Final thoughts after final Pac-12 men's basketball tournament

The Pac-12 wrapped up its last men's basketball tournament on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with No. 4 Oregon surging past No. 3 Colorado 75-68 in a surprising championship game, with nationally ranked teams in Arizona and Washington State losing their respective semifinals. The Ducks got the automatic bid to the NCAA postseason, giving the conference four representatives after a season where it looked for a long time like there would be just two.

Colorado advanced as part of the "last four in" and will be the first of the teams playing with Arizona and Washington State both in the field as expected.

There was a nostalgic atmosphere as the days of the conference wound to a close in one of the marquee sports.

Here is what some of the parties had to say:

Wayne Tinkle, Oregon State coach

"I purposely didn't want to think about that a whole lot. I'm kind of over my disgust and frustration and I want to celebrate. When I did the pregame talk with the network off the bus, I finished with thanking everybody behind the scenes, behind the camera and in front of the camera, because it was a hell of a ride. And it's a shame that we're in the position that we're in. I'll probably lament on that stuff now that we're done, but we wanted to keep our focus on the present. And it's a damn shame. We say damn this, damn that, because of beaver dams. It's a dam shame. But it is what it is. We've got to regroup. We've got to retool. And I love where we're going to take our program and we're excited about where we're going. And that's what our motivation is going to continue to be."

Mark Madsen, Cal coach and former Stanford player (1996-2000)

"We went through all the emotion earlier in the year when we got word that the Pac-12 was going to dissolve and we all have feelings about it. I have great memories of the Pac-12. I grew up watching it, all these schools — USC, UCLA, Stanford, Cal. I played in the conference, made a lot of great friends, the teams I played on and on teams I played against. I see a lot of the guys I played against, so it's a shame that the Pac-12 is coming to an end and every university is going to go their own way."

Mick Cronin, UCLA coach

"Sad. Sad. Sad. I think I know this because I follow it closely, but I've talked to our head of the NCAA, Mr. (Charlie) Baker. He's doing everything he can to save college sports. I truly believe that. All you have to do is look at what has happened to this great conference and realize it can happen to all of college sports. People with all this stuff, I'll throw something else out. People will say, `Well that can't happen.' And I say if you had met me five years ago and I would have told you all of this was going on, you would have said, `there's no way.' You're not in the Big Ten. There's not collectives recruiting, and paying players, courts saying, every time we have a court rule the court says you can't have one. So here's what I got for you, N'Faly Dante (of Oregon) is making NIL money, let's just assume it's better than what he can make professionally next year. He should get an attorney and he should get an injunction so he can keep playing in college because we lose every other case, the NCAA. And I know you all are looking at me like you're crazy, but why wouldn't he do that? Because look at it as that is taking away his right to make a living. I bet he would win. Every other case wins. So the whole thing is nuts. But as far as the Pac-12, I feel bad for the West Coast basketball fans, personally for UCLA fans and mainly for the alumni that have hung so many banners and been such an illustrious past of the Pac-12, records and all of that stuff. Where does it all go?"

Bobby Hurley, Arizona State coach, after Pac-12 tournament loss

"You just have a vision for something better. That's going to be a lasting memory of us playing in the Pac-12. Wow. That's a terrible, terrible memory and nine years of being in this league and coaching in this league and it's going to be gone and that's how we chose to go out. It doesn't feel good."

Dana Altman, Oregon coach

“It hurts that we're not going to have a Pac-12. We won the first one here in 2013 when it moved to Vegas. And we're winning the last one here in Vegas. Vegas has been really good to us. I'm going to miss that. So part of me is really sad that this is not going to be here because like all the coaches in the league, I like to travel in the league. And those things are all going to change. But change is exciting also, even at my age. I am kind of looking forward to it. It's going to be a different challenge. So I'm looking forward to that.”

Craig Smith, Utah coach

"It's a historic year and not one that everyone wants to talk about. I grew up in Minnesota and I love sports no matter what. So, just following the Pac-12 for all these years, it's a bittersweet deal. But like any year, when you get in the conference tournament play, you want to put your best foot forward, and these guys are young men, and these guys get four to five years. Both these guys will get five years of eligibility. But you only have four or five opportunities in your lifetime to play in March Madness. To play in a conference tournament and win a game or multiple games, these opportunities don't happen very often. But for 18 years of their life or 19 years of their life or 17, they grew up dreaming of playing in this kind of an environment and this kind of facility, a world-class arena, and a big-time conference. So they're magical moments."

Jerod Haase, Stanford coach and former Cal player (1992-93)

"It's a little bit surreal to think the Pac-12 is coming to an end. Sad is probably the best description. Times are changing so fast in college athletics as we know with the realignment, the advent of NIL, the number of transfers and I think the next few years it will continue to change and so it's sad and disappointing but the reality is it's part of the carnage that is going on across the landscape right now and at the end of the day everyone is going to move forward and reinvent themselves a little bit but right now as we wind down the next few days, if I had a single word to describe it, it would be sad."

Adem Bona, UCLA sophomore basketball player

"I think it's really amazing because we play for a school that has a lot of history in the Pac-12. Representing the school for the last time and the last time we're ever going to play in the Pac-12 is really big. And we really want to leave our mark in the Pac-12 for the last time, so we're doing everything to carry on the school name."

Joshua Morgan, USC senior basketball player

"It is a bummer. When I came here, the Pac-12 was my favorite conference. I always wanted to come to a Pac-12 school. And grateful every day that Andy (Enfield) recruited me here. It's definitely bittersweet. I am happy I was able to play in the last Pac-12 Tournament. Obviously it didn't go the way we wanted it to, but at the end of the day I am just happy with the team, happy with the program and very grateful to be here."

D.J. Rodman, USC junior basketball player

"Been in it five years. I wasn't emotional because we lost, but more so because the journey that I took ... I don't want to sound selfish ... but just the journey I took to get where I am. And the Pac-12 has meant a lot to me. Obviously, I transferred (from Washington State) and stayed in the Pac-12 because I loved it so much, and just being close to home. So it means a lot. And I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Roxy Bernstein, the Pac-12 Network and ESPN

"I keep coming back to, this is sad. For me, I grew up on this league. I grew up going to Cal and Stanford games, idolizing Kevin Johnson who played at Cal and going to school at Cal so I've been around this league for 40-plus years. All I keep coming back to is, it's sad. Am I angry? Yes. Am I ticked off? I am, but this is a league of Kareem, Bill Walton, Jackie Robinson, John Elway, on and on and on. Legends. Gone."

Matt Muehlebach, Pac-12 Network and former Arizona player (1988-91)

"It's a conference I grew up with. I grew up going to Stanford and Cal football games. I knew the coaches, the teams. Then, of course, playing in it that continued and now working in it has been amazing, and this has kind of been like a second life. It is disappointing but at the same time things happen and I'm trying to focus on what's in front of us, enjoy what we've had and try not to be sad about it going away. It kind of was the perfect storm with like 12 things had to happen for it to come to this, and they all happened. We've had small incremental changes so they have been easier to digest but nothing like this."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Parting words as final Pac-12 basketball tournament is played