TIP-OFF TUESDAY MARATHON, TOP-5 CLASH HEADLINE START OF 2021-22 PAC-12 MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON

COMPLETE RELEASE

#PAC12MBB STARTING FIVE:

12 - All 12 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball programs will be in action at home on college basketball’s opening day - Tues., Nov. 9.

• This will create a Pac-12 Networks first - all 12 programs in action on Pac-12 Networks, a 10-hour Tip-Off Tuesday marathon to mark Year 10 of the network’s men’s basketball coverage.
• The marathon begins at 12:00 p.m. PT with the first NCAA Division I contest of the season as WASHINGTON STATE hosts Alcorn State.
• All fans will have free access to all 12 games via the Pac-12 Now app and on Pac-12.com. The Pac-12 Now app is free to download and available via iOS, Android, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.

2, 4, 5, 6 - Among the 36 games scheduled for the opening week of the 2021-22 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball season:

• Two Power 6 conference opponents - OREGON STATE at Iowa State, #4 Villanova at #2 UCLA
• Four preseason league favorites - Texas Southern at #13 OREGON, #4 Villanova at #2 UCLA, Texas Southern at WASHINGTON, UC Santa Barbara at WASHINGTON STATE
• Five reigning league champs (reg. season/tourney) - Texas Southern at #13 OREGON, Abilene Christian at UTAH, #4 Villanova at #2 UCLA, Texas Southern at WASHINGTON, UC Santa Barbara at WASHINGTON STATE
• Six 2021 postseason teams (NCAA/NIT) - SMU at #13 OREGON, Texas Southern at #13 OREGON, BYU vs. #13 OREGON, #4 Villanova at #2 UCLA, Abilene Christian at UTAH, UC Santa Barbara at WASHINGTON STATE
• Six road games - CALIFORNIA at UNLV, OREGON STATE at Iowa State, OREGON STATE at Tulsa, STANFORD at Santa Clara, USC at Temple, USC at FGCU

2 vs. 4 - The first Friday of the 2021-22 season will bring a massive national matchup as No. 2 UCLA will host No. 4 Villanova at 8:30 p.m. PT on ESPN2.

• It’s the first top-5 matchup for any Pac-12 program since No. 5 UCLA won at No. 4 Arizona, 77-72, on 2/25/2017.
• It will be the Pac-12’s first AP top-5 non-conference regular-season matchup since No. 3 Stanford toppled No. 1 Duke, 84-83, on 12/21/2000 in Oakland. It’s the league’s first such home game since No. 4 Stanford hosted No. 1 UConn on 2/6/1999.

2 - At No. 2, UCLA is the highest ranked Pac-12 team in the Associated Press preseason poll since Arizona also opened at No. 2 ahead of the 2014-15 season.

• OREGON is No. 13, marking the first time since 2017-18 the Pac-12 opens a season with two AP Top 15 teams.

1 - UCLA was a near-unanimous choice as 2021-22 Pac-12 favorite, with the Bruins collecting 32-of-34 first-place media votes. Defending regular-season champion OREGON was picked as runner-up, followed by USC in third and a tie for fourth between ARIZONA and reigning Pac-12 Tournament champ OREGON STATE.

PAC-12 TIPOFF

MARCH MOMENTUM: Pac-12 Men’s Basketball will seek to carry the momentum of a record-setting performance in the 2021 NCAA Tournament over to the 2021-22 campaign.

• The Pac-12 matched its all-time league marks for total wins (13), Sweet 16 teams (4) and Elite Eight teams (3) in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, while member UCLA finished one possession shy of advancing to the national championship game.
• The Pac-12 set a league record with five teams ranked in the final USA Today Coaches Poll.
• Five Pac-12 teams earned 2021 NCAA Tournament berths – the most for the Conference since a record seven in 2015-16.
• Thanks to the efficient performances of its five NCAA Tournament participants, the Pac-12 (+16.21) finished the 2020-21 season at No. 3 in the KenPom.com conference rankings, its highest ranking and rating since finishing No. 1 in 2008-09 (+16.15) and 2007-08 (+16.86).
• Despite a shortened season which cut the maximum allowable number of regular-season games by four (27 from 31), the Pac-12 still had five teams reach the 20-win plateau in 2020-21, one off the league’s record of six and the most of any Division I league in 2020-21.

PRESEASON NATIONAL AWARDS

AP FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICAN
Johnny Juzang, UCLA

NABC NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Watch List
Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA
Johnny Juzang, UCLA

NAISMITH TROPHY NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Watch List
Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA
Johnny Juzang, UCLA
Isaiah Mobley, USC
Will Richardson, Oregon

WOODEN AWARD NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Watch List
Tyger Campbell, UCLA
Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA
Johnny Juzang, UCLA
Isaiah Mobley, USC
Will Richardson, Oregon

NAISMITH MEMORIAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME AWARDS
Watch Lists

Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year
Tyger Campbell, UCLA
Will Richardson, Oregon

Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year
De’Vion Harmon, Oregon
Johnny Juzang, UCLA
Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona

Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year
Marcus Bagley, Arizona State
Harrison Ingram, Stanford
Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA
Jabari Walker, Colorado

Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year
Quincy Guerrier, Oregon
Isaiah Mobley, USC
Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year
Myles Johnson, UCLA

PAC-12 MEN'S BASKETBALL INITIATIVES

YEAR 2 of 20-GAME SCHEDULE IN 2021-22; NEW 10-YEAR ANNUAL ROTATION

• The Pac-12 transitioned to a 20-game league schedule in 2020-21 in an effort to add more competitive and higher quality regional games to schedules and to elevate the national branding of Pac-12 men’s basketball. In addition to the second season of 20 league games, the Pac-12 unveiled in May 2021 a new 10-year annual opponent rotation for 2021-31. More details at pac12.me/21-22MBBsched.

NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE STANDARDS

• The Pac-12 implemented non-conference scheduling standards beginning with the 2020-21 season with goals of improving out-of-league schedule strength and increasing the number of NCAA Tournament selections. The standards include: (i) a non-Conference five-year trailing average of opponents’ NET ranking must be 175 or less, (ii) no participation in road buy games, (iii) no regular season games against non-Division I opponents and (iv) no road games versus a non-conference opponent with a five-year trailing average of 200 NET.

PAC-12 TITLE GAME MOVES TO FOX

• The 2022 Pac-12 Tournament Championship Game on Saturday, March 12 will be broadcast by FOX for the first time. The title contest will tip off at 6 p.m. PT with a lead-in from the BIG EAST Championship. It will mark the title game’s first airing on a broadcast network since 2012 (CBS).

PAC-12 COAST-TO-COAST CHALLENGE

• After having the planned 2020 quadrupleheader canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Conference will launch the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge in 2021 – a unique non-conference scheduling event designed to provide opportunities for its programs against quality opponents in marquee markets around the country. More details at pac12.me/C2CChallenge21.

2021 Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge
Sunday, Dec. 19 - T-Mobile Arena - Las Vegas
12:00 p.m. PT - STANFORD vs. Texas (men) - ABC
2:30 p.m. PT - ARIZONA vs. Texas (women) - ESPN2

PAC-12, SWAC CREATE PARTNERSHIP

• In 2022-23, the Pac-12 and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) will launch an educational and scheduling agreement featuring first-of-its-kind home-and-home series. The men’s and women’s basketball partnership is aimed at creating both a forum for competition, as well as promotion and education around issues of anti-racism and social justice. The partnership is set to begin in Nov. 2022, with six matchups for the initial men’s cycle determined. More details at pac12.me/Pac-12-SWAC.

MCLENDON MINORITY LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE

• In July 2020, every head men’s basketball coach from the Pac-12 Conference pledged his support to participate in the McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative to provide minorities a jump-start to their careers through practical experiences, opportunities to build their network, and instilling the values of John McLendon: Integrity, Education, Leadership, and Mentorship.

PAC-12, CHASE CENTER TO HOST NCAA WEST REGIONAL IN 2022 & 2025

• The Pac-12 Conference, Chase Center and the Golden State Warriors will serve as hosts for this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship West Regional March 24 & 26, 2022. The groups also will serve as West Regional hosts in 2025.
• It will mark the first time the NCAA Tournament will be played within the city of San Francisco since the West Regional was staged at the California Coliseum on Treasure Island in March 1939. Daly City’s Cow Palace (1955, 1958-60), Oakland’s Oracle Arena (1990, 1995, 2006) and San Jose’s SAP Center (1997, 2002, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019) are among the other Bay Area venues to host the tourney.

CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Expanded Standings) 

WEEKLY SCHEDULE (Full Schedule)

PAC-12 PERFORMANCE AWARDS PRESENTED BY NEXTIVA