Back in the years when Coach Roberts’ Pacific teams were losing 23 games per season, my problem while planning a trip to the Big West Conference tournament was figuring how long I wanted to stay. Today, if I planned to attend the Pac-12 tournament — while Utah is on top of the standings — I have to figure when I want to arrive.
Another difference is that the Big West liked having me around, so they’d ask in January if I was coming. The Pac-12, on the other hand, hasn’t answered my inquiry about obtaining media credentials.
UC Davis said a long time ago that I’ll always have a seat there, and would you care for more pizza. That same weekend, Stanford — you come to expect this from Stanford — said, uh, nothing. My brother said: “Stanford is Stanford. UC Davis needs friends.”