Stanford vs. ASU preview: Pac-12 Tournament gets underway

The Pac-12 Basketball Tournament tips off Wednesday afternoon from its new home in Las Vegas. The first game on the docket features the eighth- and ninth-place teams in the Stanford Cardinal and the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Stanford (18-13, 9-9 Pac-12) has had a topsy-turvy 2012-13 campaign. The Cardinal beat quality teams like Oregon and Denver and swept their Cal rivals from across the Bay. But they were swept by USC and UCLA and only finished ninth in the conference. The Cardinal are led by point guard Chasson Randle (who also takes a good percentage of the shots when he's on the floor), big man Dwight Powell (the best rebounder on the team and the player who gets to the line the easiest) and swing man Josh Huestis (good rebounder and excellent shot blocker).

Arizona State (20-11, 9-9 Pac-12) stumbled to the finish. After looking like a solid team on the bubble, ASU has fallen off with four straight losses to Washington, UCLA, USC and Arizona to end the season. Jahii Carson (17.7 points and 5.0 assists per game) is the engine that makes the Sun Devil offense go, although, Carrick Feilx, Jordan Bachynski and Jonathan Gilling are all capable shooters and rebounders.