Golden Nuggets: Is the Pac-12's NCAA Tournament Stock Rising or Falling?

Pac-12 basketball isn't as bad as we think it is, right? Depending on who you ask, the conference could yield anywhere from one to four teams in the NCAA Tournament.

• Lunardi's latest bracketology is somewhat encouraging. While Cal drops to an 11 seed and Stanford drops to a 9 seed, Colorado makes its first appearance and comes in as a 14. Arizona, meanwhile, is among the first four out.
• In his latest Rundown article, Lunardi gives Cal a 60% chance of earning a spot in the main bracket and avoiding the First Four round in Dayton (which would give them a first-round bye). Arizona only has a 40% chance of earning an invitation while Colorado climbs into contention with a 20% shot of getting into the tourney. Oregon State was considered, but they'll have to notch a few upsets to earn a legitimate shot. Stanford was not mentioned and is assumed to be a lock for the tourney (at least, in Lunardi's eyes).
• Jon Wilner brings to light the league's dismal RPI as another knock against its hopes of sending multiple teams to the big dance.

Action: Stanford and Cal basketball teams split the Oregon roadtrip.
Reaction I: Sure, it could have been worse for both. But the problem with playing in a conference as dreadful as the Pac-12 is that every loss becomes a stain on the resume. Even road losses are debilitating. For example, Cal loss (at Oregon State) came the same floor where Idaho won by 14.
Reaction II: The NCAA Tournament prospects are bleak for both teams based on a variety of factors that include bad losses, lack of quality wins and the Pac-12′s poor standing. Cal’s RPI is a respectable 38th, but it will be difficult to maintain because half the teams in the conference have triple-digit RPIs. (Stanford is 75th in the NCAA’s latest ratings.) Each week, the Pac-12 inches closer to becoming a one-bid league

After the jump Cal's recruiting class climbs into the top-10, Jahvid Best recovers from his latest concussion, and men's basketball wraps up the weekend with a win over the Ducks.

Football

• Jahvid Best is symptom-free after missing ten games following his most recent concussion. He will return to the field when Detroit's season kicks off.
• Cal has climbed to 10th in Rivals.com's recruiting rankings (both overall and average star rating).
• Wilner has some thoughts on Cal's stellar recruiting class.
• Wilner assesses the Bears' 2012 schedule.