ogden and USC TE Hal Bedsole -- have been named to the College Football Hall of Fame's 17-member 2012 class. Though maybe the hall of fame's irrelevant anyway.
Michigan State Athletic Director Mark Hollis quipped that a college football playoff will not have games played at home sites on campus, but at neutral sites, in an effort to preserve the Rose Bowl, which he says is "critical."
Want to take that even further? Rachel Bachman of the Wall Street Journal opines that the Pac-12 and the Big Ten must opt out of a college football playoff in order to preserve the Rose Bowl.
USC can only sign 15 players for its next recruiting class as the result of NCAA sanctions, but it already has six commits for the class of 2013 and the list is growing. On Tuesday, the Trojans got a commitment from Ty Isaac -- a running back from Joliet, Ill. Rivals.com rates him as the No. 18 player nationally and the second-best tailback. Here are some highlights.
CBS Sports' Bruce Feldman calls UCLA running back/wide receiver Steven Manfro one of his "most pleasant surprise players" of spring practice.
Yesterday, the USA Today released its annual report, examining revenue and spending in college athletics. Our SEC friends at Team Speed Kills helped break down the finances.
Speaking of money, here's an interesting stat: Oregon's revenue growth over the last six years is at 90 percent. Oregon State, comparatively, is at four percent. They say winning helps.
College baseball is still ongoing, and currently, the Pac-12 has six teams in Baseball America's top-25 poll in Oregon at No. 9, UCLA at No. 11, Arizona at No. 14, Stanford at No. 17, Arizona State at No. 19 and Oregon State at No. 23.
Here's a quick update on some of the Olympic sports: On Sunday, Stanford women's water polo won the national championship, beating USC 6-4 in the title game in San Diego. The Pac-12 track & field championships were also held in Eugene, where Oregon finished with a clean sweep.

For everything related to Pac-12 football, basketball and Olympic sports, stay tuned at Pacific Takes or follow us on Twitter.