Look: Shaquille O'Neal's Son Shareef Shares Twitter Photos After Heart Surgery
Mar 20, 2019
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 24: Shareef O'Neal #22 of the UCLA Bruins stands on the court to support his team during warm ups before the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Pauley Pavilion on January 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Four months after undergoing heart surgery, Shareef O'Neal, son of Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, considers his scar a badge of honor.
Shareef posted images of his post-surgery body on Twitter:
Speaking to TMZ Sports last September, O'Neal said UCLA doctors "found a medical issue dealing with my heart." He was forced to sit out his first year with the Bruins basketball team.
Per Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, there was an "electrical problem" with O'Neal's heart which surgery fully corrected.
O'Neal told TMZ on March 3 he is about six weeks away from being able to return to the basketball court. He was rated as a 4-star prospect coming out of high school by 247Sports and committed to UCLA in February 2018.
Oregon Cruises Past Washington 68-48 to Win 2019 Pac-12 Tournament Title
Mar 17, 2019
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 16: Payton Pritchard #3 of the Oregon Ducks tries to steal the ball from Matisse Thybulle #4 of the Washington Huskiesduring the championship game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Payton Pritchard posted 20 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals as sixth-seeded Oregon beat top-seeded Washington 68-48 in the Pac-12 men's basketball championship game on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
No. 6 Oregon handles No. 1 Washington, 68-48 to win the Pac-12 title.
The Ducks join Colorado as the only team to win four games in four days to win the Pac-12 tournament. pic.twitter.com/n9MwafMV1b
Louis King added 15 points for the 23-12 Ducks, who won their fifth Pac-12 tournament championship game in school history. Paul White added 14 points.
Jaylen Nowell scored a team-leading eight points for the 26-8 Huskies, who shot 33.3 percent from the field and 5-of-23 from three-point range. Washington only scored two points over the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Oregon's Win Highlights Pac-12's Overall Weakness
Let's first give credit where it's due: The fact that Oregon was able to win the Pac-12 title game despite missing star player and likely future NBA lottery pick Bol Bol for the entirety of conference play is remarkable. The Ducks could have folded when they were 6-8 after 14 conference games, but eight straight wins have vaulted them into the NCAA tournament.
Their performance sans Bol makes one wonder the greater heights the Ducks could find with him on the court, but the fact that a team sans its star player ran through the tournament draw as a No. 6 seed is symbolic of the state of Pac-12 men's hoops as a whole. And that notion is backed up by further figures and sentiments.
No Pac-12 team was ranked in the top 46 in the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings entering Saturday. Similarly, no team was in the top 36 of the Sagarin Ratings prior to the Pac-12 title game. The Pac-12 also ranks a distant sixth between the other power conference in D-I hoops.
The struggles haven't been contained to this year either. UCLA made three straight Final Fours from 2006 to 2008. Since then, only the 2016-17 Ducks have represented the conference that far. No Pac-12 team has won a Final Four game in 13 years.
The league isn't exactly bereft of top talent, which makes the struggles even more bizarre. NBADraft.net lists eight Pac-12 players in its latest two-round NBA mock draft, and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report lists four going in the first round.
The sentiment goes for a wider selection of talent as well. Eight Pac-12 teams resided in the top 31 of the class of 2017 recruiting list, and six more were in the top 22 of the class of 2018 list, per 247Sports.
But that talent hasn't led to improved team play. One issue is that the usual Pac-12 powers are going through rough times. UCLA changed coaches midseason. Arizona is the subject of a federal investigation and NCAA inquiry. Stanford, which dominated at times during the 2000s, has been mediocre this decade.
And now the league may only have two NCAA tournament bids this season. Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports suggested that should be the case:
Oregon completing the bid thievery. Given the state of the Pac-12, a just solution would be making it a zero-sum bid steal -- either Washington or Arizona State departs.
If Joe Sheehan of Sports Illustrated had his way, the Pac-12 may only be a one-bid league:
I think UW gets in, but I would love it if they didn’t, mostly as a wake-up call for a Pac-12 that is just barely holding on as a major football and basketball conference.
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports thinks the Pac-12 will have three teams (the two finalists plus Arizona State) but summed up the state of the conference well with a remark about the regular-season champion:
The good for the Pac-12?
It should have three teams in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
The bad for the Pac-12?
Its regular season winner --- Washington --- will enter the field of 68 without a win over an at-large team in the bracket.
As Rothstein reminds us, though, this is March. Anything can happen, like a No. 11 seed making the Final Four and a No. 16 seed upsetting a No. 1 seed in the same tournament, which occurred last year.
But on the surface, an ugly, low-scoring Pac-12 title game was the symbol of a rough season for the league, one which is a giant step behind its fellow power conferences.
What's Next?
Both teams will wait to hear their names on Sunday during the NCAA tournament selection show, which begins at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.
Pac-12 Tournament 2019: Semifinals Scores, Championship Bracket and Schedule
Mar 15, 2019
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 15: Jaylen Nowell #5 of the Washington Huskies handles the ball against McKinley Wright IV #25 of the Colorado Buffaloes during a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 15, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
Washington, the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 men's basketball tournament, won its first two games to clinch a championship berth.
Life hasn't been easy for the Huskies in Las Vegas, though, as they escaped with a 78-75 win over eighth-seeded USC on Thursday before a 66-61 victory against fifth-seeded Colorado on Friday.
The Huskies will take on the No. 6 Oregon Ducks, who upset the No. 2 Arizona State Sun Devils 79-75 in overtime at T-Mobile Arena.
Here's a look at the semifinal scores and recaps as well as the entire Pac-12 bracket and schedule.
Sophomore guard and Pac-12 Player of the Year Jaylen Nowell had 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals as the top-seeded Washington Huskies overcame a six-point deficit to defeat the fifth-seeded Colorado Buffaloes 66-61.
A 25-5 run to open the second half turned a 33-27 halftime deficit into a 52-38 lead with 8:57 left. Nowell scored eight points during that span, including an and-one layup to give UW the lead for good at 36-35:
Colorado cut the lead to three points thanks to a McKinley Wright IV three-pointer with 18 seconds left, but a David Crisp layup with 11 seconds remaining sealed the Huskies' win.
Sophomore forward Nahziah Carter scored 14 points off the Huskies' bench, and senior guard Matisse Thybulle added 12 more. Thybulle tied the Pac-12 steals record on this swipe:
Washington had 13 steals on the night, led by sophomore forward Hameir Wright with four.
Sophomore guard Tyler Bey led the Buffaloes with 22 points and 16 rebounds.
Washington will play in the championship game Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET. The Huskies should be in the NCAA tournament field regardless of whether they clinch the conference's automatic berth. Most bracketologists in Bracket Matrix's aggregation have UW on the No. 8 or No. 9 seed line.
The 21-12 Buffaloes should have a postseason berth awaiting them, but it won't be in the NCAA tournament. No current bracketologist lists the Buffs in the tourney. John Templon of Mid-Major Madness has them in the NIT.
No. 6 Oregon 79, No. 2 Arizona State 75 (OT)
Freshman forward Louis King posted 19 points and seven rebounds as sixth-seeded Oregon beat second-seeded Arizona State 79-75 in overtime.
Oregon senior guard Ehab Amin hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 67 with 1:35 remaining. Neither team scored down the stretch, however, with Arizona State's final possession ending with an air ball from three-point range.
The extra session belonged to Amin, who scored five points en route to an overtime-opening 9-1 run. But the back-and-forth nature of this game reappeared when Arizona State went on a 7-2 run and had the ball down 78-75 with a chance to tie the game in the final minute.
However, a Luguentz Dort three-pointer with 18 seconds left did not connect. ASU never got the ball back as Oregon dribbled out 10 seconds, got fouled, hit its first free throw and then collected an offensive rebound after the second attempt missed.
Oregon jumped out to a 17-5 lead to start the semifinal, but Arizona State slowly chipped away at the advantage before taking a 39-38 second-half edge.
The Sun Devils opened up a sizable lead of their own at 49-40 with 12:24, but the Ducks engineered their own comeback and finally tied the game on the late Amin three.
Ducks junior guard Payton Pritchard scored 18 points, and senior forward Paul White added 14.
Dort led ASU with 16 points, and junior guard Rob Edwards added 15 off the bench.
The 22-12 Ducks will face the Huskies in the aforementioned Pac-12 title game. The 22-10 Sun Devils are living on the NCAA tournament bubble, per Bracket Matrix, and will await to hear their fate on Sunday during the NCAA tournament selection show, which begins at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.
Dana Altman, Oregon Agree to Contract Extension Through 2025-26 Season
Mar 14, 2019
Oregon head coach Dana Altman encourages his team during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Houston, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
Ahead of the Oregon Ducks' matchup against Utah in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament on Thursday night, the university announced Dana Altman will continue as head coach through the 2025-26 season.
In a sport where turnover is unavoidable, Altman has provided consistency. Under Altman, the Ducks made it to the 2017 Final Four. Altman has been in charge at Oregon since 2010, and the Ducks have posted winning seasons in every year since—the first time the program has posted nine consecutive winning seasons since 1923-32.
Oregon finished the 2018-19 regular season 20-12 overall and 10-8 in conference play.
There had been rumors Altman may move on, specifically being linked to Nebraska, perJeff Goodmanof Stadium. While he's now in high demand, Altmanadmittedto the Oregonian in 2017 that he "never even knew if I would get into Division I."
Prior to Oregon, Altman coached from 1994 to 2010 at Creighton where he became the all-time wins leader with a 327-176 record. He wasinductedinto the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame in June 2018.
All of that said, the Ducks were given atwo-year probationDec. 5 after the NCAA found Altman did not properly monitor his director of operations. Given the length of Altman's new contract, he will have plenty of time to chase a championship once the penalty expires.
Pac-12 Tournament 2019: Quarterfinals Scores, Semifinals Bracket and Schedule
Mar 14, 2019
Washington's David Crisp, right, and Matisse Thybulle celebrate during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Southern California in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 men's tournament Thursday, March 14, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The 2019 Pac-12 tournament is showcasing the best teams it has to offer on Thursday as the quarterfinals are underway.
The top-seeded Washington Huskies opened Thursday's round of games against the No. 8 USC Trojans. These two teams met previously in the regular season on Jan. 30, and Washington handled USC easily 75-62.
However, their rematch in the quarterfinals at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas wasn't decided until the final second. At 16-16 entering the game, USC needed a win to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive.
Directly following that came a dominant performance from the 5-seed Colorado Buffaloes, who advanced to the semifinals for the program's first time since 2014.
The night slate was tipped off by 2-seed Arizona State and 7-seed UCLA, and the outcome was only marginally different than their meeting on Jan. 24. The game was the highest-scoring of the tournament yet.
Below is a look at everything you need to know about Thursday's matchups and Friday's schedule.
Thursday's Schedule and Results
No. 1 Washington def. No. 8 USC, 77-75
No. 5 Colorado def. No. 4 Oregon State, 73-58
No. 2 Arizona State def. No. 7 UCLA, 83-72
No. 6 Oregon Ducks def. No. 3 Utah Utes, 66-54
Friday's Semifinals Schedule
No. 1 Washington vs. No. 5 Colorado, 9 p.m. EST (Pac-12 Network)
No. 2 Arizona State vs. No. 6 Oregon, 11:30 p.m. EST (ESPN)
View the full Pac-12 tournament bracket, visit the official website.
Recap
Washington Huskies 77, USC Trojans 75
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Matisse Thybulle #4 of the Washington Huskies dunks the ball against the USC Trojans in the 2nd half during a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ph
Huskies senior guard Matisse Thybulle only scored four points, but it was the 2018-19 Pac-12 Player of the Year who emphatically sealed the win. Thybulle had five steals on the day—none more impressive than his steal-turned-windmill-dunk with 33 seconds left to put the game out of reach for USC.
Thybulle has the chance to tie or top Gary Payton for most career steals in Pac-12 history in the semifinals. Sitting next to Payton on the set of the Pac-12 Network's postgame coverage, Thybulle admitted he went with the windmill dunk because he was "mad [USC] kept hitting shots."
MATISSE HAD TO LET 'EM KNOW. 😤@MatisseThybulle joins the set after @UW_MBB's win to talk about his windmill dunk and more.
Washington held a 10-point lead with just under eight minutes in regulation, but USC cut it to a one-possession game behind two crucial three-pointers from senior forward Bennie Boatwright and junior guard Jonah Mathews. Mathews' three made it 72-71 in favor of Washington with 1:12 to go.
Forty seconds later, Thybulle's dunk gave the Huskies enough padding to fend off USC.
Boatwright finished with 16 points, seven assists and seven rebounds while Mathews had 17 points. Junior forward Nick Rakocevic, whose layup with eight seconds left made the deficit just 77-75, also had 17 points.
Huskies sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell led all scorers with 24 points, followed by senior teammate David Crisp's 18 points.
USC (16-17) will now have to wait and see what kind of tournament bid it receives—CBI, NIT or NCAA by some miracle—while Washington (25-7) moves on to try and secure a conference tournament title to pair with its regular-season Pac-12 championship.
Colorado Buffaloes 73, Oregon State Beavers 58
The Buffs raced out to a 37-18 halftime lead behind 53.6 percent shooting from the field.
.@DaylenKountz2 with the steal and the slam to give the Buffs their largest lead of the day!
— Colorado Men's Basketball (@CUBuffsMBB) March 14, 2019
Freshman forward Evan Battey and sophomore guard Tyler Bey each accumulated two personal fouls in the first half, which was the only hiccup for the Buffs. The key to start was stifling Beavers junior forward Tres Tinkle, who was the team's leading scorer in the regular season. However, that didn't last in the second half.
Oregon State chipped away at the Buffs' lead slowly throughout the second half as Tinkle got hot. The Beavers went on two separate 10-0 runs.At the same time, Battey and Bey's foul trouble worsened for Colorado. Each had four with 6:34 remaining in the game.
Beavers brothers Ethan Thompson and Stephen Thompson Jr. helped Tinkle in trying to mount a comeback with 16 points and 10 points, respectively, but Colorado's initial first-half lead was too much to overcome. Tinkle led all scorers with 23 points, but Colorado exposed Oregon State as a top-heavy team.
In contrast, Colorado's contributions were widespread. Sophomore forward Alexander Strating was able to step in while Battey managed his fouls and scored 10 points off the bench. Meanwhile, the team's leading scorer in the regular season proved he can be counted on as sophomore guard McKinley Wright IV scored 17 points.
ALEX STRATING!!! He's got a career-high 10 points after this huge basket to break OSU's momentum!
— Colorado Men's Basketball (@CUBuffsMBB) March 14, 2019
Colorado (21-11) will advance to the Pac-12 tournament semifinals for the first team since 2014 where they will face the top-seeded Washington Huskies, while Oregon State (18-13) will nervously await a tournament bid.
Arizona State Sun Devils 83, UCLA Bruins 72
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Remy Martin #1 of the Arizona State Sun Devils brings the ball up the court against Alex Olesinski #0 of the UCLA Bruins during a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2019 in L
The three-ball was falling for UCLA, but it wasn't enough to compensate for the Sun Devils starting five's strong showing.
In fact, the Bruins should have known it just wasn't their night when Arizona State sophomore forward Kimani Lawrence buried this fluke shot off the bench at the buzzer just before halftime:
Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Luguentz Dort scored 13 points for Arizona State after the freshman guard led the team in scoring during the regular season. The Sun Devils didn't need Dort to carry the load, though, as all five starters scored in double digits.
Sophomore forward Romello White led the Sun Devils in points with 19.
The most electric players on the court were UCLA guards Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes as well as Sun Devils sophomore guard Remy Martin, who commentator Bill Walton likened to John Stockton for his creative assists:
Wilkes led all scorers with 25, while Hands scored 21. Combined, they accounted for all 10 of UCLA's threes. Pretty as they were, the Bruins needed more guys to get involved. No other Bruin scored in double digits. UCLA missed freshman guard David Singleton, whose season ended when he fractured his left foot in the first round against Stanford.
With the win, Arizona State (22-9) completes the season sweep of UCLA (17-16).
Oregon Ducks 66, Utah Utes 54
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Parker Van Dyke #5 of the Utah Utes handles the ball against Payton Pritchard #3 of the Oregon Ducks during a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ph
A suffocating defense has fueled Oregon's recent hot streak, and Utah learned that the hard way Thursday night.
Points were hard to come by in the first half, as the teams combined for 16 field goals in the opening 20 minutes. While the Utes shot just 38.1 percent from the field in the first half, they were considerably better than the Ducks (26.7 percent), resulting in a 24-18 Utah lead.
As Oregon Men's Basketball pointed out, the Ducks' early defense has shined lately:
In the first half of the last three games, Oregon is giving up just 20.7 points per game - 18 vs. Washington, 20 vs. WSU and 24 against Utah.
But Oregon didn' take advantage of that offensively. That would quickly change after halftime, though.
The Ducks recorded the first six points out of the locker rooms to even the score. After leading for only two minutes in the first half, they pulled ahead 30-28 six minutes into the second half—and never looked back.
Utah would hang within striking distance for the majority of the second half, but Oregon eventually gained breathing room as its lead grew to double digits late.And unlike the Ducks (63 percent in the second half), the Utes couldn't find their shooting stroke, shooting just 34.6percent overall. That includes a brutal 2-of-23 from three-point range.
About the only thing that kept Utah in the game was going 16-of-20 from the free-throw line.
Freshman Louis King and junior guard Payton Pritchard each dropped 20 points to lead the Ducks, while freshman forward Francis Okoro tied a Pac-12 tournament record with six blocks, according to the Pac-12's Jesse Hooker.
Donnie Tillman (18 points) and Timmy Allen (14) combined for more than half the Utes' points, as they were the only two to reach double figures in a losing effort.
The Ducks have not allowed more than 61 points in a game during their six-game winning streak, holding their opponents to just 51.8 points per contest. It marked the third consecutive outing, and fifth in the last six, that they held an opponent under 55 points.
Oregon (21-12) earned a semifinal showdown with second-seeded Arizona State on Friday night. The Utes (17-14), meanwhile, head home after being swept by the Ducks in their two meetings this season.
Pac-12 Tournament 2019: Round 1 Scores, Quarterfinals Bracket and Schedule
Mar 13, 2019
Colorado's McKinley Wright IV celebrates after a play against California during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Pac-12 men's tournament Wednesday, March 13, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The 2019 Pac-12 tournament got underway on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with a number of teams fighting to try to earn a spot in the Big Dance.
The top teams in the conference were off on Day 1 after earning byes, but there was still plenty of action to keep an eye on.
Below is a glimpse at Wednesday's action as well as an overview of the tournament.
Arizona managed to close the gap to 13 a few times, but the Wildcats were never able to put the pressure on the Trojans and get it back down to single digits. As a result, Arizona failed to win a game in the conference tournament for the first time since Miller's first year in Tucson back in 2009-10.
Boatwright finished with a game-high 22 points and added 11 rebounds, with junior guard Derryck Thornton (12 points) among those contributing to the victory. Senior forward Ryan Luther had 16 points in a losing effort for Arizona.
The win earns USC a matchup with top-seeded Washington on Thursday.
Colorado Buffaloes 56, California Golden Bears 51
In a game in which neither team could muster much on offense, it was Colorado that managed to score just enough to survive and advance.
The Golden Bears managed to jump out to an early lead by scoring the first six points of the game, but McKinley Wright IV led the Buffaloes back and then some. Wright scored nine of his team's first 12 points thanks to a trio of three-pointers in the first eight minutes.
California shot just 32 percent from the floor in the first half, resulting in 22 points. While a poor shooting performance like that could have led to a blowout, the Golden Bears went into the locker room only down six at half.
Matt Bradley and Co. made a game of it by cutting the deficit down to one on a couple of occasions early in the second half, but they were never able to complete the comeback and regain the lead. Wright helped power Colorado to an 8-0 run near the midway point of the second half:
Although the Golden Bears had a chance to tie the game late, a pair of Tyler Bey free throws in the final seconds iced the game.
Wright led all scorers with 18 points, and Bradley put up 17 to lead the Bears in a tough loss.
Colorado will now take on fourth-seeded Oregon State for a spot in the semifinals.
UCLA Bruins 79, Stanford Cardinal 72
After the two teams split their regular-season meetings, UCLA earned bragging rights over Stanford with a 79-72victory in the rubber match on Wednesday.
And this was a game the Bruins controlled from start to finish.
UCLA set the tone early by scoring the first seven points of the game. Stanford would fight back to even the score at 11, but the Bruins begin to pull away shortly after. They ended the half on a 19-9 run to take a 12-point lead into the break.
The Cardinal trimmed the deficit to single digits late and made things interesting by getting it down to six in the final minute. However, Stanford could not close the gap enough to make it a one-possession game. As a result, UCLA was able to escape with the win after holding off a late rally.
Jaylen Hands had a game-high 22points, with Chris Smith (14), Kris Wilkes (12) and Jalen Hill (12) all reaching double figures for the Bruins as well. Josh Sharma led Stanford with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
The victory advances UCLA to the second round, where it will take on second-seeded Arizona State.
Oregon Ducks 84, Washington State Cougars 51
Oregon surely needs to win the Pac-12 tournament to reach the Big Dance, and it took the first step toward making that a reality with a commanding 84-51 victory over Washington State.
The game was never in doubt, as the Ducks jumped out to an 18-3 lead and didn’t look back. They extended the advantage to 17 points by halftime and continued to build on it after intermission, leaving no doubt they would be part of the quarterfinals in Las Vegas.
Oregon’s bench did much of the heavy lifting on the offensive side with Ehab Amin spearheading the scoring with 17 points, Will Richardson adding 10 points and five assists, and Miles Norris scoring 14 points.
The loss capped off a dismal season for the Cougars after they went just 4-14 in conference play during the regular season. They struggled to create open looks against Oregon’s hounding perimeter defense and finished a mere 7-of-32 (21.9 percent) from deep and never mustered any serious comeback attempt.
CJ Elleby led the way in a losing effort with nine points, nine boards and two steals.
Attention now turns to a quarterfinals showdown between the Ducks and Utah Utes. The Utes are the No. 3 seed, but Oregon won the only regular-season matchup between the two in Utah back in January thanks in large part to 19 points from Richardson on 8-of-12 shooting from the field.
If he plays like that in the rematch, the sixth-seeded Ducks will have the chance to advance to the semifinals.
Pac-12 Tournament 2019: Bracket, TV Schedule, Dates and Predictions
Mar 10, 2019
It's been a down season for Pac-12 basketball, but there are still more opportunities for the conference's teams to improve their NCAA tournament resume. And one school will receive an automatic bid by winning the Pac-12 tournament.
Washington clinched the No. 1 seed in this year's tournament more than a week before its regular-season finale against Oregon on Saturday. The Huskies went 15-3 in Pac-12 play, notching three more wins than No. 2-seeded Arizona State.
No. 3 Utah and No. 4 Oregon State secured their seeds, along with a first-round bye, by notching wins on Saturday. The Utes beat UCLA, while the Beavers took down Washington State.
The Pac-12 tournament will take place March 13-16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
No. 6 UCLA vs. No. 11 Washington State (11:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network)
Thursday, March 14
No. 1 Washington vs. Winner of No. 8 USC vs. No. 9 Arizona (3 p.m., Pac-12 Network)
No. 4 Oregon State vs. Winner of No. 5 Colorado vs. No. 12 Cal (5:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network)
No. 2 Arizona State vs. Winner of No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 10 Stanford (9 p.m., Pac-12 Network)
No. 3 Utah vs. Winner of No. 6 UCLA and No. 11 Washington State (11:30 p.m., ESPN)
Friday, March 15
Semifinal No. 1 (9 p.m., Pac-12 Network)
Semifinal No. 2 (11:30 p.m., ESPN)
Saturday, March 16
Championship (10:30 p.m., ESPN)
Predictions
First-Round Picks
No. 9 Arizona def. No. 8 USC
No. 5 Colorado def. No. 12 Cal
No. 7 Oregon def. No. 10 Stanford
No. 6 UCLA def. No. 11 Washington State
Quarterfinals Picks
No. 1 Washington def. No. 9 Arizona
No. 5 Colorado def. No. 4 Oregon State
No. 2 Arizona State def. No. 7 Oregon
No. 3 Utah def. No. 6 UCLA
Semifinals Picks
No. 1 Washington def. No. 5 Colorado
No. 3 Utah def. No. 2 Arizona State
Championship Pick
No. 1 Washington def. No. 3 Utah
The Huskies are poised to end their Pac-12 tournament drought with their first tourney title win since 2011.
Washington's best stretch of the season came when it won 12 straight games between Dec. 21 and Feb. 7. Its only Pac-12 losses came at Arizona State on Feb. 9, at Cal on Feb. 28 and at home against Oregon on Saturday.
But the Huskies may not have to face the Sun Devils again, as Arizona State could lose to Utah in the semifinal on the bottom side of the bracket. Washington already beat Utah twice this season, both times by wide margins, so that could be a better matchup for the Huskies in the championship.
Plus, Washington will be looking to bounce back after a tough end to the regular season.
Arizona has won three of the past four Pac-12 tournaments, but with the Wildcats having a down season, it's the perfect opportunity for a new program to seize the tourney title.
That's why Washington, the clear best team in a conference that's been filled with parity this season, could sweep the Pac-12 with a regular-season title and a tourney championship.
Video: Sean Miller Tells Arizona Fans 'Thank You for Everything' After ASU Game
Mar 9, 2019
Sean Miller has spent the last decade as the coach of the Arizona Wildcats, and after the conclusion of Saturday's regular-season finale, he took a moment to thank the McKale Center crowd for its support through the years.
"Thank you for everything," Miller told the crowd, per Matt Moreno of GOAZCATS.com.
Sean Miller just addressed the fans here at McKale Center and he ended it with this pic.twitter.com/J7hURuJgO0
ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach published a report in February 2018 that said FBI wiretaps had recorded Miller discussing a $100,000 payment in order to land prized recruit Deandre Ayton, who eventually went one-and-done at Arizona. Miller denied those allegations, and Sports Illustrated's Michael McCann cited a source who said the details of the ESPN report were inaccurate.
Pat Forde, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports reported last month that Miller's future in Tucson beyond this season is unclear amid an NCAA investigation.
Miller declined to comment on if his postgame speech had anything to do with his future as Arizona's head coach, per Moreno.
Arizona finished the regular season 17-14 following Saturday's 72-64 loss to rival Arizona State.
Sean Miller on Federal Subpoena: 'No Comment, You Can Drive Back to Phoenix'
Feb 26, 2019
Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller declined to discuss a Monday report that he'll be subpoenaed as part of the federal trial into corruption in college basketball.
According to Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel, both Miller and LSU Tigers head coach Will Wade will be compelled to testify in court. Mike Pelton of ABC15 in Phoenix asked Miller about the story Tuesday and received a curt response:
One day after reports surfaced that Arizona Men's Basketball Coach Sean Miller will be subpoenaed for a federal trial related to college basketball, I tried to ask him about it 2x today. At one point he told me "No comment. You can drive back to Phoenix." @abc15@YahooSportspic.twitter.com/gdezPSae89
Forde, Thamel and Wetzel explained why the subpoenas could have wide-ranging effects for their respective schools and college basketball in general:
"It creates the potential of two high-profile head coaches testifying in federal court about the granular detail of the recruiting underworld – something that never manifested in the initial federal trial last fall. It raises thorny questions for the public universities that employ them, as both the optics of potentially testifying in federal court about basketball recruiting and potential answers that could be given under oath will be a likely cause of consternation for Arizona and LSU administrators."
Miller has been under the microscope since at least November 2017, when now-former assistant coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson was indicted as part of the FBI investigation. In January, Richardson pleaded guilty to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.
Investigators had said Richardson received money from Christian Dawkins and Munish Sood for the purpose of advising recruits to hire Dawkins and Sood.
ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach also reported in February 2018 the FBI had wiretaps in which Miller was allegedly on record talking with Dawkins about a $100,000 payment toward securing the commitment of Deandre Ayton. Miller subsequently issued a statement to deny that allegation.
Based on how the story has unfolded, Pelton's question to Miller was more than fair, and it's unlikely to be the last time a reporter asks Miller for a comment on the record.
Virginia's Stud Coach Tony Bennett Is Too Big for the Mess at UCLA
Feb 20, 2019
Tony Bennett has built Virginia into a national powerhouse. And now, UCLA is interested in the coaching superstar.
First, Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports said UCLA covets Bennett as the replacement for Steve Alford, who was fired in December. Then, college basketball insider Adam Zagoria reported that Bennett "has not said no yet" to the Bruins.
We'll do it for him. Hey, UCLA, you listening?
No.
Bennett has outgrown you.
A little more than a decade ago, that would've seemed a hilarious thought. Beginning in 2005-06, UCLA reached three consecutive Final Fours. That run started one season before Bennett succeeded his father, Tony, at fellow Pac-12 school Washington State.
Bennett immediately led Wazzu to a program-record-tying 26 wins in consecutive seasons. However, the Cougars won only 17 games during his third year, which featured future NBA players in senior Aron Baynes and freshman Klay Thompson.
Despite having little connection to the ACC―or the East Coast in general, save for his three-year NBA career as a guard for the Charlotte Hornets—Bennett accepted the job at Virginia. The program had two NCAA tournament appearances over the previous 12 years.
At the time, one Virginia supporter told the Richmond Times-Dispatch the Bennett hiring lacked a "wow" factor.
Ten years later, a move from Charlottesville to Los Angeles would be the sport's biggest news. Yet there's little sense in Bennett leaving Virginia and the ACC for the messes of UCLA and the Pac-12.
During his tenure with the Wahoos, Bennett has transformed them from NCAA afterthought to regular top-seed competitor. Virginia is riding an eight-year streak of 20-plus victories, and the current campaign will likely be the fifth 29-win season in six years.
UCLA, meanwhile, is trudging through a horrible season. The players are criticized for low energy, the offense is maligned for little movement, and the defense is a complete disaster.
UCLA loses 104-80 to Stanford. Fourth time since beginning of last year that the Bruins have given up 100 points in a game. Before that, the last time an opponent scored 100 on UCLA was in 2004.
Bennett has accomplished this while guiding Virginia through the ACC, which is annually among the nation's best conferences.
The Pac-12 is very much not.
After sending only three teams to the 2018 tournament, the Pac-12 is flirting with being a one-bid league this season. Just three years ago, the conference had seven representatives. While factoring in the talent level of this UCLA team―three 5-stars and five healthy 4-stars―the absence of success is a nightmare.
Unless Bennett desires a blank check or loves attention, the off-court reasons don't make sense, either. He's already the 14th-highest-paid coach, per USA Today, and his demeanor doesn't suggest he craves the Los Angeles spotlight.
That notoriety would only foster high expectations in a location that long embraced a Showtime offense opposite of Bennett's.
It's true former UCLA coach Ben Howland also used a methodical system, and it was a contributing factor to Westwood souring on him as the teams started to underperform. Given how starved the Bruins are for success, though, the concern of Bennett's similar style probably wouldn't be a major issue initially.
Nevertheless, none of Howland's three Final Four teams ranked higher than 209th in adjusted tempo, per KenPom.com. Surely Bennett's grinding philosophy―the slowest tempo in the nation three years running―would become the chief criticism if the Bruins fell short. After all, it already is of Virginia today.
There's little doubt he'd thrive in the Pac-12. Considering the league's recent struggles, it wouldn't take much for Bennett to transform the Bruins into a perennial conference title contender.
But why leave an annual winner he built and sustained in a premier league? What does he gain? Dominating a weak conference potentially means a less-tested team that struggles in the tournament. And restoring UCLA to glory only matters if he values tradition more than anything else.
If that doesn't carry weight, the top priority is winning.
He's best positioned to do that at Virginia. Besides, the only ceiling on his potential is based on a false perception. Just last season, Loyola-Chicago used a similar philosophy to reach the Final Four and became the darling of the tournament. He's already close at Virginia. He doesn't need to resurrect UCLA.
Bennett shouldn't take his star near Hollywood.
All statistics courtesy of KenPom or Sports Reference, unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
