The Pac-12 Tournament got from 8 to 4 teams today as the quarterfinals games took place.
The top four seeds advanced to the semis of the Pac-12 Tournament, an outcome that was expected in a not-as-deep conference as most.
Takeaway#1: UCLA survives their first game without Jaylen Clark
In the first game since finding out that Jaylen Clark is potentially done for the season, UCLA was able to get a win over Colorado. They ended up winning by 11, but it was a back-and-forth game for a large chunk of it. In the end, the Bruins’ defense was still able to ramp it up when it mattered most. Amari Bailey led the way with a season-high 26 points. One thing to monitor is the depth of the bench. Only three guys played more than five minutes off the bench for UCLA.
UCLA takes on Oregon on Friday at 9 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.
Takeaway #2: Oregon holds off Washington State despite hot shooting from the Cougars
Oregon was able to dominate on the interior, and it gave them enough of an advantage to hold off Washington State, who shot 11-of-23 from three-point range. Oregon went 21-for-39 from two, and they had offensive rebounds to go along with it. N’Faly Dante led the way with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and had 11 rebounds to go with it. Despite their record, Washington State has a really solid team, and they had chances to pull out this win. Oregon keeps its postseason hopes alive but may have to knock off UCLA to advance to the tourney.
Oregon takes on UCLA on Friday at 9 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.
Takeaway #3: Arizona dominates the interior to knock off Stanford
Arizona suffered a 9-point loss earlier in the season to Stanford, but that was not the case this time. The Wildcats got the win by going 28-of-39 from inside the arc and 9-of-19 from outside, resulting in a 1.28 PPP. Azuolas Tubelis, Cedric Henderson, and Oumar Ballo all had 20+ points, and they all did it on efficient shooting. Arizona is another team that is not deep, but their top seven players are very talented. One concern has been the defense, but when they shoot as they did on Thursday night, it does not really matter.
Arizona takes on Arizona State on Friday at 11:30 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.
Takeaway #4: Arizona State keeps tournament hopes alive after holding off USC
Arizona State came into the Pac-12 Tournament needing a couple of wins to make the Big Dance. They were able to get another one against USC behind 27 points from Desmond Cambridge. Arizona State shot 14-for-32 from deep, and they controlled the boards enough to ensure a win. A win against Arizona would all but ensure that the Sun Devils are dancing.
Arizona State takes on Arizona on Friday at 11:30 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.