Penultimate week of Pac-12 men's hoops play to be pressure packed

COMPLETE RELEASE

2 - With just two weeks left in the Conference season, the top eight teams in the Pac-12 standings remain in contention for a share of the league crown.
>> ARIZONA can clinch at least a share of its 16th all-time league regular-season title, and fourth in the last five years, with a victory and losses by both UCLA and USC.

4 - Only four games separate the eight teams still in contention for the league title, which is tied for the closest league race in the country along with the SEC.

2-6 - Between 2-to-6 Pac-12 teams are projected for the 2018 NCAA Tournament field by a majority of major media bracketology sites as of Feb. 19:

CBS Sports (4, +2 First Four Out)
USA Today (3, +2 First Four Out)
SI.com (3, +2 First Five Out)
NBC Sports (3, +1 First Four Out, +2 Next Four Out)
FOX Sports (3)
ESPN (2, +3 First Four Out, +1 Next Four Out)

6, 9 - Six Pac-12 teams are in the NCAA RPI Top 50 and nine are in the top 100, both tied for the third-most nationally. ARIZONA, ARIZONA STATE, USC, UCLA, WASHINGTON and UTAH are in the top 50.
>> Nine NCAA RPI Top 100 teams would equal the most ever for the Conference (2015-16).

10.9 - Through 86 league games as of Feb. 19, the average scoring margin is 10.9 points.
>> 49 games have been decided by single digits
>> 15 have been decided by one possession (3 pts. or less)
>> 5 have gone into overtime (7 total OT periods)
>> 5 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).

ROADIN’ UTES: Utah’s wins through Washington last week marked its second road sweep of Pac-12 play, only the fifth road sweep in the league this year and the only team to accomplish the feat twice.

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

HOLIDAY SEASON: UCLA’s Aaron Holiday (19.4p/5.7a) is on an exclusive national list of players averaging at least 19.0 points and 5.0 assists this season:

Trae Young, Oklahoma
RJ Cole, Howard
Jon Elmore, Marshall
Jermaine Marrow, Hampton
Jaylen Adams, St. Bonaventure

Holiday would be only the seventh player in Conference history to post those averages 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)

DRAWING A CROWD: As league play winds down, the Pac-12 era average attendance mark remains in sight. An average of 8,430 fans have attended through 86 league games, just shy of the 8,737 average during the 2016-17 campaign.

Kenny Wooten, OREGON
>> 73 blocks, T-3rd on Pac-12 freshman season list

Matisse Thybulle, WASHINGTON
>> 82 steals, three shy of Pac-12 season top 10, on pace to approach Pac-12 season record (110, Jason Kidd, CAL 1993)
>> 186 career steals, 39 shy of Pac-12 career top 10

Jordan McLaughlin, USC
>> 673 career assists, sixth on Pac-12 career list
>> 192 career steals, 33 shy of Pac-12 career top 10

Deandre Ayton, ARIZONA
>> 19.7 ppg, on pace for Pac-12 freshman season top 5
>> 10.9 rpg, on pace to break Pac-12 freshman season record (10.6, Kevin Love, UCLA 2008)

Tra Holder, ARIZONA STATE
>> 515-of-674 FT, 17 FTM and 21 FTA shy of Pac-12 career top 10
>> 1,717 points, 57th all-time in Pac-12

Thomas Welsh, UCLA
>> 966 career rebounds, 22nd all-time in Pac-12, 34 shy of becoming 14th to 1,000 in league history

Kingsley Okoroh, CALIFORNIA
>> 190 career blocks, one shy of Pac-12 career top 10