Eighth-seeded Stanford forced ninth-seeded Arizona State into overtime, but the the Sun Devils survived the extra session, 89-88, and now have a chance to face the top-seeded Bruins, something that shouldn’t be daunting to a team that already has a win against UCLA this year.
Pac-12 Tournament 2013 bracket: OT win by Arizona State earns matchup with No. 1 UCLA
Arizona State’s overtime win over Stanford puts them against UCLA in the quarterfinals, although that’s not a matchup the Sun Devils will be worried about.
Jeff Gross
ASU guard Jahii Carson was the star Wednesday, finishing with 34 points. Forward Jonathan Gilling played nicely too, drilling four three-pointers, but he almost turned into the goat when he fouled Stanford guard Aaron Bright in the act of shooting a three with just 41 seconds left. Bright drilled the three and hit a foul shot for a four-point play, tying the game at 79, a score that held until the the end of regulation. Carson scored Arizona State's first five points in overtime, and his team added a few free throws. That proved to be enough -- an irrelevant three by Stanford at the buzzer made the score appear closer.
Most teams wouldn't be comforted by a meeting with the No. 1 seed on the horizon, but the Sun Devils won't be scared of UCLA: they manhandled the Bruins behind a pair of 20point, 10-rebound performances by Jordan Bachynski and Carrick Felix in late January. UCLA later needed overtime -- and some of the best performances of the year by Kyle Anderson and Larry Drew II -- to pull off a win against ASU in Pauley Pavilion.
Here’s a full look at the bracket as it sets up now:
First Round - Wednesday, March 13
5:30 p.m.: No. 5 Colorado vs. No. 12 Oregon State
9 p.m.: No. 10 USC vs. No. 10 Utah
11:30 p.m.: No. 6 Washington vs. No. 11 Washington State
Quarterfinals - Thursday, March 14
3 p.m.: No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 9 Arizona State
5:30 p.m.: No. 4 Arizona vs. Colorado/OSU (Game 2)
9 p.m.: No. 2 California vs. USC/Utah (Game 3)
11:30 p.m.: No. 3 Oregon vs. Washington/USC (Game 4)
Semifinals - Friday, March 15
9 p.m.: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
11:30 p.m.: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner
Championship - Saturday, March 16
11 p.m.: Semifinals Winners
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