Gary Payton on the PAC 10
by Charles Jay
Gary Payton knows Pac-10 basketball. He was an all-time great in the conference, making the All-Pac-10 team three times, and hailed by many in his days at Oregon State as the best player in the country.
Who better qualified to opine about the Pacific 10 tournament matchups for BetFlix viewers than the man who, after graduating, was named to the conference's All-Decade team for the 1980s?
In an unusual twist, Oregon, which defeated Washington State this past weekend in the last scheduled home game at legendary Mac Court, will face the Cougars again in opening round action in the Pac-10 tourney. Payton looks for a repeat.
"Washington State has been having a good year, but Oregon is one of the teams that I think is going to be a surprise. They can go to the championship."
UCLA, which has really struggled this season for coach Ben Howland, takes on Arizona in a first-round matchup,
"UCLA's had a disappointing season," said Payton. "They've been going to the Final Four for almost the last four years in a row, and they lost all those blue-chippers, almost like the University of North Carolina." However, he also acknowledges that Arizona, which has been to the Big Dance an incredible 25 seasons in a row, is in a rebuilding stage too. He likes UCLA, though judging from the expression, just barely.
Payton calls Arizona State "the second best team in the Pac-10, and expects the Sun Devils to bow past the Stanford Cardinal.
What does Payton think of his alma mater, Oregon State? Well, they're matched up with Washington, a team capable of great performances but also capable of total duds. The Huskies, however, have beaten the Beavers six consecutive times.
"I'm going to go with a spoiler," he says. "I think that MY team, with coach (Craig) Robinson, is going to win. I'll be there supporting them on Thursday." He added that he hopes Washington has a bad game. Sometimes OSU can help that along, because with their deliberate style they can be a frustrating opponent.
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