March Madness is nearly upon us and the NCAA Men’s basketball conference tournaments are now in progress. The winners will help determine which teams qualify as one of the 68 teams announced at Sunday’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament:
NCAA Men’s Basketball: Pac-12 Conference Tournament Results
March 11-14 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Championship:
#1 Arizona v. #2 Oregon: 80-52
Arizona capped off their season-long dominance of the Pac-12 with a huge win over Oregon. The Wildcats had a 15 point lead at halftime, and controlled the Ducks on both sides of the court for the rest of the game. Oregon’s Joseph Young had 19 points, but got little help from the rest of the Ducks. Arizona’s Brandon Ashley finished with a game-high 20 points, and he received the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Award after the game. This was Arizona’s first conference tournament championship since 2002. The Wildcats will look for a one seed on Sunday night, while Oregon is also safely in the field.
Semifinals:
#1 Arizona v. #4 UCLA: 70-64
Arizona’s point guard, and undoubted leader, T.J. McConnell had a double double (10 points, 11 assists) in a ferocious comeback win by the Wildcats. The Bruins had the lead during the early part of the second half, but that lead — and momentum — vanished during a 15-0 run in favor of Arizona. The win gives Arizona a trip to the conference tournament finals, and another win to add to their resume.
#2 Oregon v. #3 Utah: 67-64
Joseph Young’s three-pointer at the buzzer gave Oregon a chance to compete in the conference tournament finals, but it wasn’t all fun and games for Young the whole game. The Pac-12 POY finished with 25 points, with 18 of those coming in the second half. A tale of two different teams could be told: Utah has lost 4 of their last 7, while Oregon is 13-2 in their last 15.
Quarterfinals:
#1 Arizona v. #8 California: 73-51
Arizona has been a team that is locked in, and ready to win since conference play has began. Despite a couple of hiccups on the road, and a sometimes stagnant offense, the Wildcats were able to pick apart Cal for a 73-51 victory. That said, California should see their season live on with an invitation to the NIT.
#4 UCLA v. #12 USC: 96-70
Much like what Arizona did to Cal, UCLA taught USC a lesson, as it was obvious the Trojans are still a year or two away from serious contention. UCLA guard Isaac Hamilton had 36 points for the Bruins. Being on the bubble was obviously on UCLA’s mind, as they played with urgency right from the get go.
#2 Oregon v. #10 Colorado: 93-85
In a much closer affair, Oregon fended off Colorado, 93-85. The Ducks trailed at halftime, but their offense got going in the second half. Pac-12 POY Joseph Young had 30 points in 40 minutes, which is an extremely respectable stat. The two seed Ducks have outdone some expectations given to them at the beginning of the year, so we shall see how the rest of their season goes.
#3 Utah v. #6 Stanford: 80-56
What was another blowout in the Pac-12, Utah defeated Stanford by a score of 80-56. The Utes played their type of defense in the second half after trailing at the break. The game looked as if it would be a tight one, but Utah showed some resiliency by coming back in the second half to turn the game into a fine win.
First Round:
#8 California v. #9 Washington State: 84-59
The eighth seeded California rolled over Washington State, who was the nine seed, by a score of 84-59. The game was close throughout the first half, but Cal blew the game open by going on an 11-2 run at the end of the first half. The Golden Bears would then go on a 10-4 run to start the second half, which led to their big win.
#12 USC vs. #5 Arizona State: 67-64
Southern California has been having a miserable year, but a 67-64 win over Arizona State clearly helped the young group take a maturing step forward. The Sun Devils were up double digits entering the last quarter of the game, but the Trojans were determined to get a win, and finished the contest on a 21-4 run.
#10 Colorado vs. #7 Oregon State: 78-71
It was a rebuilding year for Colorado, and a rejuvenating year for Oregon State, but it was the Buffaloes that would come out with the win, 78-71. The seventh seeded Beavers allowed the most points in a single game this year in the biggest game of the year, and it came back to bite. Colorado’s senior Askia Booker took over the game by scoring 14 of his 20 points in the second half.
#6 Stanford vs. #11 Washington: 71-69
Chasson Randle’s game winning three pointer with 2.3 seconds left saved an embarrassing loss to Washington, a team that hasn’t been the same since Robert Upshaw was dismissed. The Cardinals have had an up-and-down season, so a win against the Huskies was huge.
