Arizona Men's Basketball Teams Need to Sweep Oregon Schools at Home Tonight and Saturday

Only one thing's certain in this topsy-turvy Pacific-10 men's basketball season: From first place to last, any of the 10 teams are eminently capable of winning on any given night.

The locals are tied for second place, with three other teams (UCLA, USC, and Washington), one game behind the Cal Golden Bears. Oregon and Oregon State are but two games out of first in a regular season whose eventual winner seems destined to be decided on the last shot of the last game.

It's actually a lot of fun, if not artistically so great some nights.

ASU plays the OSU Beavers at 6:30 at the Wells Fargo Arena. No television, but diehards can check out the up-and-down Sun Devils on the radio, KTAR-620 to be exact. Like most of the Pac-10, Oregon State (coached by First Lady Michelle Obama's older brother, Craig Robinson) is so-so, but is coming off a rout of rival Oregon last weekend.

If either team scores 80 points in this one, we'll buy you a cup of soup next time we see you.

Down in Tucson, where the Cats are hosting the Ducks at 8:30 in a game to be aired on FSAZ (Channel 34). It's pretty apparent that Arizona just has to take this game (and also its rematch on Saturday with Oregon State) to truly have a shot at winning the conference.

The Wildcats appeared less than even ordinary (being kind) in getting swept up in Washington last weekend, so these two games loom extra-large.

Down in Tucson, though, Arizona fans are talking as much about a Sports Illustrated piece on the backstory that led the school to recently strip itself of a basketball scholarship for the 2011-12 season.

Not a pretty one for retired Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson, who seemed to have lost control of things at the end of his long, wildly successful reign.