The California Golden Bears have had a great season thus far and look like a near-lock for the 2012 NCAA Tournament. While just about anything could happen at the Pac-12 Tournament, even a first round loss appears unlikely to knock the Bears out of a March Madness bid. Not only do the computer rankings love the team, but they also certainly pass the eye test most nights of the week.
SB Nation recently released their latest bracket projections and had California trending upwards as a No. 9 seed. They would square off with Virginia in the first round, with a potential showdown with the Kansas Jayhawks looming should they defeat the Cavaliers.
Just about every March Madness projection has the Golden Bears earning a seed somewhere in the 7-10 range, which seems pretty likely at this point. The highest they could go would likely be a six-seed, and that would require a conference tournament championship.
This team undoubtably has the talent and experience to make a run, but their matchups will heavily influence just how far they can go. If I'm a Bears fan, I'm probably hoping to avoid a No. 1 seed in the first round, even if it mean the team settles for a 10-12 seed.
For more on the Bears and to talk NCAA Tournament stuff, head on over to California Golden Blogs.