Jose Perez’s strange college basketball journey ends with him quitting on Arizona State

The Arizona State Sun Devils will compete in the Pac-12 Tournament without Jose Perez, who abruptly ended his college basketball career after the team’s win over USC.

We should have known Jose Perez’s college basketball career would end with one final confounding headline.

Perez dropped 25 points for Arizona State on Thursday in the loss to USC, and after participating in postgame activities he vanished – like a thief in the night – leaving the Sun Devils short handed in an eventual 59-47 loss to UCLA on Saturday.

‘Personal’ was the reason given by school officials, and Pac-12 Network broadcaster Cavan Malayter was told he is pursuing professional opportunities.

So ends the final season of Perez’s tumultuous college basketball career, which began back in 2018-19 at Gardner-Webb in the Big South – where he posted back-to-back 15 point per game seasons. That led to him spending one season at Marquette, where he only appeared in 10 games due to injury.

What followed was another transfer and an outstanding season at Manhattan (18.9 points per game) and then – you guessed it – another transfer, this time to West Virginia. He left Manhattan due to his coach getting let go, and despite the NCAA normally granting a waiver in these cases he was not, forcing him to sit for the 2022-23 season.

Perez planned to return to WVU and finally see the floor, even after coach Bob Huggins was fired, but a messy academic dispute resulted in Perez suddenly leaving the Mountaineers and ultimately ending up in Tempe with Arizona State in September.

The 6’5 guard finished his final collegiate season averaging 13.5 points for the Sun Devils – second on the team behind Frankie Collins – and some of his final words to the press came after the team’s surprise win over then No. 21 Washington State two weeks ago:

“We gotta go out with pride,” Perez said. “Our pride gotta get in the way. We go, win out, get the best seed possible and see the standings, who we match up with. It’s all about matchups in March.”

Arizona State earned the No. 11 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament and will square off against No. 6 Utah on Wednesday – and they’ll have to make their run without their second leading scorer.

Washington softball blows out Wisconsin 9-1 in Florida

The Huskies only played one game on Saturday, but cruised to yet another victory to move to 6-1 on the season.

The Washington Huskies’ bats have gotten off to a hot start in the 2024 season and showed up again in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational, helping coach Heather Tarr’s team cruise to a 9-1 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers in five innings.

Former top recruit Kinsey Fiedler went 3 for 3 on the day, driving in 2 runs and scoring twice, while Brooklyn Carter also notched 2 hit, an RBI, and a run scored. Rylee Holtorf’s RBI single in the 5th inning invoked the 8-run “run-ahead” rule.

Ruby Meylan earned the victory while throwing a complete game. The All-American allowed 1 earned run on 2 hits, walked 2 batters, and struck out 7. Even though Meylan excelled in the circle once again, her earned run average rose to 0.66 on the season.

The Huskies’ afternoon matchup with No. 12 LSU was canceled due to inclement weather. They will return to the field on Sunday morning to finish off the tournament with a matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Breaking: Pac-12 to mutually part ways with commissioner George Kliavkoff

George Kliavkoff is officially out as of the end of the month.

In a not-so-shocking development, the Pac-12 Board of Directors announced on Friday that the conference and commissioner George Kliavkoff have mutually agreed to part ways. According to the release, Kliavkoff will officially end his run as commissioner on Feb. 29, 2024.

Kliavkoff joined the conference to succeed outgoing commissioner Larry Scott on May 13, 2021, and officially took over on Jul. 1, 2021. He was tasked with finding a new media rights deal for the conference, which ultimately led to his undoing. Ten of the remaining 12 members decided to leave for the ACC, Big 12, and Big Ten starting on Jul. 1, 2024.

This left the conference with just two schools, Oregon State and Washington State University.

As the release indicated, the Pac-12 will announce more details about the new leadership the following week.

The Pac-12 has been involved in legal battles over the financials with the two remaining schools fighting to maintain control of the assets despite the 10 other teams leaving for greener pastures. Kliavkoff sealed his fate when he sat idle as the college football world were busy making moves to strengthen their conferences, while the Pac-12 imploded.

College Sports Wire will continue to provide updates as they are made available in regards to the Pac-12 and its future.

UCLA dispatches Boise State for hometown win in LA Bowl

Boise State came into Saturday’s game with a four-game win streak and took a two-score lead early, but the Bruins surged back to win.

UCLA got to play a bowl game right in its own backyard this season, and while Boise State jumped out to an early lead, the Bruins roared back for a 35-22 victory in the Starco Brands LA Bowl.

The Broncos had been riding an eyebrow-raising hot streak, winning their final four games culminating in a Mountain West Conference Championship victory over UNLV. Boise State kept the momentum in the first half, kicking three field goals before a short touchdown run by running back George Holani to make the halftime lead 16-7.

The Bruins would not be embarrassed on their home turf, however. Junior quarterback Ethan Garbers entered the game in the second half and jolted the UCLA offense back to life. He completed nine of his 12 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, including a 5-yard score to wideout Kyle Ford early in the third quarter to pull the Bruins within two points. After a pair of rushing touchdowns from TJ Harden, Garbers connected with J. Michael Sturdivant for a 40-yard touchdown.

The result of UCLA’s offensive avalanche, spurred on by Ethan Garbers, was 28 unanswered points and a 35-16 lead for the hometown team. A late touchdown for the Broncos didn’t lead to a full comeback,

Here are the best pictures from UCLA’s victory.

Mountain West reveals Oregon State and Washington State games for 2024

All 12 members of the Mountain West will play a game against either Oregon State or Washington State as the last two members of the Pac-12 fill out their 2024 schedules.

The Mountain West Conference revealed the 2024 opponents for each member of the conference, including the matchups for Oregon State and Washington State, on Thursday.

The final remnants of the Pac-12 announced a partnership with the Mountain West conference on Dec. 1 to fill out their schedules since the rest of their conference scattered to the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC.

All 12 members of the Mountain West will play one game against either the Beavers or the Cougars. Games against Oregon State and Washington State won’t count toward any Mountain West team’s conference record, and neither the Beavers nor the Cougars will be eligible for the Mountain West Conference Championship game.

Oregon State will host Colorado State, San Jose State, and UNLV. The Beavers will travel to Air Force, Nevada, and San Diego State.

Washington State will welcome Hawaii, Utah State, and Wyoming into its home stadium in Pullman. The Cougars will play Boise State, Fresno State, and New Mexico on the road.

Washington secures perfect season and Pac-12 title with a win over Oregon

The Huskies moved to 13-0 and effectively clinched a spot in the College Football Playoff with their Friday victory over Oregon.

Washington came into the Pac-12 title game as underdogs despite a perfect 12-0 season. They left Las Vegas as the last champion in the conference’s illustrious history.

Washington jumped out to a 20-3 lead with a dominant first half. The Huskies held the ball for 10 of the first 11 minutes, and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. offered up a sterling first half with 196 passing yards.

The Ducks roared back with 21 unanswered points to take the lead again, but Penix orchestrated two more touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to put Washington ahead for good. He salted the game away with a clutch third-down conversion on the final drive to keep Oregon’s offense off the field.

The Huskies, who entered the game No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings, all but assured themselves a spot in the four-team playoff at the end of the year.

Here are the best images from the last Pac-12 conference championship.

Washington survives Oregon comeback effort to clinch Pac-12 title and an assured CFP appearance

The Huskies got out to a huge lead early but needed to come from behind in the final quarter to win the conference championship.

The Washington Huskies needed to sweat a little more than they wanted, but head coach Kalen DeBoer and his team held off Oregon for a 34-31 victory to claim the 2023 Pac-12 Conference Championship.

Washington controlled the entire first half by keeping the Oregon offense off the field. The Huskies held the ball for more than seven minutes on the opening drive that resulted in a field goal. The defense then forced an immediate three-and-out from the Ducks, and the Huskies ate up another three-and-a-half minutes of clock with a touchdown drive to go up 10-0.

Oregon finally got on the board midway through the second quarter with a field goal, but Washington responded with another touchdown and another field goal to build the lead up to 20-3 in the closing minutes of the first half.

Washington quarterback and Heisman contender Michael Penix Jr. tried to make as much of a statement as he could in the last 60 minutes of his case. He connected on 17 of his 23 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown in the opening half, including a 45-yard bomb to Jalen McMillan under pressure to set up the second touchdown.

Oregon wouldn’t let the game get away easily, however. The Ducks scored a touchdown in the last minute of the first half, a frantic seven-play, 75-yard trip to the end zone to cut the lead to 20-10.

The Ducks found the end zone twice more in the third quarter to take a 24-20 lead, the Washington offense seeming to stall at the worst time. As he has all season, however, Penix came through when the moment demanded it. He led a fourth-quarter touchdown drive to put the Huskies back in front.

Later in the fourth quarter, more infliction points arrived for the Huskies quarterback. With Washington still ahead by three points, he faced a third and goal against an Oregon team desperate to keep it a one-score game. Instead, he scrambled to his right and found tight end Quentin Moore for a touchdown to make it 34-24 in the final two minutes.

The Ducks again threw a desperate punch, this time a 63-yard catch-and-run from wide receiver Traeshon Holden on the second play of the ensuing drive, but Penix linked up with McMillan again for a crucial third-down conversion on the final drive to effectively end the game.

Washington, who came into the game No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings, ends the 2023 season 13-0 with the Pac-12 title on its resume. The Huskies effectively clinched a College Football Playoff appearance and will await its seeding and opponent on Selection Sunday. The performance also vaults Penix further into the forefront of Heisman Trophy conversations, although a second loss for Oregon quarterback Bo Nix likely hands the lead to LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

The Mountain West officially announces scheduling alliance with the Pac-12

The scheduling alliance with the remaining Pac-12 teams becomes official.

The Pac-12 will be the Pac-2 when the 2024 season kicks off with Oregon State and Washington State as the remaining members. Both schools were left out of this wild round of conference realignment.

Oregon and Washington will join USC and UCLA as the newest members of the Big Ten, while Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah head to the Big 12. This left both the Beavers and Cougars out in the cold when it comes to scheduling for next season. They now have a solution.

After it was initially reported by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports, the Mountain West officially announced a ‘7+1’ scheduling alliance for the upcoming 2024 season.

Per the release:

The Mountain West Conference announced today a football scheduling agreement for the 2024 season between the Mountain West, Oregon State University, Washington State University, and the Pac-12 Conference.

Next season, all 12 MW teams will play seven traditional Conference football games in addition to one contest against either Washington State or Oregon State for a total of eight games (four home and four away). The games against OSU and WSU will not count toward the conference standings, and neither Pac-12 school is eligible for the MW championship game. The Mountain West is currently working on the football schedule and will release matchups soon.

“This is a unique and unprecedented opportunity for Oregon State and Washington State to play against highly competitive Mountain West football programs in 2024,” Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said on Friday. “The scheduling agreement will expand the Mountain West footprint and enhance our national brand, while providing our student-athletes with new opportunities, all in line with our strategic priorities. The scheduling agreement strengthens the league’s non-conference schedules, and we look forward to having Oregon State and Washington State be a part of the 2024 slate.”

Oregon State will be heading into the 2024 campaign with a new head coach after Jonathan Smith left for Michigan State. Defensive coordinator Trent Bray was promoted to full-time head coach. Washington State will have to likely find a new quarterback after Cameron Ward announced he would enter the transfer portal.

Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward enters transfer portal with an eye on the NFL Draft

The Washington State quarterback announced Friday he would enter his name into the transfer portal as well as consider the 2024 NFL Draft.

Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward will enter his name into the transfer portal and take a look at his stock for the upcoming NFL Draft, the quarterback announced on social media on Friday. 247Sports reported the news first.

The Cougars are notably one of the last two teams left in the Pac-12 after this season, with them and Oregon State the only two who haven’t taken off for other Power 5 conferences.

“To Coach Dickert, my teammates, and all Coug Nation, thank you for the last two years,” Ward wrote. “Thank you for supporting me day in and day out and for showing me some of the best days of college football; I am forever grateful.”

Ward spent his first two seasons with Incarnate Word, transferring to Washington State ahead of the 2022 season. He’s thrown for 48 touchdowns over the past two seasons with the Cougars, and he averaged 7.7 yards per attempt and a career-high 66.7% completion percentage in 2023. He also set personal bests with 122 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns this season, and ESPN awarded him a QBR of 65.1.

Oregon and Washington rematch scheduled for Pac-12 title game

Oregon and Washington get a rematch with a College Football Playoff appearance on the line in the last Pac-12 title game of the era.

The Pac-12 Championship Game is set for the rematch everyone in college football has anticipated since October 14.

Oregon dominated Oregon State on Friday, a 31-7 victory in the final modern edition of their in-state rivalry, to clinch the second spot in the conference title game. It also gets them a rematch with Washington, who is currently undefeated and the No. 4 team in the College Football Playoff rankings.

The Huskies defeated Oregon at home in mid-October, coming away with a 3-point win after the Ducks failed to covert any of their three fourth-down attempts and missed a potential game-tying field goal on the final play of the game.

Since that game, Oregon has won all six of its games with four 20-point wins. Washington has remained undefeated in the five games since, but all of its wins have come by 10 points or less. Can the Ducks get revenge?

The title game is scheduled for Friday, December 1, at 8:00 p.m. ET.