College Basketball Week 17: 5 biggest takeaways

By Chris Stone | Mar 6, 2017

Mar 2, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; The Wisconsin Badgers team waits as officials determine a call that finalized a flagrant one foul against Iowa Hawkeyes guard Peter Jok (14) at the Kohl Center. Iowa defeated Wisconsin 69-67. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 4, 2017; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Dillon Brooks (24) and forward Jordan Bell (1) celebrate after a game against the Oregon State Beavers at Gill Coliseum. The Ducks won 80-59. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

Pac-12: Can one of the top teams steal the No. 1 seed in the West?

The No. 1 seed in the West Region definitively belonged to Gonzaga until the Bulldogs lost at home to BYU in the last game of the regular season. It’s likely that Gonzaga still has a strong hold on that seed, but its grip has certainly loosened and a big performance by either Arizona, Oregon or UCLA could upset the balance of power in the West ahead of Selection Sunday.

Despite being the league’s No. 1 seed for the conference tournament, the Ducks may have the most difficult time climbing onto the one line simply because they’ll only get one crack at either Arizona or UCLA in the tournament final.

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The Wildcats may be the team best positioned to make a compelling case. They are only one spot behind Oregon in the RPI, have four RPI top 50 and eight top 100 wins and they will likely have the opportunity to play both UCLA and the Ducks over the course of the Pac-12 tournament. If Arizona can walk away with the trophy, it will have the best argument for jumping up in seeding.

That said, Gonzaga owns a head-to-head win over the Wildcats and it’s possible that might tip the scales in favor of the Bulldogs should it come down to the two teams.