Roundup: Quarterfinals set for women, Arizona wins men's crown
We’re down to eight teams in Seattle. Washington State-Oregon got things started off right with a thrilling 66-64 decision in favor of the Cougs, but a story just as cool is that Washington State’s Louise Brown was surprised by her father coming all the way from Australia to watch her play.
UCLA women’s basketball beat Arizona in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday, winning 80-62. Also, Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports features UCLA basketball guard Norman Powell, saying he provides “energy, leadership [and a] scoring punch for the Bruins.”
Colorado dominated USC in the third game of the day Thursday, defeating the 2014 Pac-12 tourney champs 75-63. Pretty nice turnaround for the Buffs considering they lost to USC by 20 and 15 in the two regular-season games.
Washington rounded out the night with a 75-64 win over Utah despite trailing by six at the break. Our Adam Lewis says the win boosts Washington’s NCAA tournament résumé. San Jose native Jazmine Davis scored 29 points for the Dawgs.
So the Golden Bears get Washington in a Friday night quarterfinal (8:30 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks), and Mike Vernon writes that Cal women’s basketball “has plenty to gain” at the Pac-12 Tournament, namely securing a top-4 seed for the NCAA tournament. Earning that would allow the Golden Bears to host the first two rounds at Haas.
Oregon State will face the Buffs Friday night (6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT, Pac-12 Networks) for the right to play in the semis, and Gina Mizell lays out what’s on the line for Oregon State at the Pac-12 Tournament. The Beavers are looking at a No. 2 or No. 3 seed for the big dance.
Not the way the Utes wanted to go out, but Taryn Wicijowski was named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women’s basketball on Thursday. She has a – get this – 3.98 GPA while earning degrees in biology and psychology with a minor in chemistry. Oh yeah, she’s also working on a nutrition minor and finished the regular season averaging nearly 14 points and eight boards a game. #Doinwork
Arizona won its 14th Pac-12 men’s basketball title on Thursday after finishing off Cal 99-60 in large thanks to T.J. McConnell’s 11 assists. Luckily, Sean Miller said Rondae Hollis-Jefferson should play Saturday despite injuring his shoulder late in the game.
Arizona State got a big home win over Stanford Thursday night (67-62), and a big play in the W was Shaquielle McKissic making this circus shot. He scored 23 points in the dub.
You should really watch this short documentary of Stanford kicker Jordan Williamson talking about missing a game-winning field goal in the Fiesta Bowl. Definitely worth the 6:52 it takes to watch.
Former USC receiver Marqise Lee is suing an insurance company over a policy he took out because he fell to the second round of the NFL draft.
Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost defended Marcus Mariota’s NFL prospects in speaking with Peter King of MMQB.com.