All season long, the storyline was consistent: the Pac-12 was a weak basketball conference. On Saturday, the Arizona Wildcats and Oregon Ducks helped dispel that notice by advancing to the Sweet 16 with convincing wins.
NCAA bracket 2013: Arizona, Oregon advance to Sweet 16
The Wildcats and Ducks are just two of five teams to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16 on Saturday.
Streeter Lecka
Arizona and Oregon have joined Louisville, Michigan and Michigan State as the teams to advance to the Sweet 16. Let’s take a look at how all of these schools got here on Saturday afternoon.
No. 4 Michigan defeats No. 5 VCU, 78-53
Michigan came out on the attack and completely overwhelmed Shaka Smart's Rams. The Wolverines were led by freshman forward Mitch McGary, who dominated both ends of the floor on his way to 21 points and 14 rebounds.
No. 3 Michigan State defeats No. 6 Memphis, 70-48
Similar to their in-state rivals, Michigan State dictated the tempo and controlled the paint from the very start using their size and athleticism. As a team, the Spartans out-rebounded the Tigers by 16, shot 50 percent from the field and held Memphis to 5-for-23 shooting from behind the arc.
No. 1 Louisville defeats No. 8 Colorado State, 82-56
The Cardinals and Rams were close for the first 10 minutes of the game. Louisville completely took over the final 30 minutes though, led by Russ Smith and his 27 points. Through two games thus far, Rick Pitino's program is really looking good.
No. 6 Arizona defeats No. 14 Harvard, 74-51
Arizona let Harvard know in the opening minutes that their Cinderella run was over. The 'Cats began the game with a 25-7 run and maintained throughout, holding a double-digit lead for much of the contest. Mark Lyons led the way with 27 points. UA held the Crimson to 27 percent on their shot attempts.
No. 12 Oregon defeats No. 4 Saint Louis, 74-51
Oregon, which began the tournament badly under-seeded, made another statement with an impressive win over Saint Louis. The Ducks held a 16-point half lead by halftime and never looked back, answering any run SLU tried to put together in the second half with a couple key three-pointers. Damyean Dotson scored a game-high 23 points for the Ducks.
Here is an updated look at the bracket.
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