The race is on.
The sudden surge by the Colorado men's basketball team, combined a rough year for the Pac-12 Conference that nonetheless has led to a wild level of parity, has left the chase for the top four spots in the Pac-12 Conference standings.
In a year in which it seems up to a half-dozen teams, at least, will have a chance to beat anyone on any given day next month at the league tournament in Las Vegas, those top four spots and the first-round bye they ensure will be even more coveted.
With league-leading Washington sporting an 11-1 mark and sitting at the cusp of clinching the regular season crown, basically seven teams — all with league records between 8-4 and 6-6 — are vying for those final three spots that feature an automatic spot in the quarterfinals.