To anyone who makes fun of the Pac-10 Tournament - this includes you, Old Man Olson - you are all so ignorant.
The Pac-10 Tournament is a brilliant institution for many reasons.
For starters, it makes every school some extra money to put back into their athletic programs.
Secondly, for the better teams in the conference, it is a nice tune-up for the Big Dance - a preseason for the playoffs, if you will. Top teams have a chance to improve their seeding and get to experience the high-octane basketball of March without much to lose.
But most of all, the Pac-10 Tournament is great because it gives the lesser teams in the conference some hope. No matter how poorly a squad's record is come the end of the regular season, its fans can always keep some hope of winning four straight games in Los Angeles and making the NCAA Tournament.
This scenario isn't nearly as far-fetched as it sounds and will eventually happen. When it does, it not only will be good for the school that does it, but for all of college basketball.
