It was not a good day for Pac-12 men’s basketball bubble teams. Saturday delivered brutal losses to Oregon and Utah. It’s true that Colorado is also a bubble team, but Utah was in better position than Colorado to get an NCAA Tournament bid. Colorado beating Utah is, on balance, bad for the Pac-12 since it takes Utah farther away from the bubble. Colorado stayed in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth, but Utah’s NCAA hopes took a significant hit. Colorado and Utah are both on the bad side of the bubble now.
Oregon is in even bigger trouble after losing to Cal.
After the break, Oregon went ice-cold, and at one point they missed 12 straight shots and saw 10 minutes tick off the clock without a field goal being hit. During that time, Cal took the lead, built some separation, and was ultimately able to stave off a late-game comeback attempt from Dana Altman’s squad to get the win at home.
Let’s look at the Pac-12 bubble and provide some notes for the road ahead, with the Pac-12 Tournament just a few weeks away: