Tag: arizona wildcats basketball

Final Pac-12 haul is $20 million as Arizona falls to Clemson in March Madness

The final Pac-12 units haul is $20 million after the March Madness success.

The Pac-12 Conference men’s basketball run came to an end as Arizona fell to Clemson on Thursday night in the Sweet 16.

Suddenly, the Pac-12 as we know it is diminishing as only Oregon State and Washington State remain in 2024. Both programs have cashed in big time on the success of the Pac-12 during March Madness, and things have certainly been a talking point amid all the expansion and realignment talk.

The final haul for the Pac-12 Conference in the men’s NCAA Tournament is approximately $20 million, as John Canzano reported after Arizona’s run came to an end.

All of Washington State, Colorado, and Oregon made the Big Dance along with Arizona, and all four teams advanced to the Round of 32, bringing even more revenue into the Pac-12’s pockets.

Now, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah are off to the Big 12 Conference. Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington are headed to the Big Ten and Stanford and Cal are going to the ACC.

Times are changing, but not before the Pac-12 receives one more huge check.

Pac-12 Conference run comes to an end in men’s basketball with Arizona upset

Arizona’s loss to Clemson in the Sweet 16 ends the Pac-12 men’s run.

The Pac-12 Conference men’s basketball run as we know it has officially come to an end. Four teams made the Field of 68 and all four moved on to the Round of 32.

However, Arizona was the only team in the Sweet 16, and they suffered a crushing upset loss to Clemson that has put Tommy Lloyd in the spotlight.

The Clemson Tigers defeated Arizona by a score of 77-72 as Clemson advanced to their First Elite Eight in 44 years.

With that, and with Oregon State and Washington State being the only two programs not leaving the Pac-12, the conference as we know it has played its final basketball game.

It was another early exit for Arizona, and although the conference as a whole struggled from the men’s side of things, Arizona had bigger goals and aspirations.

The last team from the Pac-12 to make a Final Four? The UCLA Bruins in 2021 and they will live in the history books.

USC men’s basketball remains undefeated in March with a victory over No. 5 Arizona

USC won the last Pac-12 men’s basketball regular-season game and did so against a top-10 team.

The USC Trojans came into the final game of the regular season with a chance to improve their record to 14-17, and 8-12 in  Pac-12 games. All they had to do was beat the first-place team in the conference and the No. 5 team in the nation, the Arizona Wildcats. USC had surrendered the last six meetings to the Wildcats, including an 82-67 loss in Tucson back in January.  This previous game was played without USC’s two leading scores and primary ball handlers, Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier.

USC got the upset victory on Saturday night. It was the first time the Trojans have beaten a team in the top five since a 2008 road victory at their crosstown rivals, the No. 4 UCLA Bruins, at Pauley Pavillion. Isaiah Collier had a solid game (16 points and five assists). D.J. Rodman also had another productive night, setting a season-high with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting while grabbing 7 rebounds to lead the team in both categories.  Rodman’s relentless motor and his near perfect shooting propelled the Trojans to a double-digit lead.  

USC’s defense was the difference. The Men of Troy held Arizona’s talented offense, which boasts the second-highest points per game average in the country (90.4 ppg), in check. The Trojans were especially effective in limiting the production of Arizona’s talented backcourt trio of Kylan Boswell, Pelle Larsson, and Caleb Love, who managed to score only 12 points combined. Love, who is fourth in the conference in scoring with an average of 19.63 points per game, was held to just two points throughout the night.

Kobe Johnson, a junior guard for USC, had a standout performance, contributing 19 points, 4 assists, and 6 steals (23 steals in his last six games).

After the game Johnson explained USC’s plan on how to slow down Love and the high-scoring Arizona offense:

“Every time we play Arizona, we know it’s gonna be a physical, physical game, so we knew  coming into it right away that we needed to be the more physical team. The game plan the whole week, so we did focus a lot on Caleb Love because we know how good of a player he is and how good he can be. So we tried to pressure him, trying to make them take some tough shots, which I think we did perfectly. So I think we all follow the game plan exactly how we should have and I think the results show for themselves,” Johnson said.

USC had a season-high 15 steals in the game, reaching double-digit steals for the ninth time this season. Arizona struggled to find a shooting rhythm against USC’s formidable defense, scoring only 65 points and shooting just 38.7% from the field, which is the Wildcats’ second-lowest shooting percentage and its low point total of the season.

Stat of the game: The Wildcats had 14 offensive rebounds — led by rebounding machine Oumar Ballo — but had only two second chance points on the night.

USC has won four of its last five games and five of its last seven to finish ninth in the Pac-12. They will face the Washington Huskies  (17-14, 9-11), the No. 8 seed in the conference, on Wednesday, March 13, in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas.

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UCLA draws closer to #1 Arizona in Pac-12 standings

UCLA is making a run at a top spot in the Pac-12, believe it or not.

The UCLA Bruins are on a roll.

Following a sluggish start, the Bruins rebounded and are now winners of six straight and winners in eight of their last nine games. At 14-11 on the year and 9-5 in Pac-12 play, the Bruins continued their success against Colorado.

In their close 64-60 victory at home, the Bruins broke their tie for third in the Pac-12 standings. Now a half-game ahead of Oregon, the Bruins have sole possession of the #3 position in the Pac-12.

Trailing only Arizona and Washington State, two teams the Bruins face in upcoming games, leading the Pac-12 is not out of the question for UCLA as they approach the conference tournament.

Though still a longshot given how well Arizona and Washington State have played, the Bruins have a chance to either play their way to a Pac-12 tournament title or enter the conversation to qualify for March Madness on their own.

The Bruins’ date with #5 Arizona on March 7th is the perfect opportunity to turn some heads and have a signature win on the resume before the big dance.

Where do the Oklahoma Sooners rank among remaining unbeatens in college basketball?

The Oklahoma Sooners are 9-0, but where do they rank among the seven remaining unbeaten teams in college basketball?

The Oklahoma Sooners are off to a blistering start in the 2023-2024 men’s basketball season. They’re 9-0 with notable wins over Iowa, No. 23 USC, Providence, and Arkansas.

The Sooners are one of seven remaining unbeaten teams in Division I, three of which are in the Big 12. Andy Patton of College Sports Wire, ranked each of the seven remaining unbeaten teams and the Oklahoma Sooners came in at No. 5.

Porter Moser and the Sooners have won seven of their nine games by 12 or more points, with only a two point win over USC and a nine point win over Arkansas presenting any real challenge. They also have wins over Providence and Iowa, and look like a real challenger in the very deep Big 12 conference. After Green Bay they’ll face the Tar Heels of North Carolina on December 20. – Patton, College Sports Wire

The Sooners have an offense that can play with the best in the nation. They’re averaging 84.8, which is 26th, and are No. 9 in the country in point differential.

Oklahoma’s seen the emergence of Javian McCollum, who’s scored 10 or more points in eight of Oklahoma’s nine games. He’s coming off of a 20 point game and is averaging 18 points per game over the last four contests.

The Oklahoma Sooners have set themselves up to be a team to be contended with in the Big 12. They’re faster and more athletic. They are an efficient shooting team and defend well.

There are four more nonconference games on the slate before they open Big 12 play with Iowa State. The biggest of which is their contest in the Jumpman Invitational, where they’ll take on the No. UNC Tar Heels. That’s one final test before the gauntlet of Big 12 play begins.

The Sooners have already made a statement in their 9-0 start, but the volume will go to 10 if they can pick up a top 10 win before conference play opens.

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College basketball expert evaluates Arizona, compares the Wildcats to USC

Arizona is the one team picked higher than USC in preseason Pac-12 basketball polls and rankings lists.

We talked to college basketball expert Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated before the season, seeking his insights into Pac-12 basketball.

Sweeney talked about the team picked to finish ahead of USC in the Pac-12 standings, the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona is expected to win the league, with USC predicted to finish second in most preseason polls and rankings lists.

“It helps that USC has two traditional centers who are big-time athletes who should be able to match up with (Oumar) Ballo. I also think Arizona’s going to be a little bit smaller this year. They’re probably going to start Keshad Johnson from San Diego State at the four. He’s 6-7, 6-8. He had an amazing career at San Diego State. He’s a great defender. I think his offensive game will be unlocked by playing for Tommy Lloyd, but he is not (yet there) in terms of his skill level. His impact is more defense and rebounding, switchability, things like that,” Sweeney told us.

“Now they have some international kids who should potentially play right away in the frontcourt and give them a chance to be a little bit bigger. I do think we’re going to see a little bit more three guards, a traditional power forward and the center for Arizona, how that will match up.

“I’m excited to watch how Caleb Love plays against USC. Caleb is one of the most polarizing players in the last decade of college basketball because of how high the highs have been and how low the lows have been. I do think he’s in a good situation at Arizona, with a coach who can potentially rein him in. They’re going to need Kylen Boswell, their starting point guard, to have a big-time leap as a sophomore. He was a re-class kid, played part of the year last year. I think USC probably wins in the backcourt, but Arizona has a coach that has gotten a number one and a number two seed in two years as a head coach. They’ve got tremendous talent. They’ve got one of the better big men in the country. Those are all checkmarks in their favor and reasons why I think this is probably a preseason top-15-type team.”

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Projected Arizona Wildcats basketball roster for 2023-2024 season

Why are we giving you the Arizona roster? Because this is the roster experts think can compete with #USC and Bronny James.

The Arizona Wildcats will have a formidable and deep college basketball roster this coming season, much like USC.

With UCLA’s Jaylen Clark staying in the NBA draft, the Bruins very clearly are behind Arizona and USC in terms of overall roster quality and depth. Colorado will have a formidable roster which might mount a challenge, but ultimately, most college basketball experts think Arizona and USC have the two best rosters in the Pac-12 heading into the summer.

For that reason, we’re going to share with you the projected Arizona roster for the coming season. Look at this roster and evaluate it. You’ll have a basis for comparison with USC, Bronny James, Isaiah Collier, Boogie Ellis, and the rest of the Trojans.

Here’s the collection of players likely to comprise Arizona’s core rotation of players under head coach Tommy Lloyd next season:

Twitter reaction to Keshad Johnson picking Arizona over Kentucky and USC

Keshad Johnson not picking USC? Not a big deal. Keshad Johnson going to Arizona and becoming a USC foe? That’s a big deal.

Keshad Johnson chose Arizona as his transfer destination on Saturday.

We wrote this about the big development in the Pac-12 college basketball transfer portal:

“Let’s be very clear here: USC was not going to get Keshad Johnson once D.J. Rodman came into the program. Johnson would not have been able to get extended playing time with Rodman right there. Andy Enfield landed Rodman and got the floor-stretching forward he needed. He did really well.

“The problem for USC is simply that Johnson landed on the Trojans’ foremost competitor for the 2024 Pac-12 title. That is the bad news here.”

Let’s get a glimpse of the national reaction to this important transfer portal development:

Texas Basketball: Potential target Kerr Kriisa enters transfer portal

Could the Pac-12 assist leader choose Texas through the transfer portal?

Former Arizona Wildcats guard Kerr Kriisa is now in the transfer portal. He could potentially find a place on the Texas basketball roster next season.

The Estonian guard was a key piece in the Wildcats’ impressive season. Kriisa compiled a strong 9.9 points and 5.1 assists per game over the 2022-23 season. His assist total was good for league-best in the Pac-12 Conference.

The well-rounded player shot 36.6% from three-point range to go with a 76.7% mark from the free throw line. And while Kriisa is not Marcus Carr, he could certainly ease the loss of the Longhorns do-it-all point guard.

Texas is set to lose Carr, Sir’Jabari Rice, Timmy Allen and Christian Bishop with Dylan Disu likely to depart as well. Incoming freshmen Ron Holland and A.J. Johnson are set to combat those losses, but the team probably needs to find an impact guard and two post players through the portal.

Arterio Morris, Tyrese Hunter, Dillon Mitchell and Brock Cunningham are set to return to make for a strong core of players. A strong performance in the NCAA Tournament could help command consideration from free agents in the portal.

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Kerr Kriisa transfers out of Arizona, which is definitely good for the U of A

If it’s good for the U of A, it’s not good for USC. Tommy Lloyd knows his backcourt wasn’t good enough; he wants an upgrade.

When players hit the transfer portal in any sport, one obvious question we have to ask is whether the transfer is a net positive or a net negative for the program. Connected to that question is the matter of whether a transfer was player-initiated or coach-encouraged. Some players want to leave a program while the coach hopes they will stay. Other players never want to leave a school, but the coach makes it plain that the roster calculus demands turnover and change.

We can pretty clearly say that Kerr Kriisa’s entry into the transfer portal — leaving the Arizona Wildcats — was a coach-encouraged transfer. Kriisa loved wearing the Arizona uniform. He was a pot-stirrer who brought energy and personality to the Wildcats. He enjoyed irritating opponents and expressing his emotions on the court. He was having a grand old time in Tucson.

Kriisa’s departure is an obvious product of coach Tommy Lloyd having a frank conversation and declaring an intent to upgrade the Arizona backcourt for next season. Arizona’s guards clearly lacked the dominant, all-court skill of Bennedict Mathurin, who helped the Cats earn a No. 1 seed at the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Arizona’s guards were unable to do much of anything in the final eight minutes of a supreme implosion against 15th-seeded Princeton in this year’s edition of March Madness.

The Wildcats are going to get better at this position. That’s not good news for USC or anyone else in the Pac-12.

USC guard Reese Dixon-Waters is transferring. Is that the same as this Arizona move with Kriisa? Maybe.

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