Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals: 4 Takeaways

We’re just two days into the Pac-12 Tournament, and it’s already starting to heat up as the contenders separate from the pretenders.

The last go-around of the Pac-12 Tournament has only had one upset so far, and that was Stanford knocking off Cal in overtime in the first round. This time around in the quarterfinals, the favorites took care of business – some easier than others. Read below for one takeaway from each quarterfinals matchup.

Takeaway #1: Even when the top scorers are contained, Arizona finds ways to win.

USC came into the matchup and tried to take contain the big boys: Caleb Love, Pelle Larsson and Oumar Ballo. The Trojans held the trio 31 points, but they still came up short in the win column. Mainly because their offensive display wasn’t the best, but KJ Lewis and Jaden Bradley had something to say in this matchup.

Lewis and Bradley provided 27 points off the bench for the Wildcats with Paulius Murauskas adding another five points. The aforementioned duo was the difference maker, though, as Arizona’s 32 bench points towered over just the three points USC got from players not in the starting lineup. It’s going to take a lot to beat Arizona, a team that can go deep into its bench at any moment.

Takeaway #2: Oregon takes the mentality of “survive and advance” a little too seriously

The matchup between the Bruins and the Ducks may turn out to be the closest game in the entire tournament; it also may be one of the most abysmal displays of three-point shooting. Both teams shot under 25% from behind the arc (UCLA – 23.8%, Oregon – 20%), and Oregon knew a loss against UCLA would end any tournament hopes.

Dylan Andrews (UCLA) and N’Faly Dante (Oregon) led their respective teams as the two each scored 20+ points. If you ask any Oregon player, they’ll tell you this game was too close for comfort especially with trailing after 20 minutes of play. One thing for certain is that the Ducks better step it up quite a bit to have a chance in the semifinals.

Takeaway #3: Washington State continues to thrive with its well-balanced offense.

It’s easy to stop teams when they have two or three players that run the offense and rack up all of the points. Now try doing it when there’s six players that can score 10+ points, and that’s how the Cougars run their offense. And one of those six just so happens to be Myles Rice, the current Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

This style of play has been the one that Kyle Smith has used the entire season, and it continues to work for Washington State. While the playmakers such as Rice, Isaac Jones and Andrej Jakimovski can produce 20 points, they don’t need to as the Cougars spread the wealth offensively. There’s a reason why this group finished the regular season in the top 25 and has a bid to March Madness already locked up.

Takeaway #4: Colorado beat Utah at its own game – rebounding

Controlling the boards has been the bread and butter of the Utes all season with the duo of Branden Carlson and Lawson Lovering down low. Except for Arizona, Utah has been the best team in the Pac-12 when it comes to securing rebounds as they finished with an average of 39 rebounds per game. The Buffaloes knew that was a key to advancing, and it was obvious that Tad Boyle’s team spent more time on boxing out.

Eddie Lampkin Jr and KJ Simpson each pulled in double-digit rebounds for Colorado. Simpson’s total is even more impressive since he’s a guard, but getting the guards involved in rebounding was part of the plan for Boyle. J’Vonne Hadley pulled in seven rebounds in the win. The Buffaloes added to the rebounding by shooting 44% from the field and 50% from three, which makes a lethal combination heading into the semifinals.