Pac-12 Dances Into Sweet 16

Basketball on the west coast has always deserved more than the blink that it has gotten on the east coast and in the midwest because, in many years, the Pac-12 had the programs that should equate the Big Ten and ACC in NCAA Tournament seeds. Media reps weren’t watching so that they could talk about the “Conference of Champions” with any depth and accuracy, because of a perceived early bedtime in the east and midwest.

The Pac-12 still hasn’t gotten its due until just recently when times started earlier to be adjust those late-night viewers that existed on ESPN and its networks. In addition to the Fox Sports 1 lineup was a plus as FS1 now hosts the Pac-12 and the Mountain West.

Add to the Pac-12 current No. 1 Gonzaga, San Diego State, their Conferences – the WCC and Mountain West – and then the Big West. Just three years ago, Cal-Irvine, a 14-seed, and Big West champion – took out 3-seed Kansas State for the Anteaters’ first NCAA Tournament win.

There’s now enough variety in the west, but maybe the Pac-12 has been its deepest in recent history as five teams were placed in the NCAA Tournament and Oregon, Oregon State, USC won two games to get into this season’s Sweet 16 while UCLA won three games in five days to join those three sister teams.

It’s the first time that four Pac-12 teams have found their ways into the Sweet 16 since 2001. After all, the “Conference of Champions” is 10-1 in this year’s tournament heading into the Sweet 16 this weekend.

“Our whole league, Pac-12, we’ve been trying to tell you guys in the media for the last couple years the Pac-12 is really good,” said USC coach Andy Enfield. “Last year was exceptional. This year the same. Last year we had 10 NBA Draft picks. This year our teams are very, very good.”

The following is a look at the Ducks, Beavers, Trojans, and Bruins and how they got into the Sweet 16. Now, we can all start the campaign for how under-seeded these four teams were and the problems they can cause future opponents or potentially each other.

Four Pac-12 teams in the Sweet 16 and only one Big Ten team out of the nine that were shoe-horned into March Madness speaks a lot about how underrated the Pac-12 was this season as well as how overrated the Big Ten was found out to be.

*All betting lines and odds are courtesy of Bovada online sportsbook.

Bill Walton’s prediction of five Pac-12 teams in the @FinalFour is still alive. 👀

Yes, FIVE. #MarchMadness

(h/t @DavePasch) pic.twitter.com/00QMkpCBzK

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 22, 2021

No. 6 West – USC Trojans (24-7, 15-5)

The USC Trojans haven’t been to the Sweet 16 since 2007 when they faced Kevin Durant-led Texas Longhorns and that was one of two Sweet 16 appearances in the 59 years coming into this season. Think back to the old Pac-8 though and how many USC teams only loss twice to UCLA and where those teams would have gone in the process as only the league winners went to the NCAA Tournament back in the day.

The Trojans were dismissed from the Pac-12 Tournament by streaking Colorado, so coach Andy Enfield rallied the troops and they controlled Drake in their opening game, 72-56. Add to that a resounding 85-51 dismantling of the Kansas Jayhawks on Monday evening and you have a team that feels like it has a shot to win four in a row and cut down the nets in Indianapolis.

The Trojans were 18-3 on Feb. 17 after a home win over Arizona State and then they lost three out of four where they were ripped 80-62 at Colorado and 71-61 at Utah two nights later. USC struggled on defense which it has found again in winning five of the last six games which put Troy in the Sweet 16.

Defense travels all right as the Trojans held Kansas to that same 29% as their 85-51 pounding of the Jayhawks was the third worst loss in Kansas history. Isaiah Mobley led five Trojans in double figures with 17 points as USC made 57.1% of its shots and 61.5 in the second half. The Jayhawks weren’t even close to matching USC’s athleticism as the Mobley’s owned the paint with USC placing 38 points inside.

USC is one of three teams that are ranked in the Top 15 in offensive and defensive efficiency as they shoot 47.1% from the field and hold opponents to 38.7%.

• Evan Mobley (16.5 ppg, 58%-FG) has been arguably the best overall player in the game as a freshman.
• Enfield’s addition of Tahj Eaddy (13.5 ppg, 36.6%-3FG) was a major move.
• As was the addition of hard-nosed Isaiah White (7.3 ppg, 47.1%-FG) from Utah Valley.

White is arguably USC’s best defender and has a presence on the boards. Using Isaiah Mobley with Evan and then adding Drew Petersen as a 3-guard from Rice and USC has had a lot of players contributing from different areas.

The biggest concern with USC may be the free throw line where the Trojans make only 64.3% of their foul shots. This upcoming game with Oregon will not be a blow out in any stretch and it could come down to free-throw shooting.

The USC Trojans are installed as a (-3) point favorite over Oregon as the size and height are in favor of the Trojans. With the way they are defending, a showdown with Gonzaga who is favored by (-13.5) over Creighton could be looming. We really wish the Trojans and Ducks could’ve matched up later with the Final Four potential of both.

No. 7 West – Oregon Ducks (21-6, 14-4)

The Ducks’ appearance in the Sweet 16 is the first since 2017 when they lost a tough 77-76 decision to eventual champion North Carolina and the Ducks would have matched up with Gonzaga if they would have beaten the Tar Heels. So who would the Ducks match up within the West Regional Final should they knock off Pac-12 rival USC in the Sweet 16? Gonzaga, assuming the Bulldogs pluck, tar, and feather the Creighton Blue Jays like generally everyone outside of Omaha, Nebraska, thinks they should.

The Ducks had won 11 out of 12 games as the program finally had gotten its feet under it after six pauses due to covid protocols in a three-week stretch leading into February. It was no coincidence that Oregon went on this tear at about the same time guard Will Richardson came back from injury as the Ducks were 12-3 when he joined the team for good.

After the dismissal by the Beavers, Oregon arrived in Indianapolis as a lower than expected 7-seed and was afforded a trip into the Round of 32 to meet Iowa after their first-round opponent VCU had COVID-19 positives and the game was ruled a no contest.

The Ducks were relaxed and ready to ball as they rolled to 56 first-half points and pounded Iowa for 46 points in the paint in taking a 95-80 win early on Monday. Oregon’s physicality was on display most of the afternoon as the Ducks shot 59.5% from the floor and made 11 threes. Chris Duarte led Oregon with 23 points while LJ Figueroa scored 21 with Will Richardson and Eugene Omouyi placing 19 and 17 points.

Oregon has an adjusted offensive efficiency that is 10th best in the NCAA, per kenpom.com analytics as the Ducks make a paltry 38.2% of their three-point shots as Duarte makes 42.8% from long range and has a team-leading 59 makes. Figueroa is a pesky inside-inside-out player who transferred from St. John’s and he makes 39% of his triples while he is at 48.1% inside the arc.

Coach Dana Altman’s five starters are all around 6-6 and are athletic enough to play any position. It’s truly positionless basketball with a multitude of dynamics.

The Ducks are (+3) for Saturday night’s battle with USC after they lost the lone game between the two, 72-58, at Galen Center in February. This was the lone loss in the middle of Oregon’s 10-1 mid-to-late season run as the Ducks fell behind by 16 early and never recovered.

No. 11 South – UCLA Bruins (20-9, 13-6)

The Bruins are hot again at the right time and coach Mick Cronin has this team in the Sweet 16 after UCLA lost the previous four games, including an 83-79 overtime decision to Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals.

The Bruins became a solid defensive unit with an aggressive, hard-hard-nosed mantra. He implemented another outstanding job in wielding together this team’s chemistry after UCLA lost Chris Smith after eight games to a season-ending injury and then Jalen Hill, who had shot 55.6% through his 14 games, became a big loss as well.

The Bruins’ 86-80 win over Michigan State in the First Four may have bred the confidence it needed after the Bruins trailed, 44-33, at halftime. Jamie Jacquez, Jr. scored five points and Johnny Juzang hit a three as the Bruins served notice right out of halftime in cutting the Spartans’ lead to 49-45 in just four minutes.

UCLA’s offensive output has been strong and consistent in these three games as the Bruins have shot 47% from the floor. They’re doing this with the athleticism of the starting five. The tough thing from Cronin’s squad is the lack of punch off the bench

• Johnny Juzang has been the go-to man so far in the NCAA Tournament as he has averaged 22.3 points while making 26-of-51 shots in the three games.
• Jamie Jacquez, Jr. has been right there with him in averaging 16.7 points as he has made 20-of-38 shots in the three-game run.

The Bruins’ ability to control tempo on both ends of the floor could be the determining factor in Sunday’s matchup against Alabama. While the Crimson Tide press the issue on both ends of the floor, the Bruins are 337th in the nation in adjusted tempo. This encompasses an offensive pace of 18.8 seconds (309th/NCAA) and 18.1 seconds on defense (321st/NCAA).

Point guard Tyger Campbell who plays 33.7 minutes and has amassed 158 assists and 55 turnovers. Big man Cody Riley has picked his game up as well in shooting 55.9% from the field.

UCLA (+6.5) is the underdog vs. Alabama in a game that will be all about tempo and how the Bruins’ bench contributes.

No. 12 Midwest – Oregon State Beavers (19-12, 10-10)

The Beavers are the best story in the Sweet 16 as they were 10-10 after a tight loss at Arizona State on Feb. 14. Coach Wayne Tinkle and his staff had a seven-hour meeting upon the return back to Corvalis. They identified all the things that needed to be fixed. The biggest was for the Beavers to buy in more to the system and the program and to forget about the individual identity.

The rest is history as Oregon State ran to the Pac-12 title with wins over UCLA, Oregon, and Colorado, and then the Beavers used a physically imposing defense in capturing wins over Tennessee and Oklahoma State last weekend. This marked the first time Oregon State had won an NCAA Tournament game since 1982.

The Beavers’ story is one of an awakening under Tinkle, who is one of the most underrated coaches in the country. He has a solid senior point guard in Ethan Thompson, who is averaging 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds so far in the tournament, as well as Warith Alatishe, who has averaged 10.4 points and 10.5 rebounds in the Beavers’ five tournament games.

.@_ethanthompson5

26 points
7 rebounds
15-16 FTs#GoBeavs pic.twitter.com/CFhjc6ECBu

— Oregon State Hoops (@BeaverMBB) March 22, 2021

Alatishe is an unbelievable athlete who averaged 14 points and 9.7 rebounds in the Pac-12 Tournament as his skills around the rim.

Maybe the most unexpected contribution is that of center Roman Silva who has scored 11.5 points with 8.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots in the two tournament wins. This is on the heels of a season where he netted 5.3 points with 2.4 boards and 0.5 blocks this season.

Tennessee never could adjust to the physicality that the Beavers brought as they held the Vols to 33.2% from the floor and 5-of-26 from three. Silva had 16 points as he was a perfect 8-of-8 from the floor.

Thompson controlled the Cowboys almost by himself with 26 points as he was 15 of 16 from the line. Again, the defense was on point in holding Oklahoma State to 27.7% from the field as it controlled Cade Cunningham in holding him to 6-of-20 from the floor.

The Beavers (+6.5) are the underdog against Loyola Chicago on Saturday, but this game feels like the first two. Oregon State in playing with supreme confidence and the Beavers feel like they could build a dam on yet another team and make it to the Elite Eight.

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Don’t forget Colorado

The Colorado Buffaloes defeated Georgetown, 96-73, in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012, but Florida State’s length combined with its pressure and switching swallowed the Buffs up in the second round, 71-53.

The Buffaloes finished 23-9, the third-most wins in program history, as coach Tad Boyle has the program in a really good place as it would have also gotten an NCAA Tournament nod a year ago if it wasn’t for COVID-19 forcing the cancellation on March Madness.

Point guard McKinley Wright left Boulder as the most decorated Buffalo in the history of the program. He was the only player in Pac-12 history to finish his career with 1,700 points, 600 rebounds, and 600 assists.

A word about Stanford

The conference was even deeper before Stanford, besieged with all of its covid issues, had to stay on the road for the first two-third of the season as the Cardinal actually relocated to North Carolina after the Cardinal’s appearance in the Camping World Maui Tournament which was moved from Maui to the Asheville, NC due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Cardinal then had to adhere to Santa Clara County restrictions and stayed in North Carolina as coach Jerod Haase played for Carolina coach Roy Williams and was his assistant at Kansas and North Carolina. Ultimately, the Cardinal then could only play home games in the Golden State Warriors’ G-League facilities in Santa Cruz until Feb.2 in a loss to USC.

Add into that the losses of freshman phenom Ziaire Williams, the highest-rated recruit in Cardinal history, Daejon Davis and Bryce Willis and you ask yourself how the Cardinal was able to survive with a 14-13 record.