Pac-12 Tournament 2013 finals: UCLA falls to Oregon

Meanwhile, for UCLA, it’s hard to tell that the top-seeded Bruins ran through the conference tournament all the way to the finals and gave Oregon a run for their money despite a season-ending injury to star freshman Jordan Adams, as their recap featured doom and gloom about a squad they feel should have done better:

They also lament how UCLA has likely lost a close-to-home NCAA Tournament game, and point out that a Final Four is “the only thing that should save Howland’s job.” There’s even a relatively elaborate post about how Jamie Dixon will take the job at USC, followed by Howland being fired and returning to Pitt.

This game looked to be tilting in UCLA’s favor, when they took a 12-6 and Oregon looked sloppy. The Ducks quickly established their tempo, however, taking the lead and never relinquishing it. They rained seven three-pointers in the first half. The Ducks made 48.4 percent of their field goals and went into halftime up 41-32.

The Bruins attempted to come back in the second half. An 8-2 run shaved the deficit down to three points, but UCLA were never able to come back out ahead. The Bruins never held a lead in the second half. By the end the game became a comedy of errors, with head-scratching turnovers and missed dunks abounding. Oregon sank enough free throws at the end to ice the game and pad the scoreboard.

Jordan Adams did all he could to get UCLA into the Pac-12 title game, but if the top-seeded Bruins want to win against No. 3 Oregon, they’ll have to do it without him.

Adams rallied UCLA back in a semifinal game against No. 18 Arizona, scoring 18 points in the second half as the Bruins came back from down 11 to win by two in what’s been a tournament of close games, upsets, and overtimes. But his foot landed the wrong way as he challenged a shot on Arizona’s last possession, breaking his foot and ending his year.

There’s just one game left at the MGM Grand as one of the more topsy-turvy conference tourneys wraps up Saturday night with UCLA and Oregon facing off for the Pac-12 title.

Now, we have just one match-up left. Obviously, both of these teams will be in the NCAA Tournament, but a win would be a feather in the cap for both squads.

The Pac-12 tournament finished its semifinal round on Friday. The championship game is now set for Saturday, with the automatic NCAA bid up for grabs. Before we get into the hype for Saturday’s final game, let’s recap Friday’s action in the semis:

The Bruins came back from an 11-point deficit to triumph in the final minutes, but it came with a price. Freshman Jordan Adams 24 points and led the furious rally in the second half. Unfortunately, he broke a bone in his foot on the final shot, and will be out for the rest of the season. That’s a big blow for UCLA, losing one of their top scorers for the postseason. They will be moving on to Saturday’s finals and are a lock to dance next week, but this is a bitter Pyrrhic victory.

Oregon didn’t take much time putting this game away early, jumping out to a 29-15 lead at halftime. Utah (15-18, 5-14 Pac-12) was riding a miracle run after upsetting California on Thursday, but their magic dust ran out this time. The Utes attempted a comeback at fits and starts in the second half, but in the end they were just too much of a mismatch against Oregon, who shot 41.5 percent from the field and forced 17 turnovers. Utah was pitiful on field goals, only making 31.3 percent of their shots.

The Ducks will face UCLA for the Pac-12 championship. After a late-season swoon, Oregon is getting back on the wagon at the right time. They’re a lock for the NCAA tournament next week.

Adams is UCLA’s second-leading scorer this season, averaging 15.0 points per game. He’s shooting 45 percent from the field. Adams had 24 points in 29 minutes in the team’s 66-64 win over Arizona Saturday.

• Your Bracketology update

The 2013 Pac-12 tournament continues on Friday with the semifinal round. The big match-up of the day is UCLA and Arizona. Both considered locks for the NCAA tournament, this game will likely determine seedings for the upcoming dance. Arizona has the most to gain, having been swept by the Bruins in the regular season.

In the other game of the day, Utah continues its Cinderella run after a thrilling overtime victory over California. Having finished the regular season 13-17, the Utes have nothing to lose and everything to gain, being only two wins away from an automatic bid. They now face an Oregon team stumbling towards the finish line. The Ducks took care of Washington in the quarterfinals, but needed overtime to do so.

The Pac-12 tournament delivered plenty of drama in its quarterfinal round, the highest dose of which came from No. 10 Utah’s win over No. 2 Cal on the heels of a deep buzzer-beater to send the game into overtime. But first:

There were a lot of fouls, a lot of offensive rebounds, and a few pretty mediocre offensive performances, but Arizona came away with the double-digit win to advance to the semifinals. Nick Johnson led the way with 18 points on just seven shots, going 6-for-7 from the field and connecting on both threes he took. The Buffaloes will get a little bit antsy on Selection Sunday, but they’re probably safe despite the loss.

• Bracketology: Selection Sunday week is here

• The life and death of Earl Badu

Oregon looks to cement their place in the NCAA Tournament with a win over Washington in a second-round Pac-12 Tournament matchup on Thursday.

For the second straight game, Washington (18-4, 9-9 Pac-12) takes on a rival. They were up 15 against Washington State in the 6-11 matchup, but blew the lead after going eight minutes without a field goal. The Huskies won, 64-62, but now they face a much better squad in Oregon.

The Bears should take care of business here, but as is usually the case in Championship Week, anything could happen.

• Bracketology: Selection Sunday week is here

The 2013 Pac 12 tournament tipped off the quarterfinal round on Thursday. Two games are now in the books, and one semifinal matchup is already decided. Let’s take a look at the early action on Thursday.

Here’s the rest of Thursday’s Pac-12 action:

Arizona used its stifling defense to jump out to a big halftime lead, forcing 10 turnovers in the first half as Colorado couldn’t find any rhythm. The Wildcats went into the locker room up 39-28.

In the second half, Arizona held as big as a 14-point lead before Colorado staged a minor rally. A 7-0 run cut the deficit down to 54-47 at the 10-minute mark, and the Buffaloes came as close as two points down with a minute left, but the early deficit proved to be too much to overcome. Arizona ended on an 8-0 run to prevail.

Maybe you’re too smart and mature to enjoy a group of Pac-12 mascots checking out of a Las Vegas hotel on the way to the conference tournament, but we are not, and hopefully that never changes.

Apologies for cropping out the top of the Stanford Tree’s head and his/her/its top hat, thanks to Eric Petersen for passing along the picture, and let’s hope these guys stay in costume for the entire weekend in Vegas. This picture is a good start, but now we need grainy Instagrams of Ralphie The Buffalo with a Red Bull waiting to get into some horrible nightclub at The Palms while the Stanford Tree is slumped over outside near a taxi stand. MASCOT PARTY IN VEGAS LET’S DO IT.

After a rousing first round of games that rarely lacked action, the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament tip off Thursday afternoon from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Thursday’s slate includes four games, with the top-four seeds in the tournament all taking the court for the first time after receiving byes for round one.