Pac-12 Men's Basketball Weekly Release - Nov. 30, 2021

COMPLETE RELEASE

#PAC12MBB STARTING FIVE:

2 - Year 2 of the Pac-12’s 20-game conference schedule is underway, the only league in the country in which conference play has commenced.

• COLORADO defeated STANFORD, 80-76, on Sunday, Nov. 28 in the earliest Conference contest in league history.
• 10-of-12 early Conference contests will take place this week, with the last of the dozen early league games set for Dec. 12 when STANFORD hosts OREGON followed by remaining 108-game Pac-12 slate resuming Dec. 29.

3 - Three Pac-12 programs captured multi-team event titles around the Thanksgiving holiday as ARIZONA won the Roman Main Event in Las Vegas, UTAH won the Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach, Fla., and USC won The Wooden Legacy in Los Angeles.

• The three MTE titles are tied for the second-most in a season for the Pac-12 along with three in 2012-13. The Pac-12 won a league-record four MTE championships during the 2017-18 season.
• STANFORD will compete in the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, Hawai’i from Dec. 22-25.

3 - For a third consecutive week, three Pac-12 Men's Basketball programs appear in the Associated Press Top 25 as ARIZONA improved six spots to No. 11, USC climbed four spots to No. 20 and No. 5 UCLA stayed in the top 5.

• It marks the first week three Pac-12 teams appear in the top 20 since the Dec. 2, 2019 poll.
• It is ARIZONA’s highest ranking since checking in at No. 9 in the Jan. 29, 2018 poll.

6-0 - ARIZONA and USC are 2-of-20 undefeated teams remaining in NCAA Division I through Nov. 29 games.

• The Wildcats are 6-0 for the second time in the past three seasons (started 9-0 in 2019-20), while the Trojans are off to their best start since 2016-17 (14-0).
• Along with its current win streak, USC will also put the second-longest Conference series streak on the line Saturday at WASHINGTON STATE - the Trojans have won 10 straight meetings dating to 2016 (13 - Utah vs. WSU).

11 - 11 Pac-12 standouts collected All-Tournament Team accolades during recent holiday tournaments:

• Christian Koloko (MVP), ARIZ - Roman Main Event
• Andre Kelly, CAL - Ft. Myers Tip-Off
• Evan Battey, COLO - Paradise Jam
• Warith Alatishe, OSU - Emerald Coast Classic
• Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA - Empire Classic
• Boogie Ellis, Isaiah Mobley (MVP), Drew Peterson, USC - Wooden Legacy
• Branden Carlson (MVP), David Jenkins Jr., UTAH - Sunshine Slam
• Terrell Brown Jr., WASH - Crossover Classic

PAC-12 TIPOFF

SHARING THE SUGAR: Part of ARIZONA’s unbeaten start is its unselfish play as the Wildcats currently lead the nation with 23.5 assists per game.

• Per KenPom.com, Arizona also ranks first in the nation in assist rate - assisting on 73.8 percent of made field goals (141-of-191).
• The Wildcats also top the country in average scoring margin (+33.8), rank second in field goal percentage defense (32.5%) and third in points per game (91.5 ppg).

KEY NON-CONFERENCE WINS

AP TOP 25 OPPONENTS (2-7)
at #2 UCLA 86, #4 Villanova 77 (OT)
ARIZONA 80, #4 Michigan 62 (Las Vegas, Nev.)

POWER 6 OPPONENTS (3-8)
at #2 UCLA 86, #4 Villanova 77 (OT)
UTAH 68, Boston College 61 (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
ARIZONA 80, #4 Michigan 62 (Las Vegas, Nev.)

ROAD OPPONENTS (3-6)
USC 76, at Temple 71
USC 78, at Florida Gulf Coast 61
#2 UCLA 73, at UNLV 51

KENPOM.COM TOP 100 OPPONENTS (6-17)
at #2 UCLA 86, #4 Villanova 77 (OT)
at #13 OREGON 86, SMU 63
ARIZONA 82, Wichita State 78 (OT) (Las Vegas, Nev.)
ARIZONA 80, #4 Michigan 62 (Las Vegas, Nev.)
WASHINGTON 87, South Dakota State 76 (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
#24 USC 58, San Diego State 43 (Anaheim, Calif.)

PRESEASON CONFERENCE FAVORITES (7-2)
at #13 OREGON 83, Texas Southern 66
at #2 UCLA 86, #4 Villanova 77 (OT)
at WASHINGTON 72, Texas Southern 65
at WASHINGTON STATE 73, UC Santa Barbara 65
at CALIFORNIA 75, Southern Utah 68 (2OT)
at WASHINGTON STATE 92, Winthrop 86
WASHINGTON 87, South Dakota State 76 (Sioux Falls, S.D.)

2021 NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS (9-12)
at #13 OREGON 83, Texas Southern 66
at UTAH 70, Abilene Christian 56
at #2 UCLA 86, #4 Villanova 77 (OT)
at WASHINGTON 72, Texas Southern 65
at WASHINGTON STATE 73, UC Santa Barbara 65
ARIZONA 82, Wichita State 78 (OT) (Las Vegas, Nev.)
ARIZONA 80, #4 Michigan 62 (Las Vegas, Nev.)
at WASHINGTON STATE 92, Winthrop 86
#24 USC 58, San Diego State 43 (Anaheim, Calif.)

PRESEASON NATIONAL AWARDS

AP PRESEASON 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.

THE ALLIANCE

• On Aug. 24, the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 announced an historic alliance that will bring 41 world-class institutions together on a collaborative approach surrounding the future evolution of college athletics and scheduling. The alliance – which was unanimously supported by the presidents, chancellors and athletics directors at all 41 institutions – will be guided in all cases by a commitment to, and prioritization of, supporting student-athlete well-being, academic and athletic opportunities, experiences and diverse educational programming. More details at pac12.me/Alliance.

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 US LBM COAST-TO-COAST CHALLENGE

• After having the planned 2020 quadrupleheader canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Conference will launch the Pac-12 US LBM 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 US LBM 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