GAME NOTES: The first round of the Pac-12 Conference Tournament kicks off Wednesday with a matchup featuring the ninth-seeded Washington State Cougars taking on the eighth-seeded California Golden Bears at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The winner of this game will advance to the quarterfinal round Thursday to take on the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats.

Washington State comes into the tournament on a high note, having defeated Colorado, 96-91, in overtime on Saturday to close out the regular season, The victory snapped a two-game skid for the Cougars, who finished the year at 7-11 in conference play.

California heads into the postseason trending downward, having lost two in a row to close out the regular season and five of the team's last six outings altogether. Cal dropped a 74-70 contest to Arizona State on Saturday to finish the season slate at 7-11 against the Pac-12.

The two teams met twice in the regular season. The Cougars won a tight 69-66 contest against the host Golden Bears in Berkeley back on Jan. 4, while California took a 76-67 victory in Pullman later that month.

Washington State has struggled in the Pac-12 Tournament historically. In 20 games played in the conference postseason, the Cougars have earned a 5-15 record, and have never even made a title game appearance, let alone won one. The Cougars have a tough path to get there this year, needing wins over California plus top-seeded Arizona in the first two rounds to just get to the semifinals.

Senior DaVonte Lacy leads the team in scoring heading into the postseason, averaging 17.2 ppg to rank fourth in the conference standings. Josh Hawkinson is second in scoring at 14.7 ppg, but the big man averages a double-double by adding in 10.8 rpg, which leads the league. The Cougars are netting 71.0 ppg this season, but have given up 76.3 ppg to opponents - by far the worst scoring defense in the Pac-12.In the team's last meeting against California, Lacy netted 24 points while Hawkinson tallied an 18-point, 12-rebound double- double in the nine-point Cougars loss.

California is another program in the Pac-12 Conference that has yet to win a league title. The Golden Bears have come close, however, losing in the final matchup in the 2010 season to Washington, which was led by star guard Isaiah Thomas. The Golden Bears have been present in the title bout twice in their history, but own a sub-par record in the league tournament all-time at 12-17. Having lost two in a row and five of the last six games in the regular season, the order seems pretty tall for the eighth-seeded Bears.

Tyrone Wallace was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team on Monday after the guard led the way in all three main categories on his squad. Wallace tied Lacy and Colorado's Askia Booker for third in the league in scoring at 17.2 ppg, adding in a team-best rebounding mark of 7.3 boards per outing, along with 119 assists to pace the team. Jordan Mathews added 13.7 ppg, and David Kravish chipped in 11.0 ppg for the Bears. In the team's win over Washington State in Pullman earlier this season, Wallace netted 26 points with seven rebounds to lead the team. Jabari Bird scored 12 points, and Brandon Chauca chipped in 10 off the bench.

Wallace and Lacy should cancel each other out in terms of scoring, but Mathews and Kravish should give the Cougars fits on the offensive end.