Utah Basketball – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Washington State shocks Utah in Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals

WSU, the No. 7 seed, beats Utah, the 2 seed and co- #Pac12 champ. Utah likely won’t get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourney.

The Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament has been competitive from top to bottom and from start to finish, but it hasn’t been an event in which top seeds have all escaped.

USC lost as a higher seed on Wednesday in the first round. On Thursday in the quarterfinals, a much bigger Pac-12 powerhouse was taken down.

Second-seeded Utah, the co-champion of the conference along with top-seeded Stanford, was knocked out of Las Vegas by seventh-seeded Washington State. The Cougars put an end to any lingering bubble talk by smothering the Utes, 66-58.

This was a defensive clinic by Washington State. USC and Lindsay Gottlieb probably admired the performance, because it’s something USC has delivered many times this season.

Wazzu swarmed the likely Pac-12 Player of the Year, former Trojan Alissa Pili, in this upset win. The Cougars limited Pili to 3-of-14 shooting for just 11 points. Utah’s starting five went 11 of 40 from the field, under 30 percent. Utah starters finished 4 of 19 from 3-point range, barely more than 20 percent.

There will be no third meeting between co-champions Stanford and Utah in Sunday’s Pac-12 Tournament final. This result very likely will prevent Utah from getting a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Stanford — which plays UCLA in Friday’s semifinals — will probably get a No. 1 seed if it can win the Pac-12 Tournament … and it won’t have to go through Utah.

[mm-video type=video id=01fz0vhkvneprhd3dm82 playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fz0vhkvneprhd3dm82/01fz0vhkvneprhd3dm82-7a92b7a8ecafed7f58f6ee5fd37c8d07.jpg]

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696090230]

Utah beats Stanford, shares Pac-12 championship with Cardinal

Utah and Stanford went 15-3 in 18 #Pac12 games. Both teams are in contention for a No. 1 seed at the NCAA Tournament.

The 2023 Pac-12 basketball regular season is over. It was a tremendous race made more complicated by the USC Trojans, whose upset of Stanford loomed large in the full course of events. Stanford led Utah by one game, then Utah tied the Cardinal. Stanford regained a one-game lead, but Utah had a chance to gain a share of the Pac-12 championship with a win over the Trees on Saturday in Salt Lake City.

The Utes fought through foul trouble to score an 84-78 win over the Cardinal, registering the crowning achievement in program history.

Both Utah and Stanford finished 15-3 in the Pac-12. They are both in contention for No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

The winner of the Pac-12 Tournament — if it is Utah or Stanford — probably will be a No. 1 seed. The non-winner will likely be a 2 seed. Most experts will probably predict a Stanford-Utah Pac-12 final on March 5 in Las Vegas. That’s what the tournament bracket makes possible.

Former USC Trojan Alissa Pili, by helping Utah to the Pac-12 title, nailed down 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year in women’s basketball. So many different Pac-12 schools have made the Women’s Final Four in the past 10 years: Cal made the Final Four under current USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. Washington made the Final Four. Oregon State did. Oregon did. Arizona did. Stanford, of course, has been a regular at the Final Four. Utah will try to become the newest Pac-12 women’s basketball program to reach the sport’s ultimate showcase.

The Pac-12 Tournament begins Wednesday, March 1, in Las Vegas. Stanford and Utah will both begin their tournament on Thursday, March 2, in the quarterfinals.

USC faces Oregon State in the first round on Wednesday at approximately 8:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

[mm-video type=video id=01gphsx31sxc4tg63912 playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gphsx31sxc4tg63912/01gphsx31sxc4tg63912-60c009444554ba9e9f2729bb91bde462.jpg]

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696090378]

Utah and Arizona State, battling USC on the bubble, meet on Saturday

The winner won’t gain a lot of ground, but it would stay afloat. The loser will fall even lower on the bubble. Let’s discuss.

The chatter surrounding Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley is only going to grow louder and more distracting in the coming weeks. ASU is currently unlikely to make the 2023 NCAA Tournament, in which case Hurley might look elsewhere for a reset in his coaching career.

However, speculation can wait a little bit. Hurley is still coaching Arizona State, and if he wants to have any chance of making a late run to the tournament, he and his Sun Devils need to beat Utah this coming Saturday in Tempe.

Arizona State endured an atrocious loss to Colorado on Thursday. The opponent was mediocre. Losing to Colorado will drag down ASU’s already-average resume even more. The way in which ASU lost was also brutal. The Devils were up six with just under six minutes left. They allowed a 17-3 run to CU down the stretch.

What is bad news for ASU is great news for USC, which knows that either the Sun Devils or Utah will lose another game on Saturday.

The Trojans are watching each of their Pac-12 bubble competitors fade away. With ASU and Utah both losing on Thursday, the importance of this Saturday meeting becomes that much greater … and not in terms of lifting the winner into the NCAA Tournament.

Because of ASU’s and Utah’s recent losses, this game is more of a “loser out” game than a “winner in” game. The winner merely stays afloat in the bubble picture. The loser falls even lower on the bubble.

If ASU loses here against Utah, the Sun Devils probably won’t be able to get into the NCAA Tournament if they split a pair of upcoming games against Arizona and UCLA, both on the road. They would probably need to win both. Winning one would be an absolute necessity, of course. ASU would need to win at least three games, probably four.

If ASU beats Utah, it can probably still split the Arizona-UCLA pair and get in with a win over USC in early March plus one win at the Pac-12 Tournament.

As for Utah, a loss to ASU would mean the Utes would have to sweep UCLA and USC next week to have a realistic chance of making the NCAA Tournament. Losing at home to Stanford a few weeks ago severely limited this team’s margin for error.

If Utah beats Arizona State, the Utes would still need to beat UCLA, but they might be able to lose to USC and not suffer severe consequences. They would have to collect a few more wins before Selection Sunday.

As for USC, the task is simple: Beat Stanford on Saturday. If the Trojans do that, they know they are guaranteed to gain more ground on the Utah-Arizona State loser. They won’t lose ground on the Utah-ASU winner.

[mm-video type=video id=01gse5agk1vyyxhvp4h1 playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gse5agk1vyyxhvp4h1/01gse5agk1vyyxhvp4h1-2c138d7bb2195f064f6a8b073f8e58c5.jpg]

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696091895]

USC was the only Pac-12 bubble team to win over the past 48 hours

Oregon lost on Wednesday. Utah and Arizona State lost on Thursday. #USC is clearly ahead of those three bubble teams.

If you were to ask Pac-12 basketball experts right now about the conference’s NCAA Tournament contingent, you would not get a sunny outlook. To be brutally honest, the conference’s ceiling for NCAA Tournament bids is getting lower and lower. Three bids looks like the maximum haul for the conference, a bitterly disappointing prospect heading into the final week of February.

Two bids is a very realistic possibility, a nightmare for a conference which desperately needs infusions of revenue.

The needle certainly moved in the direction of a two-bid Pac-12 over the past two nights. On Wednesday, Oregon lost to Washington, which reduced the Ducks’ already-slim margin for error.

On Thursday, Arizona State suffered a damaging loss at home to Colorado, grabbing a six-point lead with just under six minutes left and then allowing a 17-3 run to the Buffaloes.

Utah, without Gabe Madsen, got hammered by Arizona on Thursday.

The only Pac-12 bubble team which won was USC, but before we throw a parade for the Trojans, let’s be real: They merely beat Cal, one of the worst college basketball teams in the country.

Nevertheless, USC’s bubble position has clearly improved over the week. USC’s three Pac-12 bubble competitors all lost. Oregon’s and ASU’s losses were legitimately bad. Utah missed a chance for a quality win and will now have to beat UCLA next week to have a realistic shot at an at-large bid. Beating Arizona State and USC won’t be enough if the Utes fail to beat the Bruins.

In non-Pac-12 action, USC received good bubble news.

Tennessee, a USC opponent this season, beat No. 1 Alabama. That will improve the Trojans’ metrics.

New Mexico lost. Virginia Tech lost. USC isn’t rising on the bubble, but other teams are falling. If the Trojans can beat Stanford and Colorado in their next two games, they might create some margin for error.

Now they simply have to take advantage of the opportunity other bubble teams are giving them.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696091687]

Pac-12 women’s basketball report: Stanford stunned, Utah ties for first

Stanford’s loss to Washington abruptly turned the Pac-12 race. Utah’s title odds have risen, and Colorado is back in the hunt.

The Stanford Cardinal lost to USC three weeks ago, but had not lost a game since then. The Cardinal were still leading the Pac-12 standings heading into their Sunday game in Seattle against the Washington Huskies. USC won in Seattle two weeks ago, but it wasn’t easy. The Trojans had to battle into overtime to finish off UW.

The Huskies haven’t thrived in the Pac-12 this season, but they have been consistently competitive. Stanford was fully expected to win, but Washington was going to make the Trees earn it.

Washington picked quite a time to break through and play crunch-time minutes better than it had at any previous point this year.

Washington had come up short in OT against USC, late in regulation against UCLA, and against other high-profile opponents. On this day, however, the Huskies stacked together several late-game defensive stops. They also crashed the boards and scored 30 points in the second quarter after an eight-point first quarter. Trailing 65-63 with 3:19 left, they scored the next eight points and earned a 72-67 win.

Washington finished plus-10 in rebounds and allowed only two offensive boards to Stanford’s powerful front line. A team which had knocked on the door but hadn’t busted through finally crossed the threshold …

… much as USC finally broke through against the same Stanford team after losing twice to UCLA by a combined total of four points.

Stanford’s loss to Washington, combined with Utah’s win at Oregon on Sunday, pushed the Utes into a first-place tie with the Cardinal. Colorado swept the Oregon schools as well to be one game back.

It’s a three-team race again after it seemed Stanford and Utah were separating from the pack.

Stanford goes to Colorado and Utah on the final weekend of the regular season in late February. Those two games are likely to decide the 2023 Pac-12 champion.

[mm-video type=video id=01grc85jree2q62y6tg2 playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01grc85jree2q62y6tg2/01grc85jree2q62y6tg2-66ea27f9198666128f29314a4cd39e8b.jpg]

While USC wins, Utah suffers major setback with home-court loss to Stanford

The Utes began Pac-12 play 5-0 this season. Now they’ve lost 5 of 8 and are on the ropes. We evaluate Utah’s new — and grim — outlook.

Yikes.

That’s what every Pac-12 bubble watcher said or thought on Thursday evening when it became clear that the Utah Utes were going to lose to the Stanford Cardinal at home in Salt Lake City.

Every bubble team has a nightmare scenario, and it’s the same one regardless of conference: losing to a bad team at home.

Utah lost to a bad Stanford team at home, falling 78-72 to the Cardinal after trailing by as many as 17 points.

The Utes were in a must-win situation after losing at Oregon in their previous game on January 28. Utah did not display great energy out of the gate. Stanford jumped the Utes, built a huge lead, withstood a big run early in the second half, and held on for a win in the Huntsman Center which shattered the Utes and puts them on the ropes in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Utah did not have much margin for error going into Thursday evening’s game. Now Utah has basically zero margin for error.

The Utes, in the next three and a half weeks, play the Arizona schools on the road and the Los Angeles schools at home. Before the Stanford loss, Utah absolutely had to win at least two of the four games against the Arizona and L.A. schools. The loss to Stanford means Utah now has to win at least three of the four games, and more precisely, both the Arizona game in Tucson and the UCLA game in Salt Lake City. The Utes need two top-tier wins — plus the other games on their schedule — to get back to a decent bubble position. Anything less will leave them short.

If Utah beats USC and Arizona State but loses to both Arizona and UCLA, that’s not good enough. The Utes would not have the added elite-level wins they now need to compensate for a disastrous loss to Stanford.

Remember: Utah lost at home to Sam Houston State, on a neutral floor to Mississippi State, and on the road against a BYU team which won’t make the NCAA Tournament. Utah did absolutely nothing in nonconference play. It’s why a loss to Stanford is a significant drag on the Utes’ resume.

Utah’s odds of making the NCAA Tournament took a major hit. USC’s bubble position within the Pac-12 just improved by several more notches. The Utah loss is also notable because USC now has a two-game lead over the Utes for third place in the Pac-12. USC’s odds of finishing in the top four and getting that crucial first-round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament just went up considerably.

[mm-video type=video id=01gphsx31sxc4tg63912 playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gphsx31sxc4tg63912/01gphsx31sxc4tg63912-60c009444554ba9e9f2729bb91bde462.jpg]

[listicle id=56459]

Pac-12 bubble watch: Utah, Arizona State, Oregon embark on season-defining stretch

We’re going to know a lot more in the next few weeks about the bubble picture for the teams USC is battling in the Pac-12. Here’s our latest Bubble Watch update.

The next Pac-12 Conference basketball games will be played within the month of February. March is not that far away. Selection Sunday — March 12 — is coming into view. Bracketology and bubble evaluations are now a regular part of daily sports discussion, especially with the NFL being down to just one game and 30 of 32 teams having ended their seasons.

Here’s the latest on the Pac-12 bubble. You know that USC leads Utah and Arizona State in the race for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. The Trojans are first in line, the Utes and Sun Devils behind them. Oregon is next after that, and that’s where we start with this edition of Bubble Watch.

Oregon is sixth in the Pac-12 pecking order, but not 100-percent eliminated. However, the Ducks have very little margin for error, and the next two weeks will likely tell us if Dana Altman’s team will be in the hunt for an at-large berth when we arrive at March and the Pac-12 Tournament.

Oregon visits the Arizona schools this week and then hosts the Los Angeles schools next week. That’s right: Oregon plays Arizona, Arizona State, USC, and UCLA in the next two weeks. That’s four chances for valuable bubble wins.

Hypothetically, if Oregon does win all four of those games, it would likely make the NCAA Tournament.

Obviously, the chances of winning all four are quite remote. The obvious question: Just how many games does Oregon have to win to get back into the bubble discussion?

Realistically: three.

Oregon needs to go 3-1 in these next four games to offset all the horrible (and numerous) losses the Ducks have collected. If Oregon goes 2-2 instead of 3-1, the only scenario which would help the Ducks is a pair of wins over the heavyweights in the Pac-12, Arizona and UCLA. If Oregon doesn’t beat both Arizona and UCLA, it will need 3-1 in these coming four games to have a decent chance of making the field of 68.

A 2-2 split with only one win over the Arizona-UCLA pair won’t do it. Oregon has lost too much ground. Splitting games without stacking multiple high-end wins won’t make the cut. This is Oregon’s last stand.

Let’s talk about Arizona State. The Sun Devils host Oregon this week. That game is obviously valuable, but right now, it seems like more of a “loser hurts itself” game than a “winner moves into the field” game. The loser takes on more water and reduces its already-small margin for error.

In two and a half weeks (February 16 and 18), Arizona State will host the Mountain schools. That includes a game against Utah.

What happens in the next week and a half will determine the stakes for that ASU-Utah bubble game in Tempe. If Arizona State loses to Oregon this week, the Sun Devils’ game against Utah would likely be more of a play-out bubble game (loser is excluded from the field of 68) than a play-in bubble game.

A final word about Utah: The Utes host Stanford, Cal, and Colorado in the next week and a half. The Utes absolutely must win all three games. A loss to any of those teams would be a big dent in the team’s profile. Then Utah goes to the Arizona schools. It would need to win at least one of the two games in Tempe and Tucson.

Here’s a simple rooting guide for USC fans: Have Arizona beat these other Pac-12 bubble teams, and have Arizona State lose to them. That combination of bubble results would be favorable to the Trojans.

[mm-video type=video id=01gr0ah9744mr4h4q42p playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gr0ah9744mr4h4q42p/01gr0ah9744mr4h4q42p-2a253ca28ea06570c000e3ac8391642a.jpg]

[listicle id=56296]

Pac-12 women’s basketball report: 8 teams likely to go to NCAA Tournament

Washington State’s road wins at Arizona and Arizona State put the Cougars inside the cut line. Meanwhile, it’s a Stanford-Utah battle for the Pac-12 title.

The USC Trojans are doing really well. They’re winning lots of games. They have a 16-5 record.

They must be situated in an easy conference, right? They’re taking advantage of weak opponents, right?

Nothing could be further from the truth.

In men’s college basketball, the Big 12 has a good chance of putting eight of its 10 teams in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. That’s the gold standard among conferences. The Big Ten might get nine, but that’s out of 14 teams, not 10. The Big 12 could put 80 percent of its teams into the field. That’s crazy.

In women’s college basketball, the Pac-12 is poised to put two-thirds of its 12 teams into the field. Yes, eight teams are now likely to make the Big Dance with USC in the process of solidifying a bid (not a lock, but now really close) and Washington State significantly improving its bubble resume. The Cougars were near the cut line heading into the weekend, but they won at Arizona State and then beat No. 19 Arizona in Tucson. Wazzu got star player Charlisse Leger-Walker back in its lineup after she missed the USC and UCLA games due to having to tend to a private family matter in her native New Zealand. Leger-Walker was fresh and rested for the Arizona game. She helped the Cougars upset the Wildcats, exactly the kind of win WSU needed to feel much safer about making the NCAA Tournament.

Eight teams is a huge haul for the Pac-12, reminding everyone that whereas football and men’s basketball are often a struggle for the Pac, women’s basketball has been delivering the goods for some time.

The other big news story of the weekend in Pac-12 women’s basketball is that with USC beating Colorado, the Buffaloes absorbed their third conference loss of the season, pushing them one game behind Utah for second place in the conference.

Stanford leads at 9-1 after sweeping the Oregon schools. Utah is second at 8-2 after sweeping USC and UCLA. Colorado is third at 7-3. UCLA got swept on its Mountain road trip to Colorado and Utah. Arizona lost to Washington State, meaning that the Wildcats and Bruins are 6-4, further removed from the top tier. This is now a three-team race at the most. Realistically, it’s now a two-team battle between Utah and Stanford.

Colorado isn’t out of the race, but the Buffs now have zero margin for error, and they have lots of tough games left: at Oregon, at Arizona, home against Stanford. This weekend separated the top two from the rest of the field, even while the Pac-12 likely increased its NCAA Tournament bid count.

[mm-video type=video id=01gqzxc4jvmt2aas1qy4 playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gqzxc4jvmt2aas1qy4/01gqzxc4jvmt2aas1qy4-342997fccda28b22b23692d27ac67fe2.jpg]

[listicle id=56296]

Pac-12 bubble watch: Arizona State loses at Washington, falls behind USC for NCAA Tournament bid

In the 3-team Pac-12 chase for NCAA Tournament at-large bids, USC clearly leads both Arizona State and Utah. ASU lost to Washington while USC beat UCLA.

What a difference a week makes. Last week, on Thursday afternoon, Pac-12 basketball teams were preparing for Thursday night games. USC was likely an NIT team. Arizona State was clearly in the NCAA Tournament field for the time being. Utah had a lot of work to do.

Utah’s situation hasn’t really changed much. USC and Arizona State, on the other hand, have switched positions.

USC beat Arizona State in Tempe on Saturday to begin to change the bubble conversation in the Pac-12, but the Trojans needed a high-end win to truly shift the state of play in the conference’s bubble picture.

They got that big win on Thursday against UCLA.

Meanwhile, Arizona State lost 69-66 in overtime to Washington on Thursday night in Seattle. This loss follows previous losses at home to UCLA and USC. The Sun Devils are throwing away the amount of leverage they previously had. USC has surpassed them without question or debate.

Utah won at Oregon State on Thursday. The Utes face a very important game at Oregon on the weekend.

[listicle id=56296]

Pac-12 men’s basketball standings for January 23

Utah is currently in second place but faces some very tough games in the near future. USC can move one game behind UCLA with a win on Thursday.

The Pac-12 Conference continues to shift by the week. The UCLA Bruins are still on top of the conference and have a matchup with the USC Trojans coming up this week.

The Utah Utes are right behind them, and Arizona is hanging around despite a loss.

The Pac-12 men’s side is much better all around than last season, and there should be a few teams aiming for at-large spots besides UCLA and Arizona and whoever wins the Pac-12 Tournament.

Here is an updated look at the standings with a jam-packed week coming up, including USC-UCLA and Utah-Oregon.