Tag: Pac-12 Basketball

Cameron Brink struggles and fouls out as Stanford exits NCAA Tournament with bitter loss

The Pac-12 has one team in the Elite Eight, but it’s not Stanford. The Cardinal suffered a crushing Sweet 16 defeat.

The Stanford Cardinal won the regular-season Pac-12 championship. They faced USC in the Pac-12 Tournament final. In a season when the Cardinal were not picked to win the Pac-12 in preseason polls, the Trees did better than expected. Cameron Brink was at the center of the conversation for the Cardinal, right there with JuJu Watkins as one of the Pac-12’s very best players all season long. Brink, though, couldn’t put the pieces together in the postseason, and now the Cardinal are once again reeling from a bitter defeat before the Final Four. It’s not how they or most experts thought their season would end.

Cameron Brink fouled out of Stanford’s win over Iowa State this past Sunday. She is an elite defensive player, so fouling out was a shock to the system for this all-time Stanford great. It seemed likely that Brink would have a better game and stay out of foul trouble against N.C. State. After all, how many times does a player of Brink’s caliber foul out of consecutive games. Surely she wasn’t going to struggle two straight games, right? Surely she wasn’t going to foul out of two straight March Madness games, right?

Surely, the sure thing did not happen. The logical thing did not happen.

Brink fouled out again, and this time, it came early in the fourth quarter. Struggling to adjust to non-Pac-12 NCAA Tournament whistles, Brink exited long before the final buzzer. She played just seven minutes in the second half. Stanford’s guards — who have often underperformed in the team’s NCAA Tournament losses — could not step up and compensate for Brink’s absence. North Carolina State, down 10 at halftime, stormed back to beat Stanford 77-67 and advance to the Elite Eight on Sunday versus Texas.

The Pac-12 has four teams left in the NCAA Tournament. Three play on Saturday. They better be on guard if they want to avoid Stanford’s cruel fate.

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Arizona crashes out of NCAA Tournament vs Clemson, ending Pac-12 hopes of a Final Four

Caleb Love shot way too many 3-pointers. He went 0 for 9. Arizona couldn’t defend late. The Wildcats are out.

The Arizona Wildcats were the best team in the Pac-12 Conference this season. They won the regular-season league championship in the conference’s final year. They were a No. 2 seed at the NCAA Tournament. They reached the Sweet 16 and played an opponent seeded four lines lower. Yet, the Wildcats have made a habit out of losing NCAA March Madness games as a much higher seed. They couldn’t break that habit in a loss on Thursday to the No. 6 seed Clemson Tigers.

Arizona fumbled the bag again in March, ending the Pac-12’s hopes of sending a team to the Men’s Final Four in its final basketball season. Oregon, Colorado and Washington State all reached the second round but were eliminated, leaving Arizona as the Pac’s only hope. That hope was extinguished against Clemson, and it happened in a very familiar way.

Arizona struggled this season whenever Caleb Love struggled. Love was 5 of 18 from the field, 0 for 9 from 3-point range. He took way too many threes when Arizona was having success getting to the free throw line. Love shot Arizona out of the game. Teammate Kylan Boswell also struggled, going 1 of 5 on 3-pointers. Arizona was too reliant on one or two players. The Wildcats also played terrible defense in the final two minutes, getting carved up by Clemson cuts to the basket with no one being there to protect the rim.

It’s up to women’s basketball to deliver a Final Four appearance (maybe more) for the Pac-12 in its final act before death.

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Buffaloes Wire predicts every Pac-12 game in Women’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Buffaloes Wire predicted the outcomes for the five Pac-12 games in the Women’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. What are your picks?

Our friends at Buffaloes Wire are going to leave the Pac-12 in a few months, but there’s still the Sweet 16 at the Women’s NCAA Tournament before Colorado and other schools exit for other conferences. Buffaloes Wire predicted the winners for each of the five Sweet 16 games involving Pac-12 teams. Colorado and USC are both part of the action in a star-studded Sweet 16 round with endless intrigue and drama.

Here is what Buffaloes Wire editor Jack Carlough said about USC’s Sweet 16 game against Baylor, which is this Saturday, March 30, in Portland:

“Although JuJu Watkins is navigating only her first NCAA Tournament run, USC’s star freshman hasn’t been fazed by the big lights this year. I’m taking the Trojans to win by at least 10 over the Bears.”

We all hope Jack is right about this game. Jack’s Colorado team goes up against Caitlin Clark and Iowa on Saturday in the Sweet 16. It’s the second straight year CU and Iowa will meet in the Sweet 16 round of March Madness. USC-Baylor immediately follows Colorado-Iowa on the Saturday schedule, which we have for you right here.

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UCLA Wire previews the Pac-12 in Women’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Get a quick look at each of the opponents facing the five #Pac12 teams left in the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

Our friends at UCLA Wire are previewing the Pac-12’s games in the Women’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

“There are five Pac-12 women’s teams left as the NCAA Tournament reaches the Sweet 16 stage. The games begin on Friday, with UCLA facing LSU in arguably the biggest matchup of them all on Saturday in Albany, New York.”

UCLA Wire editor Matt Wadleigh looks at the opponents for each of the five Pac-12 teams still in the NCAA Tournament. Oregon State’s opponent in the Sweet 16 is Notre Dame. Stanford faces North Carolina State in its upcoming regional semifinal game. The blockbuster game UCLA Wire alluded to above is UCLA versus LSU, a matchup of top-three seeds which includes the defending national champions from Baton Rouge.

USC, as you know, goes up against the Baylor Bears on Saturday afternoon. That game with JuJu Watkins immediately follows a repeat Sweet 16 clash between Colorado and Iowa, with Caitlin Clark trying to extend her career, go back to the Final Four, and attempt to win the national championship which eluded her grasp last year. This is a huge weekend for the Pac-12, a conference trying to make a stand before it dies. Can this conference go out in the blaze of glory, or will it all end not with a bang, but a whimper?

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Washington State bows out of NCAA Tournament; Pac-12 with two teams left in men’s March Madness

Washington State fell short in an attempt to make the Sweet 16 for the second time in school history.

One of the best seasons in Washington State basketball history ended on Saturday night. That’s not hyperbole. Washington State has made the NCAA Tournament just seven times in school history. Therefore, this is indeed one of the seven best seasons in the life of WSU hoops. Washington State has won an NCAA Tournament game in just five seasons, which makes this one of the five best seasons in the school’s existence.

Washington State was trying to make the Sweet 16 for just the second time in school history. The only previous time the Cougars played a Sweet 16 game was 2008. WSU was playing for history on Saturday against Iowa State, and after shutting out the Cyclones in the first four minutes of the game, the Cougars had reason to think they could win. They held ISU to just eight points in the first 12 minutes and led for nearly the entire first half. However, Iowa State — a No. 2 seed for a reason — tied the Cougars at halftime and then took control in the second half for a 67-56 win which knocked Wazzu out of the Big Dance.

The Pac-12 is down to two teams in the Men’s NCAA Tournament. Arizona is in the Sweet 16. Colorado plays Marquette in the second round. Washington State has a vested interest in seeing those teams win. Every win gives the Pac-12 more win units, which provide future revenue Washington State and Oregon State will collect.

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Arizona advances to Sweet 16, keeps Pac-12 perfect at the NCAA Tournament

The Pac-12 is 10-0 at the two NCAA Tournaments at noon Pacific time on Saturday, March 23.

The good times keep rolling for a dying conference. It’s like a person having a big last meal or goodbye party which contains some sadness but manages to hit all the right notes and leave everyone in the room smiling and having a great time. The Pac-12 is 6-0 in the Men’s NCAA Tournament after Arizona beat Dayton on Saturday morning and afternoon in Salt Lake City. The Wildcats answered the alarm clock for a game which began at 10:45 a.m. in Utah. Arizona built a 17-point lead before Dayton pulled within four. Arizona regained control in the final eight minutes and pulled away for a 78-68 win.

With the Pac-12 being 4-0 in the Women’s NCAA Tournament, the Pac-12 hasn’t lost a single game in March Madness as of noon Pacific time on Saturday. The overall conference record in both tournaments is 10-0.

There are six more games to come for Pac-12 teams on Saturday, featuring the top-seeded USC women’s basketball team, which plays its first-ever Galen Center March Madness game. The USC arena has never held a USC NCAA Tournament game before. The Trojans host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

In the women’s tournament, UCLA plays Cal Baptist, Utah plays South Dakota State, and Arizona faces Syracuse. In the men’s tournament on Saturday, Oregon faces Creighton and Washington State takes on Iowa State.

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Pac-12 moves to 5-0 in Men’s NCAA Tournament with Colorado win over Florida

Colorado is 2-0 in the Men’s NCAA Tournament and 1-0 in the Women’s NCAA Tournament. Pac-12 power.

The good times just keep coming for the Pac-12 in the NCAA Tournament. Colorado boosted the Pac to 5-0 in the men’s edition of March Madness with a 102-100 win over Florida on a last-second shot by K.J. Simpson.

Buffaloes Wire reacted:

“After Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. drilled a deep 3-pointer to tie Colorado at 100, the junior point guard sunk a baseline jumper with about two seconds left in regulation, giving the Buffaloes a stunning 102-100 first-round upset over the Gators on Friday.

“Colorado is now dancing into the NCAA men’s basketball tournament round of 32, an accomplishment that few would’ve thought likely earlier this season. The No. 10 seed Buffs will face the No. 2 seed Marquette Golden Eagles on Sunday.”

Gators Wire also had coverage of this game, via decorated sportswriter Pat Dooley, who wrote:

“If I had told you that Florida would score 100 points in its first NCAA Tournament game in three years, you’d have probably taken it.

“Instead, the Gators became one of those moments that make March Madness what it is.”

The Pac-12 keeps earning money for Washington State and Oregon State, who will collect money from Pac-12 NCAA Tournament win units, which continue to accumulate with each March Madness victory.

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Colorado bubble analysis: Win over Washington State was enough to make NCAA Tournament

Colorado’s late winning streak was enough to get the Buffs into the field and give the Pac-12 four NCAA tourney teams.

The Colorado Buffaloes were not a lock to make the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday, but their odds were decent, given that they won two games at the Pac-12 Tournament and beat an NCAA Tournament team from Washington State in the semifinals. Their loss to Oregon — which gave the Ducks the automatic bid from the Pac-12 — did create some bubble drama. A lot of bubble teams’ dreams were crushed by the parade of unexpected autobids which emerged over the weekend. Colorado did have reason to sweat. However, most bracketologists did have the Buffaloes in the field on Sunday.

All the team could do was wait.

The waiting was worth it. Colorado reached the First Four in Dayton and will face Boise State on Wednesday night at 9:10 p.m. Eastern time, 6:10 p.m. Pacific, on TruTV.

Buffaloes Wire had more on the story:

“One day after falling to Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game on Saturday, the Buffaloes received a First Four bid for the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Colorado will battle Boise State in Dayton, Ohio on Wednesday with the winner earning the right to face No. 7 seed Florida on Friday in the round of 64.

“Head coach Tad Boyle and the Buffs, who enter the First Four as a No. 10 seed, finished their regular season on a six-game winning streak before reaching the final Pac-12 title game.”

Colorado needed every last one of those six straight wins to sneak into the field. The Buffs saved their season just in time.

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CU Buffs sticking together after loss to Oregon in Pac-12 title game

Tad Boyle and Tristan da Silva gave their thoughts on Colorado’s loss in the Pac-12 title game

The cards were seeming to align just right in Las Vegas when Colorado reached the final Pac-12 men’s basketball championship game against an opponent the Buffs had swept in the regular season series.

However, with St. Patrick’s Day coming the following day, it was only right that the green Oregon Ducks emerged victorious on Saturday evening.

The 75-68 affair featured the dominance of Oregon center N’Faly Dante, who scored a game-high 25 points on a perfect 12-of-12 shooting from the field. With the Buffs having no answer for the Pac-12 Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, they appeared rattled as turnovers (13) and foul trouble became too much to overcome.

While a win for the Buffs would’ve secured an automatic NCAA Tournament bid, head coach Tad Boyle made it known that he’s fully confident in his team’s abilities. He shared some words of wisdom from former Washington State head coach Dick Bennett following the tough loss.

“He (Bennett) said something once that resonated with me, and that is, ‘You’ve got to find guys you’re willing to lose with before you can find guys you’re willing to win with,'” Boyle said after the game while sitting next to an emotional KJ Simpson and Tristan da Silva. “I’ll lose with these guys every day of the week. I believe in them, a hundred percent. I believe in that team in that locker room, but they deserve to move on. We’ll see if it happens tomorrow. If it does, it does. If it doesn’t, we’ll move on as well. But this team, to me, is worthy.”

The only thing anyone can do now is wait. But Colorado’s continued optimism offers hope that there will be light at the end of the tunnel.

“I have ultimate trust in each and every single one of the players, each of my teammates,” da Silva said. “It’s a fun group to be around. It’s a fun group to play with. I’ll definitely miss them when all this is over. But once again, we’ve still got some basketball ahead of us.”

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Pac-12 men’s basketball bubble watch: Oregon pushes Colorado into uncertainty

Colorado is not a lock, and could easily go to Dayton.

The Oregon Ducks are a bid-stealer. They won the Pac-12 Tournament and grabbed an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Pac-12 is guaranteed to have three bids to the Big Dance. Now we get to see if Colorado will make it four.

Colorado is not in bad shape, but it’s not a lock with Oregon shrinking the bubble. North Carolina State grabbed a surprising automatic bid in the ACC. Florida Atlantic losing in the AAC Tournament means the AAC should get a second bid, which reduces the size of the bubble even more. Colorado could be thrown into a pot with Oklahoma, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Michigan State, Texas A&M, and a few other schools still on the bubble and not completely guaranteed to be in the NCAA Tournament. Colorado had a good week at the Pac-12 Tournament, beating Utah and Washington State, but with the bubble results we had on Friday and Saturday — in which a lot of automatic bids reduced the size of the bubble — at least one or two teams believed to be in good shape on Thursday or Friday will be pushed out of the field. That’s what those surprising automatic bids can do to bubble teams. Someone will be gut-punched on Selection Sunday.

We will see if Colorado is that team. That’s all for another year of bubble watch, the last one for the Pac-12 Conference.

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