Roundup: Arizona is last Pac-12 men's team standing in Big Dance
It’s all on you, Wildcats: With Arizona State and UCLA out in the First Four, Arizona is the last Pac-12 team remaining in the NCAA Tournament. Here’s Bruce Pascoe’s scouting report for the Arizona-Buffalo game (6:40 p.m. PT, CBS).
Here’s Doug Haller’s game story from Arizona State’s 60-56 loss to Syracuse in the First Four Wednesday night. Rough start to the NCAA Tournament for the Pac-12. Oh, and if you were wondering who that crying kid in ASU gear was, it turns out he’s the son of the team’s athletic trainer (CBS Sports).
Hey, at least the Pac-12 went 5-0 in the first round of the NIT, and Utah rallied to beat UC Davis after Larry Krystkowiak was ejected in the first half (The Salt Lake Tribune).
Here’s video of Washington men’s basketball coach Mike Hopkins talking after the Huskies’ 77-74 win over Boise State Wednesday night in Seattle.
And last but not least, Stanford hung on to beat BYU 86-83 at Maples Pavilion, nearly giving up a 10-point lead with 36 seconds remaining (San Francisco Chronicle). Reid Travis was a beast, going for 25 points and 14 rebounds.
Mirin Fader gives us this story on UCLA women’s basketball seniors Jordin Canada and Monique Billings gearing up for their last NCAA Tournament run. The third-seeded Bruins kick off the Big Dance with 14th-seeded American.
Nick Kranz of California Golden Blogs gives us a Cal-Virginia NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament game preview (Friday at 2 p.m. PT, ESPN2 or ESPN3, depending on where you’re at). Lindsay Gottlieb goes up against her former boss and former Cal head coach Joanne Boyle.
The NCAA Wrestling Championships begin Thursday in Cleveland, and Oregon State has four wrestlers competing in the NCAA Championships – Ronnie Bresser (125 pounds), Hunter Willits (157), Corey Griego (197) and Amarveer Dhesi (285). Bresser and Dhesi are legitimate All-American candidates, and Griego has the chops to nab a top-8 finish as well.
USC men’s basketball is trying to “turn the page” in the NIT after being snubbed from the Big Dance, writes Joey Kaufman. The Trojans will have to do it without Chimezie Metu and Bennie Boatwright.
Pat Rooney lets us know that Tad Boyle’s injured calf is healing. The Colorado men’s basketball head coach strained his calf muscle hustling on the floor to try to break up a skirmish at the end of the Buffs’ opening-round Pac-12 Tournament win over Arizona State.
Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson will miss at least four games with a fractured right thumb, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports.
Here’s a headline you probably didn’t expect to read – Jordan Bell gave Bill Walton a ride home from the Warriors game Wednesday night.