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Here is how the Pac-10 has fared since the current NCAA Tournament format was adopted in 1985:
The Pac-10 has received 64 tournament bids in the 17 years of six-round play. This averages nearly four bids (3.76) per year.
More than one-third of Pac-10 entrants (23) have advanced to at least the Sweet 16. Overall, the Pac-10 has comprised 8.5 percent of the total regional berths since 1985.
Just six Pac-10 teams have advanced to the Final Four in this era, four of which were named Arizona (1988, 1994, 1997, 2001). Stanford (1998) and national champion UCLA (1995) also reached the game's promised land.
The Pac-10 has certainly had its highs and lows in the modern era. The conference posted a 31-16 (.660) NCAA record in the halcyon years from 1995-1998. However, it was an invisible 1-8 (.111) in the first three years of 64-team play. Perhaps the recent 2001 tourney will start another Pac-10 renaissance, as the conference went 13-5 with four Sweet 16 representatives.
The most "overachieving" Pac-10 team of this era is Arizona of 1997. Those No. 4 seeded Wildcats erased the memory of 'Zona upsets by toppling three consecutive No. 1 seeds (Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky) to capture the NCAA title in dramatic, overtime fashion. No other Pac-10 member has played three games beyond its seed in the modern era. Come to think of it, NO Pac-10 school went beyond its seed in this era until 1990 (No. 7 UCLA, Sweet 16). The Pac-10 did not "exceed its seed" as a conference until 1995.
A pair of No. 1 seeds are notable Pac-10 "underachievers," and they fell on consecutive days. Arizona (West) and Stanford (South) were both shocked in the second round of the 2000 tourney by Wisconsin and North Carolina, respectively. Each of those eighth-seeded winners would take unexpected places in the Final Four. And, speaking of underachievers, let's not forget the '93 Arizona team which threw up all over its No. 2 seed in a first-round loss to No. 15 Santa Clara.
The Pac-10's overall NCAA winning percentage from 1985-2001 is .563 (80-62). Its "Bracketology Score" is 0.871, the "new low" among major conferences thus far. (Translation: NCAA games played divided by number of games conference members were seeded to play; average score equals 1.000).
Joe Lunardi is the resident "bracketologist" for ESPN.com. He may be reached at jlunardi@home.com.
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