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Pac-12 Basketball: Analysis of the first day of the 2018 Conference Tournament

By Callan Kuhlmann

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Part of a scoreboard shows the logos of all the Pac-12 teams competing in the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament during a quarterfinal game of the tournament between the California Golden Bears and the Utah Utes at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. California won 78-75. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Part of a scoreboard shows the logos of all the Pac-12 teams competing in the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament during a quarterfinal game of the tournament between the California Golden Bears and the Utah Utes at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. California won 78-75. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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The first round of the Pac-12 tournament tipped off on Wednesday, and with it came the firepower of basketball in March. Here’s a recap of the four first-round games as we look ahead to the second round on Thursday.

Game 1: (#8) Colorado 97  (#9) Arizona State 85

The struggles of Arizona State continue. In what was a must-win scenario for both squads, the Buffaloes got the best of the Sun Devils on Wednesday afternoon.

Colorado shot an outstanding 61.9% from beyond the arc and this combined with ASU shooting 57.1% from the free throw line allowed the Buffaloes to control the game throughout. Colorado was led by stud freshman McKinley Wright IV (20 Pts, 11 Reb, 8 Ast) and they now have a date with the #1 seed Arizona Wildcats on Thursday.

While the Buffaloes are moving on, ASU now has a long wait for selection Sunday. They were a projected 11 seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology, but after an opening round loss to a subpar Colorado team, their tournament hopes are in jeopardy.

As we look forward to Thursday’s matchup, Arizona will undoubtedly be heavily favored, but let’s not forget that CU took down the Wildcats 80-77 on January 6th. Arizona is easily the more talented team and should win the game, but Colorado has much more to play for as their only shot of making it into the NCAA tournament comes with winning the Pac-12 title.

Game 2: (#5) Stanford 76 (#12) California 58

The Cardinal dominated this game from start to finish against a much inferior Cal team. It’s been a rough season for the Golden Bears as they only notched two conference wins and were easily the worst team in the Pac-12. Stanford big Reid Travis finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Cardinal to victory.

Up next for Stanford is UCLA, a bubble team who needs a win to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament, making for a very enticing matchup. The two teams split the season series. Look for the Cardinal to rely heavily on Travis during Thursday’s matchup, as they look to advance to the conference semifinals.

Game 3: (#7) Washington 66 (#10) Oregon State 69 (OT)

In what was easily the game of the day in the opening round, Oregon State came away with a three-point win against Washington which completely eliminates the Huskies from contention of an at-large bid. Down three with 2.5 seconds left in overtime, Washington got the ball in the hands of point guard David Crisp, but his half-court heave was just long, sending the Huskies back to Seattle for good.

Beavers center Drew Eubanks (19 Pts, 5 Reb) picked up star Tres Tinkle’s rough performance (3-14 from the field) and did just enough to help Oregon State advance to the second round.

The Beavers have no shot at an at-large bid from the selection committee, so they’ll have to win three more games and claim the Pac-12 trophy if they want to be playing late into March. Oregon State will face two seed Southern California in the Pac-12 quarterfinals on Thursday.

Game 4: (#6) Oregon 64 (#11) Washington State 62 (OT)

Although this game was close, it was ugly. Neither team played well on the offensive end and there were a combined 28 turnovers. Washington State controlled the entire first half, but in the second half the Ducks snuck their way back into the game and were able to force overtime.

In OT, a late bucket from Payton Pritchard (18 Pts, 6 Reb), as well as a game-sealing block from Kenny Wooten, allowed Oregon to escape with a narrow victory. Up next for the Ducks is the third-seeded Utah Utes, a team that is currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the NCAA tournament.

Next: 2018 Pac-12 Tournament Breakdown

Both teams are in a must-win situation which should make for a competitive basketball game on Thursday night. Utah topped Oregon 66-56 in Eugene in their only meeting this year, so the Ducks will look to avenge this loss and advance to the semifinals.

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