Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports
An era of college basketball history comes to a close this week
In 1915 four colleges — California, Oregon, Washington, and Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State) — joined forces to create the Pacific Coast Conference. That conference grew over time to be known as the Pac-10 and eventually, the Pac-12.
That run, at least on the hardwood, comes to a close over the next few days as the final Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament gets underway at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The teams are headed in very different directions next season. Four schools (Washington, Oregon, USC and UCLA) are headed to the Big Ten. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah are off to the Big 12. California and Stanford are headed to the ACC — yes that still stands for Atlantic Coast Conference — while Washington State and Oregon State will play for at least the next two years in the West Coast Conference.
Before that all happens, however, there is a tournament to be played. Arizona goes into the history books as the final No. 1 seed in Pac-12 men’s tournament play, as the Wildcats finished the year with a 24-7 overall record, and a 15-5 record in the conference. Ranked No 6 in the AP Top 25, the Wildcats are likely already in the field. So too are the Cougars, as Washington State finished the year 23-8 (14-6 in the Pac-12) and are ranked 22nd in the latest AP poll.
According to Blogging the Bracket two other teams — Colorado and Utah — enter the final Pac-12 tournament sitting squarely on the bubble. Colorado finished with a 22-9 record, and sitting 27th in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings — as well as 27 in the NET rankings — the Buffaloes are probably in the field. As for the Utes, they rank 51st at KenPom and 52nd in the NET rankings, so a win in the first round over Arizona State probably goes a long way.
There are a few teams that are probably on the outside looking in when it comes to the NCAA tournament, but a few wins in Las Vegas could push them into the field. Oregon (20-11 overall, 69th in KenPom), and Washington (17-14 overall, 60 in KenPom) are the two teams to watch in this category.
It all gets underway Wednesday from Las Vegas, and SB Nation will have you covered every step of the way.
2024 men’s Pac-12 tournament bracket
Here is the 2024 Pac-12 men’s tournament bracket. You can also view the bracket on the tournament website.
2024 men’s Pac-12 tournament schedule
March 13 First Round
Game 1: No. 8 Washington vs. No. 9 USC, 3:00 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Game 2: No. 5 UCLA vs. No. 12 Oregon State, 5:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Game 3: No. 7 California vs. No. 10 Stanford, 9:00 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Game 4: No. 6 Utah vs. No. 11 Arizona State, 11:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
March 14 Quarterfinals
Game 5: No. 1 Arizona vs. Winner Game 1, 3:00 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Game 6: No. 4 Oregon vs. Winner Game 2, 5:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Game 7: No. 2 Washington State vs. Winner Game 3, 9:00 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Game 8: No. 3 Colorado vs. Winner Game 4, 11:30 p.m. ET, FS1
March 15 Semifinals
Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 8:00 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Game 10: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner, 10:30 p.m. ET, FS1
March 16 Championship
Game 11: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner, 9:00 p.m. ET, FOX
