Pac-12 Tournament Blog: Bears send Utes packing

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LAS VEGAS — The Pac-12 Tournament is back and we'll be giving you the various sights, sounds and insights to the games that will take place over the weekend. Follow along to see what's happening at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as a team is named the Pac-12 champion.

Thursday, 05:46pm

Bears send Utes packing

According to NCAA tourney experts, Cal needed a win vs. Utah to improve its chances for a bid to the big dance. Thursday, No. 5 Cal did just that, knocking off No. 4 seed Utah 78-75. The Bears will face No. 1 seed Oregon tomorrow in the semifinal round. Cal guards Charlie Moore and Jabari Bird were just too much for the Utes to handle, combining for 47 points. Cal also had 12 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second chance points. Utah fought back late, cutting an 11 point deficit to one with under a minute to play. Utah had a chance to tie as time expired, but a three pointer by Sedrick Barefield was off the mark. For Utah, it looks like the NCAA tourney is out of the picture, most likely awaiting a trip to the NIT.

Thursday, 04:31pm

Cal-Utah tied at the half

Utah is shooting the ball better than the Cal Bears but can't find some separation and are tied 30-30 at halftime. Utah is shooting it 57 percent from the field, whereas the Bears are shooting it 37 percent. The one advantage that the Bears have is that they're making it extremely difficult for Utah to get second-chance points. Utah currently has 0 offensive rebounds and are being outrebounded 18-9. Utah's David Collette picked up two quick fouls with 9:56 left in the first half, forcing him to sit on the bench for the remainder of the half. With Collette out of the game, Cal has been able to abuse Utah in the paint. It also didn't help that Utah went on a 5 minute scoring drought midway through the half, only to be broken up by Lorenzo Bonam with a driving slam dunk. Utah is led by Kyle Kuzma's 13 points and one rebound, but will need more from the rest of the team to find separation. Cal does not have anyone in double figures, but have distributed shooting all around. Star Ivan Rabb has two fouls and was forced to sit for the remaining 5 minutes of the first half.

Thursday, 03:19pm

Who's moving on?

Thursday, 03:04pm

Oregon does what Oregon does

Arizona State gave the Oregon Ducks a hard time in the first half, but were no match for the scoring of the Ducks in the second half. Oregon smothered Arizona State, beating the Sun Devils 78-55 to advance to the semifinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament. Arizona State scored 3 points in the first couple minutes of the second half, but then went on a 7:25 scoring drought, shooting 0-of-11 in that time period. The Sun Devils eventually made an 8-2 run to cut the lead to 10 points and slowly battled back. Arizona State's Torian Graham finished the game with 32 points and six rebounds, but the rest of the team was a combined 7-for-36. Oregon's Tyler Dorsey and Dillon Brooks led the team in scoring, with 21 and 22 points, respectively.

Thursday, 02:21pm

Devon Daniels and David Collette to play

Larry Krystkowiak told the Pac-12 that Devon Daniels and David Collette will play today against Cal. Collette left the final game of the regular season with concussion-like symptoms. Daniels was suspended a few weeks back and was in the process of working his way back onto the team.

Larry Krystkowiak just confirmed that Devon Daniels and David Collette will play today against Cal.

— Ashley Adamson (@AdamsonAshley) March 9, 2017 Krystkowiak had indicated earlier in the week that there would be a possibility that Collette would play, but that he would need to pass concussion protocol before any consideration was made. With Daniels, however, Krystkowiak was more tight lipped, saying that the suspension has been positive and that there was a possibility the freshman would return when ready. Collette and Daniels both practiced with the team Wednesday.

Thursday, 01:53pm

Oregon takes 34-31 lead into half

Photo: Josh Furlong, KSL.comThere were 15 lead changes in the first half as No. 1 seed Oregon holds a slight 34-31 edge over No. 8 Arizona State in the first quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Tournament. Oregon's Dillion Brooks leads the Ducks with 11 points, including 3-5 from 3. Arizona State's Torian Graham leads all scorers with 16 points, but no other Sun Devil has more than 5. Both teams are shooting 40% or better from 3.

Thursday, 01:10pm

Pac-12 resume with quarterfinal round

Although the higher seeded teams had to work a bit Wednesday, the Pac-12 Tournament has gone as predicted thus far. Will Thursday bring any upsets? Here are how the games look to start the day:

Game 1 (1 p.m.): No. 8 Arizona State vs. No. 1 Oregon

Spread: Oregon favored by 17 points
KenPom Prediction: 90% win probability for Oregon

Game 2 (3:30 p.m.): No. 5 Cal vs. No. 4 Utah

Spread: Utah favored by 4 points
KenPom Prediction: 56% win probability for Utah

Game 3 (7 p.m.): No. 7 Colorado vs. No. 2 Arizona

Spread: Arizona favored by 8 points
KenPom Prediction: 75% win probability for Arizona

Game 4 (9:30 p.m.): No. 6 USC vs. No. 3 UCLA

Spread: UCLA favored by 10 points
KenPom Prediction: 79% win probability for UCLA

Wednesday, 11:45pm

USC fights back with strong 2nd half to advance

Photo: John Locher, AP Photo It wasn't easy for USC, yet nothing was for any of the favorites in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament. USC outscored Washington 41-34 in the 2nd half to come from behind in a 78-73 win, largely behind a 24-29 effort from behind the charity stripe. Chimezie Metu lead all scorers with 24 points, while nearly missing a double with 9 boards. With the win, the Trojans advance to the quarterfinals tomorrow, facing LA rival UCLA at 9:30 PM.

Wednesday, 10:23pm

USC on the #UpsetWatch?

It's been a crazy first day of the Pac-12 Tournament, with many of the underdog teams coming out hot to start the game. All the top seeds have won, but it hasn't been an easy task. USC is the latest team on #UpsetAlert after Washington came out in the first half shooting 57 percent.More importantly, the Huskies came out hot behind the 3-point line, making 5-of-10 and three consecutive 3-pointers with less than 4 minutes to play in the half. And the Huskies are doing it all without their star player Markelle Fultz, who is out with an injury.Washington's Malik Dime is making it extremely difficult for the Trojans to get any shots off in the paint, finishing the half with four blocks and disrupting several other shots. Washington has led all game, with its largest lead of the night, 10 points, coming with 3:33 left in the half. USC would cut the lead and trail by 2 points at the half, with the Huskies leading 39-37.

Wednesday, 09:11pm

Colorado erases 19-point lead to beat Washington State

Photo: John Locher, AP PhotoWashington State led by as much as 19 with 7 minutes left in the first half, but allowed Colorado to chip at the lead and eventually lost 73-63 in the third game of the first round. Colorado outscored Washington State 46-27 in the final 10 minutes of the first half and first 10 minutes of the second half. The Buffaloes took their first lead of the game with 9 minutes left in the second half on a Xavier Johnson 3-pointer. Johnson would go on to make a game-changing dunk to put the Buffaloes up by 6 points. Colorado would end the game with a worse shooting percentage and 3-point percentage than Washington State (43-45 percent). Additionally, the Cougars outscored the Buffaloes in second-chance points (12-3), but still managed to lose the game. Colorado's Derrick White was a big factor in the game, finishing with 26 points, five rebounds and five assists. Johnson added 19 points and six rebounds. Colorado advances to the quarterfinals where they will play No. 2 Arizona Thursday at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, 07:55pm

Cougars hot shooting gives them double digit halftime lead

No. 10 Washington State shot 57% from the field, including 5-8 from three in the first half as they ran out to a 41-27 lead at the break over No. 7 Colorado. It was apparent from the tip that the Cougars would be the aggressor, effectively moving the ball on offense, accumulating 12 assists, while defensively shutting down anything and everything the Buffaloes tried to put together. Colorado was limited to just 32% from the field. Three Washington State players each have 10 points.

Tad Boyle has never lost in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament (5-0). Buffs in trouble early tonight, down 16 to WSU late in the 1st.

— Ashley Adamson (@AdamsonAshley) March 9, 2017

Wednesday, 05:49pm

No. 5 Cal struggles to get past No. 12 Oregon State

Photo: John Locher, AP PhotoOregon State gave its all in its final game of the season, narrowly losing to Cal in the first found of the Pac-12 Tournament, 67-62. Every time Cal tried to extend its lead, the Beavers fought back and closed the gap. However, poor free throw shooting came to be the thorn in Oregon State's side at the end, finishing shooting 58 percent (14-of-24) from the charity stripe. The Beavers stayed in much of the game as a result of its incredible ability to make 3-point shots Wednesday night. The Beavers finished the game shooting 59 percent (10-of-17) from behind the arc, which is a huge increase from its season average of 33.9 percent. Although Cal comes away with the win, scoring is coming at a premium. In the final two games of the regular season, the Bears averaged 45 points and only mustered 65 in the first round against the league's worst team. The Bears got a lift from Jabari Bird, who finished with 20 points, but Ivan Rabb was held to 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting. Cal will play Utah in the quarterfinal round of the tournament Thursday at 3:30 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.

Cal's O woes didn't return with team to Berkeley; they went straight to the Strip and set up shop. Oh, goodness

— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) March 9, 2017

Wednesday, 04:19pm

Beavers keeping it close at the half

Despite being heavily favored, 5th seed Cal struggled to get any separation against 12th seed Oregon State, holding a slim 32-29 lead at the half. Cal started just 1-8 from three point range. The usually dependable Ivan Rabb was 1-7 with only two points. Oregon State shot 50% (5-10) from three and held an eight point lead less than three minutes into the game.

Wasn't it just 2 weeks ago that Cal routed Oregon State 76-46?
The Bears have scored just 122 points over the past 2 1/2 games.

— Jeff Faraudo (@JeffFaraudo) March 8, 2017

Wednesday, 03:26pm

Cal-Oregon State preview

The second game of the tournament features two teams that had a 1-1 record against Utah: Cal and Oregon State. Although Cal is a heavy favorite, 15-points, Oregon State could come away with an upset. It's not a likely pick, but the Beavers did find a way to get its only win in conference play against the Utes. Cal comes into the game giving up an opportunity for the No. 4 seed, losing to Utah and Colorado in the final week of conference play. The Bears have a lot to prove to have any chance of making it to the NCAA Tournament. The Bears are considered a bubble team and need to go deep in the Pac-12 Tournament to have any chance of dancing. But the Beavers have nothing to lose and could be a thorn in Cal's side in their hopes of making it to the Big Dance. Utah will play the winner of Cal-Oregon State, so it will be a game worth watching.

Wednesday, 03:14pm

Stanford forces overtime, but Arizona State comes away with win

Stanford entered the game as the No. 9 seed and a five-point favorite, but the No. 8 Arizona State Sun Devils took care of business and escaped with a 98-88 win. The Sun Devils led for much of the game before Stanford chipped away at the lead and forced overtime. Arizona State would dominate in overtime and escaped with a 10-point win. The Sun Devils will move on to play No. 1 Oregon Thursday. Wednesday's opening game was a great way to start off the tournament. But we'll see if there are any upsets as the games progress.

The last time a first round #Pac12Hoops game went to OT?

Stanford/ASU. 2013. In the first game of that day, too.

History repeats.

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) March 8, 2017

Pac-12 Tournament Blog: Bears send Utes packing

By Josh Furlong | Posted - March 9, 2017 at 5:46 p.m.

Bears send Utes packing

Cal-Utah tied at the half

Who's moving on?

Oregon does what Oregon does

Devon Daniels and David Collette to play

Oregon takes 34-31 lead into half

Pac-12 resume with quarterfinal round

USC fights back with strong 2nd half to advance

USC on the #UpsetWatch?

Colorado erases 19-point lead to beat Washington State

Cougars hot shooting gives them double digit halftime lead

No. 5 Cal struggles to get past No. 12 Oregon State

Beavers keeping it close at the half

Cal-Oregon State preview

Stanford forces overtime, but Arizona State comes away with win

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Pac-12 Tournament Blog: Bears send Utes packing

By Josh Furlong | Posted - March 9, 2017 at 5:46 p.m.

Bears send Utes packing

Cal-Utah tied at the half

Who's moving on?

Oregon does what Oregon does

Devon Daniels and David Collette to play

Oregon takes 34-31 lead into half

Pac-12 resume with quarterfinal round

USC fights back with strong 2nd half to advance

USC on the #UpsetWatch?

Colorado erases 19-point lead to beat Washington State

Cougars hot shooting gives them double digit halftime lead

No. 5 Cal struggles to get past No. 12 Oregon State

Beavers keeping it close at the half

Cal-Oregon State preview

Stanford forces overtime, but Arizona State comes away with win

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