Pac-12 men’s basketball report: Arizona beats Utah in wild triple-OT drama
The Arizona Wildcats led the Utah Utes 41-25 at halftime of Thursday night’s game in Salt Lake City. It seemed that the night would be short and the drama would be nonexistent. How wrong those assumptions turned out to be in the world of Pac-12 basketball.
Arizona stumbled through an ugly second half, Utah made a big surge, and a late 3-pointer by Gabe Madsen enabled the homestanding Utes to tie the score at 76, sending the crowd into a frenzy and the game into overtime. It would take three overtime periods for Arizona to finally put away Utah. Arizona led for most of the second overtime and dominated the third overtime period to finally put the game away, 105-99. Utah, though, had a good chance to win late in the first overtime, leading 82-80 with 42 seconds left and having a free throw for a chance to push its lead to three. However, Utah missed the foul shot. Arizona’s Caleb Love tied the game at 82. Then Utah had a chance to win in the final seconds of the first OT period, but the Utes turned the ball over. The two teams scored nine points each in the second overtime sequence. Arizona then scored 14 points in the third overtime to pull away.
We have some notes on the Pac-12 bubble and the NCAA Tournament forecast for the league, plus other scores and takeaways from Thursday night in the conference:
SIGNIFICANCE OF ARIZONA'S WIN OVER UTAH
The big story attached to Arizona’s win over Utah is that the Utes — once viewed as a team which was solidly in the NCAA Tournament — is now a true bubble team. The Utes have simply lost too many times in the league (6-6) to feel comfortable. Beating Arizona would have enabled them to feel very good about their situation, but they fell short. Now Utah has the same problem other Pac-12 bubble teams have: Where will the quality wins come? If teams can’t beat Arizona, they don’t have many good options. Utah has to avoid stumbles in the coming weeks to get an at-large bid.
ARIZONA LEADS BY ONE GAME
Arizona’s win puts the Wildcats at 9-3 and in sole possession of first place in the league, one game ahead of 8-4 Washington State and Oregon. More on the Cougars and Ducks below:
WASHINGTON STATE CONTINUES TO RISE
Washington State is the story of the season in the Pac-12, with Utah slumping. Wazzu won a tough game Thursday night at Oregon State to maintain a second-place tie with Oregon, one game behind Arizona. Washington State is right on the middle of the bubble. If the Cougars keep winning, they’ll make their first NCAA Tournament since 2008 and just their third NCAA appearance in the past 30 years.
OREGON SURVIVES
Oregon led Washington by 16 midway through the second half but then imploded. Washington had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minutes, but the Huskies committed crucial turnovers. The Ducks held on for a narrow win which keeps them alive in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament berth. Oregon is lower than Utah and Washington State in the bubble pecking order, so the Ducks have a very small margin for error.
BUFFALOES TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS
Colorado took care of business against Arizona State. The Buffs are also on the bubble, which is getting crowded in the Pac-12. CU joins Utah, Wazzu, and Oregon as bubble teams whose NCAA Tournament futures are very uncertain at this point. Given that these teams will probably play each other in the Pac-12 Tournament, some of the four will play their way out. Others will probably play their way in. Yet, no bids are guaranteed. They will all have to earn their spots.
Next, our preview of the two biggest Pac-12 games of the weekend:
ARIZONA AT COLORADO -- THE BUFFS' BIG CHANCE
Colorado hosts Arizona, coming off the Wildcats’ draining triple-overtime game versus Utah. CU is getting Arizona in a good spot. The Wildcats will be exhausted and playing at altitude. It’s a golden chance for Colorado to get a high-quality win and significantly improve its NCAA Tournament hopes. This probably is the game of the season for Tad Boyle’s team. Win, and the Buffs probably get in. Lose, and it’s probably goodnight for CU.
WASHINGTON STATE AT OREGON -- DOUBLE BUBBLE BATTLE
This is the kind of game fans love to see in February. It’s a true two-way bubble clash. The winner gains leverage, the loser takes a huge hit. Both Washington State and Oregon are skating on thin ice. The loser will have a tough time making the Big Dance.
If you had to assess which team needs the win more, it’s Oregon. Wazzu did beat Arizona. Oregon did not. That said, both teams do not have the luxury of losing here. It’s a huge contest.
