It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's getting light out later, the weather is warming up, and the NCAA tournament is just around the corner. Which means it's now time for conference tournament week! And for the PAC-12, it's time for one last hurrah for this iteration of the conference. Although the football season certainly ended on a high note for the conference, men's basketball hasn't held up their end of the bargain. Arizona leads the line as usual in the men's PAC-12 scene, looking for a run to the Final Four and beyond. But, they are only joined in the top 25 by Washington State, who have put together a quality season in their own right led by head coach Kyle Smith.

In fact, ESPN currently projects the PAC-12 to get just three bids to the NCAA tournament. A six-game winning streak to end the season and a win over Wahington State earlier on has Colorado positioned as the third team to make it in. Everyone else, you've got some serious work to do if you want to be playing postseason basketball on the big stage. Here's everything you need to know about the tournament bracket, format, stakes, and how to watch.

PAC-12 Tournament Format and Schedule 

Twelve teams in the PAC-12 means a super lovely, simple, and aesthetically pleasing bracket. Day one features a pre-quarterfinal round between seeds #5-12.

Meanwhile, the top four seeds (Arizona, Washington State, Colorado, and Oregon) get a rest day and go straight to the quarterfinals. From there, it's a simple single-elimination bracket, with the winner receiving the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Everyone outside that top three has work to do, though.

The PAC-12 Network will carry the vast majority of games until FS1 and FOX pick it up at the business end of the tournament.

(All times in Pacific Time)

First round, Wednesday, March 13

Game 1: No. 8 Washington vs. No. 9 USC, noon PDT (3:00 p.m EDT) – PAC-12 Network
Game 2: No. 5 UCLA vs. No. 12 Oregon State, 2:30 p.m. – PAC-12 Network

— midday break —

Game 3: No. 7 Cal vs. No. 10 Stanford, 6:00 p.m. – PAC-12 Network
Game 4: No. 6 Utah vs. No. 11 Arizona State, 8:30 p.m.  – PAC-12 Network

Quarterfinals, Thursday, March 14
Game 5: No. 1 Arizona vs. Game 1 winner, noon – PAC-12 Network
Game 6: No. 4 Oregon vs. Game 2 winner, 2:30 p.m.  – PAC-12 Network

— midday break —

Game 7: No. 2 Washington State vs. Game 3 winner, 6:00 p.m. – PAC-12 Network
Game 8: No. 3 Colorado vs. Game 4 winner, 8:30 p.m. – FS1

Semifinals, Friday, March 15
Game 9: Semifinal 1, 5:00 p.m.  – PAC-12 Network
Game 10: Semifinal 2, 7:30 p.m.  – FS1

Championship, Saturday, March 16
Game 11: Championship, 6:00 p.m.  – FOX

PAC-12 Tournament storylines

Is an Arizona vs. Washington State round three guaranteed? Can anyone climb out of the middle of the pack to try to earn the auto bid? And what does the PAC-12 hold in store for us in this last edition of this event? These are the biggest questions of the week.

Fans of the sport being played at the highest level will likely be rooting for the third matchup of Arizona and Washington State in the championship. Despite everything Arizona has achieved this season, Washington State swept their regular season meetings. But Washington State will likely have to go through Colorado to get there, a team they split their series with.

So, while a lack of quality and depth may make the early half of this tournament a little boring, things will heat up by the time the top four seeds hit the court.