Tag: Utah Basketball

Pac-12 men’s basketball bubble watch: Utah steps on a rake while Colorado boosts its chances

Losing to Oregon State 10 days before Selection Sunday? Not a good move, Utes. You really stepped in it.

We saw two entirely different Pac-12 bubble results emerge on Thursday night. One team played its way off the bubble, while another team took a good step forward. Utah ruined its bubble existence by eating a decisive loss at Oregon State, while Colorado secured a vital bubble win by prevailing at Oregon.

Let’s go through these bubble situations and evaluate where the Utes and Buffs stand with just one regular season game left before the Pac-12 Tournament, keeping in mind that other bubble teams across the country are also going to be in action on Saturday and are part of the larger bubble calculus. The bubble is a study in moving parts, which means some wiggle room can exist. However, certain outcomes can carry more weight than others:

A bubble team cannot afford to lose at Oregon State, but that’s exactly what Utah did on Thursday night in Corvallis. Utah still has just one road win in Pac-12 play this year. Winning against Stanford and Cal at home last week merely kept Utah alive. Those wins did not increase Utah’s chances of getting into the NCAA Tournament; they merely prevented Utah from a downward fall on the bubble. The Utes needed to continue to win the games they were supposed to win, but winning was merely going to maintain Utah’s position, not improve it. After losing to Oregon State, Utah has clearly lost at least five or six slots in the bubble pecking order, if not more. It’s a very bad loss at a time when the Utes had very little — if any — margin for error.

Utah goes to Eugene on Saturday to face the Oregon Ducks. This much is clear: Utah has to win that game to stay alive in the bubble conversation. A loss means Utah would have to win the Pac-12 Tournament or — at the very least — reach the final by winning three straight games. We doubt Utah would win four straight in Vegas, so if we’re being realistic, this is Utah’s last best chance. A win wouldn’t put Utah in the field, but it would keep the Utes alive … barely.

We told you days ago that Utah needed three wins to make the NCAA Tournament. It might now be four, but let’s assume Utah does win in Eugene. It would now need at two wins at the Pac-12 Tournament, possibly three. Utah cannot make the NCAA Tournament with merely one win next week in Vegas. The Utes greatly increased their degree of difficulty by losing to Oregon State. Three wins is the absolute minimum right now. Four might be needed.

Oregon isn’t an NCAA Tournament team, but Colorado’s win in Eugene is still a solid win which will move the Buffaloes up a few spots in the bubble pecking order. Colorado is, one would think, in that “last four in or first four out” group right now. Winning at Oregon State on Saturday is essential. If the Buffs do that, they go to Las Vegas knowing that if they can win one game, they will be in the conversation on Selection Sunday. If they win two games in Vegas following a win over Oregon State, they should be in. Given how bleak everything looked for CU a week ago, it would be a Harry Houdini-style escape if they can make March Madness. Now they have a decent chance.

Rick Pitino’s St. John’s Red Storm have surged in the past two weeks, putting themselves in the NCAA Tournament hunt. Colorado could really use a St. John’s loss. However, while some bubble teams have helped themselves, others have not. Wake Forest, Ole Miss, Utah, and Cincinnati have played their way out of the field the past week, so that’s why Colorado still has a decent chance of getting in, provided it can do the job in the coming days. Stay with Buffaloes Wire for complete Colorado coverage.

Pac-12 men’s basketball bubble watch: Oregon’s bubble bursts, Utah stays alive

Remove Oregon from any bubble discussions or lists. The Ducks must win the Pac-12 Tournament to go dancing.

The Oregon Ducks, if they are going to make the 2024 NCAA Tournament, will need to win the Pac-12 Tournament in a few weeks. The Pac-12 bubble no longer includes Oregon after the Ducks excluded themselves by losing to Arizona on Saturday in Tucson. Oregon had to pick up a high-end win over Arizona and then win a few more games to make an at-large case. That possibility no longer exists after the Wildcats drubbed Dana Altman’s athletes.

Ducks Wire has more:

For a few minutes to start the game, the Ducks traded baskets with the Wildcats, but then Arizona quickly went on a run, and the Ducks lost control of the game. At the half, the Ducks were down 30-51.

In the second half, there were points where it looked like Oregon might crawl back, but the Wildcats always responded and re-extended their lead. Jermaine Cousinard came alive for the Ducks in the second half, scoring 33 second-half points on 75% shooting, but it wasn’t enough to give Oregon a chance to win.

We’ll look at the new Pac-12 bubble with Oregon no longer being a part of it. Here’s what you need to know:

USC women’s basketball loses to Utah, snapping 7-game winning streak

After seven straight wins, the Trojans had another bad day at the office. Get it out of the system before March.

The USC women’s basketball team had won seven games in a row entering Sunday’s regular-season home finale in the Galen Center against Utah. The Trojans had hoped to continue their winning ways, knowing that if they got through this game, they would play two teams outside the top five in the Pac-12 over the next week. Utah is a top-25 team which was a No. 2 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament. The Utes are really good, and a lot better than the Arizona and Arizona State teams USC will face later this week. Beating Utah would have given USC a path to a possible Pac-12 championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Alas, a loss. USC took a big hit with a 74-68 defeat. Let’s hit the main points of this result:

Pac-12 men’s basketball report: Oregon, Utah suffer crushing bubble losses

Let’s look at the Pac-12 bubble, which is an ugly mess after Saturday’s men’s basketball results.

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.

Ducks Wire wrote: 

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:

USC rematch with Utah contains dramatic, powerful storylines

USC tries to stop former Trojan Alissa Pili in a crucial rematch versus Utah.

USC women’s basketball handled Colorado on Friday. Now comes the quick turnaround from Friday night to Sunday afternoon and another very crucial game against Utah.

It’s obviously a big game. The Trojans are competing for the Pac-12 title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It’s Senior Day, always an emotional and personally important for the players who are playing their last home gam in the Galen Center. We don’t need to re-hash those storylines. You know all about them and are aware of them. There are still other storylines attached to this game which are worth following on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Let’s take a look:

Pac-12 men’s basketball report: Colorado, Utah fend off the Washington schools

Colorado and Utah have been good teams. They continued on the right path as Pac-12 hoops competition arrived.

The Pac-12 men’s basketball season has arrived at conference play. Friday night gave us several league games. The big stories came from the Mountain time zone and the games between the Mountain schools and the Washington schools.

Utah smacked down Washington State, 80-58. The Utes continue to look like an NCAA Tournament team under coach Craig Smith, who is doing a beautiful job of putting together complementary players. Utah is a cohesive, well-oiled machine, very much unlike USC.

Colorado fended off Washington, 73-69, as the Buffaloes — who stumbled very early in the season — solidified themselves. Colorado’s blowout of Miami a few weeks ago was a sign of a dramatically improved team. The Buffs have grown by leaps and bounds since the season began. Tad Boyle has made strong adjustments and has developed his players.

Arizona, the league favorite, cruised by Cal in Berkeley, 100-81. No surprises came from this game.

Arizona State rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final nine minutes to win on the road at Stanford, 76-73. The result puts Stanford coach Jerod Haase even more firmly on the hot seat in Palo Alto.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Colorado big man Lawson Lovering transfers to Utah, a stinging blow to Tad Boyle

Tad Boyle gave Lovering lots of support and didn’t throw him under the bus in Boulder. Yet, Lovering went to CU’s main rival. Hmmm.

It’s bad enough when a promising player transfers. It’s even worse when that player was clearly supported and encouraged by the coaching staff and given every chance to succeed, but still leaves. Then imagine how much worse it is for a program when that player — who was given so much encouragement — not only bolts, but goes to the school’s most immediate and direct rival and geographical neighbor within a conference.

That is exactly what has happened with Lawson Lovering, a big man who transferred from Colorado and decided to go to Utah to play for Craig Smith and the Utes. CU doesn’t just lose a player; it loses that player to a rival within the Pac-12.

Buffaloes Wire had more to say.

“Lovering was a four-star recruit coming out of Cheyenne Central High School but struggled on offense during his two years in Boulder,” Jack Carlough wrote. “Junior Nique Clifford and redshirt freshman Quincy Allen have also entered the transfer portal but have yet to commit elsewhere. With Lovering, Utah has now found its replacement for two-time All-Pac-12 center Branden Carlson.”

The details beyond the transfer itself paint a picture of a player who was profoundly dissatisfied with his situation despite receiving ample support and encouragement from the Colorado coaching staff:

Lovering played well against USC last season, though not when Vince Iwuchukwu was able to play extended minutes. It will be fascinating to see how he fits with Utah, especially when the Utes play the Trojans in 2024.

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Pac-12 loses biggest Final Four threat as Utah falls to Kim Mulkey and LSU

.@LSUTigersWire watched Kim Mulkey’s team knock out 2nd-seeded Utah. The Pac-12’s Final Four odds took a huge hit.

The Utah Utes were well aware that with top-seeded Indiana and fourth-seeded Villanova out of the way, their Final Four odds had markedly increased heading into their Sweet 16 game against third-seeded LSU in the NCAA Tournament. Getting by Kim Mulkey’s Tigers would have given the Utes a tremendous chance to reach the Final Four and put the Pac-12 back in the women’s basketball spotlight.

Free throws became their undoing, as Tyler Nettuno of LSU Wire wrote:

“Alexis Morris didn’t flinch. Trailing Utah by one point and shooting two shots at the free throw line, the fifth-year senior sunk both to give LSU a one-point lead with 10 seconds to play.

“Utah’s Jenna Johnson couldn’t do the same, missing both free throws as her team trailed by one, and another pair of free throws from Morris all but sealed a 66-63 win in a seed upset for coach Kim Mulkey’s No. 3-seeded Tigers against the No. 2-seeded Utes.

“Morris would score 15 points in total, while LaDazhia Williams and Angel Reese added 24 and 17 points, respectively. Reese recorded her 31st double-double with 12 rebounds as LSU overcame a four-point halftime deficit.”

The Pac-12 is down to one team in the NCAA Tournament, and that’s UCLA, which plays unbeaten South Carolina.

Gulp.

This March just didn’t work out for the Pac-12 in men’s or women’s hoops.

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LSU’s Kim Mulkey wore a wild jacket for the Sweet 16, and everyone had thoughts

LSU coach Kim Mulkey’s jacket for her team’s Sweet 16 game was a decision.

LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey continues to be one of the most controversial figures in the sport.

The former Baylor coach has earned negative attention in recent years for her dangerous comments on COVID-19 protocols and her lack of support regarding WNBA star Brittney Griner’s unlawful detention in Russia.

Mulkey’s game-day outfits tend to be attention-grabbing as well — though for far more innocuous reasons. The Tigers coach has been known to sport some outrageous looks on the sideline, with her wardrobe already a point of fascination in Baton Rouge.

However, her outfit for No. 3 LSU’s 66-63 victory over No. 2 Utah on Friday in the 2023 women’s NCAA tournament might be her most polarizing wardrobe decision yet.

Mulkey wore a hot-pink jacket adorned with flowers and a checker print design. Resembling a boa, the sleeves were covered with neon pink feathers. It’s a get-up you’ve got to see to believe.

Colorado wraps regular season with a win over Utah

A rough regular season ended on a high note for the #cubuffs

A rough regular season ended on a high note on Saturday as the Colorado men’s basketball team bested Utah 69-60.

With head coach Tad Boyle opting to sit KJ Simpson, Julian Hammond III was inserted into the starting lineup and shined with 15 points, five assists and five steals during his team-high 36 minutes. Tristan da Silva, who came off the bench out of caution for an injury he suffered last week, also scored 15 and Nique Clifford recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Colorado led for over 34 minutes against a Utes squad that fell to 10-10 in Pac-12 play. The Buffs, meanwhile, end the regular season 16-15 overall (8-12 conference).

Playing likely their final games at the CU Events Center, Jalen Gabbidon, Ethan Wright and walk-on Cody Mains were honored for senior day. Wright got the start and scored 10, Gabbidon had five and Mains was given a short stretch of action in the game’s waning seconds.

In next week’s Pac-12 Tournament, the No. 9 seed Buffs will face No. 8 Washington on Wednesday.

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