Title, byes, history on line in final week of Pac-12 men's hoops play

COMPLETE RELEASE

#PAC12HOOPS STARTING FIVE

0 - No seeds for the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament have been determined entering this Thursday’s games.
>> ARIZONA and USC have clinched first-round byes, while the next five teams in the standings - STANFORD, UCLA, UTAH, OREGON, WASHINGTON - remain in the hunt for a bye.

1 - Arizona can clinch at least a share of its 16th all-time league regular-season title, and fourth in the last five years, and secure the No. 1 seed for the Pac-12 Tournament with any victory, OR a loss by USC.
>> USC can clinch a share of its first Pac-12 regular-season title since 1985 with a victory AND one Arizona loss. The Trojans could earn their first-ever No. 1 seed with a win AND two Arizona losses.
>> STANFORD can earn a share of its first regular-season title since 2004 with two victories AND two Arizona losses AND a USC loss. The Cardinal cannot be the No. 1 seed.

3, 7, 9 - Three Pac-12 teams are in the NCAA RPI Top 50 (ARIZONA, USC, ARIZONA STATE), seven are in the top 75 (WASHINGTON, UTAH, UCLA, OREGON), and nine are in the top 100 (COLORADO, STANFORD), the third-most in the nation.
>> Nine NCAA RPI Top 100 teams would equal the most ever for the Conference (2015-16).

10.6 - Through 98 league games as of Feb. 26, the average scoring margin is 10.6 points.
>> 56 games have been decided by single digits
>> 17 have been decided by one possession (3 pts. or less)
>> 7 have gone into overtime (9 total OT periods)
>> 7 decided on team’s final possession (Daejon Davis, STAN - 1/7 vs. USC; Dominic Green, WASH - 2/3 vs. ARIZ; Tra Holder, ASU - 2/8 vs. USC; Stephen Thompson Jr., OSU - 2/10 vs. WASH; Chimezie Metu, USC - 2/15 vs. ORE; Drick Bernstine, WSU - 2/22 vs. CAL; Daejon Davis, STAN - 2/24 vs. WSU).

19 - Number of double-doubles posted by ARIZONA freshman Deandre Ayton, tied for fourth nationally and the most in the nation by a freshman. UCLA senior Thomas Welsh is T-11th nationally with 16.
>> The Conference freshman-record is 23 set by UCLA’s Kevin Love (2007-08), which included 19 during the regular season. The NCAA rookie mark is 28 by Kansas State’s Michael Beasley in 2007-08.

PAC-12 TIPOFF

RARE FEAT: ARIZONA’s Deandre Ayton (19.9p/11.2r) is on pace to become just the sixth player, and first freshman, in Conference history to lead the league in both scoring and rebounding in a season:

Lew Alcindor, UCLA (1966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69)
Bill Walton, UCLA (1971-72)
Mark McNamara, CAL (1981-82)
Ike Diogu, ASU (2004-05)
Leon Powe, CAL (2005-06)

HOLIDAY SEASON: UCLA’s Aaron Holiday (19.6p/5.8a) is on pace to become only the seventh player in Conference history to post averages of 19.0 points and 5.0 assists for a season:

Gary Payton, OSU (1988-89 & 1989-90)
Terrell Brandon, ORE (1990-91)
Damon Stoudamire, ARIZ (1994-95)
Jason Terry, ARIZ (1998-99)
Luke Ridnour, ORE (2002-03)
Markelle Fultz, WASH (2016-17)

RARE AIR: With its sweep through the Mountains last week, USC became the first team in the Pac-12 era to sweep both the Oregon and Mountain road trips in the same season. Below is a list of road sweeps in league play so far this season:

ARIZONA at CAL/STAN
STANFORD at WASH/WSU
USC at ORE/OSU & COLO/UTAH
UTAH at ORE/OSU & WASH/WSU

RECORDS WATCH: Several Pac-12 teams and players have set marks or are climbing/on pace for game, season or career records lists:

WASHINGTON STATE
>> 313 3FGM, seventh team in Conference history to reach 300 threes in a season. (2016-17: UCLA - 354, ASU - 328, ORE - 327; 2010-11: WASH - 305; 2006-07: ORE - 350; 2001-02: ORE - 304)

Kenny Wooten, OREGON
>> 77 blocks, 3rd on Pac-12 freshman season list

Matisse Thybulle, WASHINGTON
>> 87 steals, 10th on Pac-12 season list, on pace to approach Pac-12 season record (110, Jason Kidd, CAL 1993)
>> 191 career steals, 34 shy of Pac-12 career top 10

Jordan McLaughlin, USC
>> 685 career assists, sixth on Pac-12 career list
>> 197 career steals, 28 shy of Pac-12 career top 10

Deandre Ayton, ARIZONA
>> 19.9 ppg, on pace for Pac-12 freshman season top 5
>> 11.2 rpg, on pace to break Pac-12 freshman season record (10.6, Kevin Love, UCLA 2008)
>> 324 rebounds, third on Pac-12 freshman season list

Tra Holder, ARIZONA STATE
>> 521-of-680 FT, 11 FTM and 15 FTA shy of Pac-12 career top 10
>> 1,740 points, T-50th all-time in Pac-12

Thomas Welsh, UCLA
>> 983 career rebounds, 18th all-time in Pac-12, 17 shy of becoming 14th to 1,000 in league history

Kingsley Okoroh, CALIFORNIA
>> 193 career blocks, 10th on Pac-12 career list, two shy of ninth