Pac-12 Tournament 2015: Semifinals Scores, Championship Bracket and Schedule

Can anybody stop the Arizona Wildcats?

That was the biggest question entering the Pac-12 tournament. Heading into the semifinals, the answer has been no. The fifth-ranked Wildcats rolled to a 73-51 victory over the Cal Golden Bears in the quarterfinals, setting the stage for a matchup with the UCLA Bruins in the semifinals.

During the regular season, Arizona distanced itself from the rest of the conference, finishing at 16-2. The Oregon Ducks and Utah Utes tied for second at 13-5.

Most view the Pac-12 tourney as a coronation ceremony for the Wildcats in their bid to earn a No. 1 seed for the Big Dance. Anything short of a conference tournament title would almost certainly mean Arizona settling for a No. 2 seed.

Just as compelling is the fact that UCLA is fighting for its NCAA tournament life. Getting to the semifinals alone might not be enough for the Bruins to get in.

Here's a look at how the semifinals played out.

Semifinals Scores

Time (ET)	Matchup
9:15 p.m.	No. 1 Arizona 70, No. 4 UCLA 64
11:45 p.m.	No. 2 Oregon 67, No. 3 Utah 64

Championship Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	TV Info	Live Stream
Sat., March 14	11 p.m.	Arizona vs. Oregon	ESPN	Watch ESPN

No. 1 Arizona 70, No. 4 UCLA 64

John Locher/Associated Press

UCLA nearly dethroned the regular-season champion but fell just short of the mark, losing 70-64 to Arizona Friday night.

The Bruins couldn't overcome a hot shooting night from Brandon Ashley. The junior forward led all scorers with 24 points on an impressive 9-of-11 shooting.

Early in the game, the Wildcats were almost exclusively a one-man show. Doug Haller of AZCentral Sports highlighted how Ashley's performance in the first half was in stark contrast to those of his teammates:

As a team, Arizona shot an even 40 percent from the field (22-of-55). Take out Ashley's numbers, and that number drops over 10 points to 29.5 percent—that's how important he was for the Wildcats.

Good players step up when they're needed the most, and that's exactly what Ashley did on Friday. On another night, Arizona might have lost. But all of the chips fell right, and the Wildcats are headed to the final.

It seems crazy that their last conference tournament title came all the way back in 2002:

The larger discussion is whether Arizona has done enough to get a No. 1 seed for the Big Dance. Duke's loss to Notre Dame (74-64) in the ACC tournament really opens up the debate.

Should the Wildcats win the Pac-12, they might vault into that position. However, CBS Sports' Gary Parrish argued that a trio of bad losses might come back to haunt them:

This seems to be one of those topics where there isn't a wrong answer. You can make compelling cases for both sides, and whatever the selection committee decides will be easily defensible.

Meanwhile, UCLA would settle for any seed as long as it meant heading to the Big Dance.

Bruins head coach Steve Alford remains confident his team will get there.

"I like our chances," he said, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "We're like a lot of people going to sit and wait. I've been doing this a long time, watching throughout the country that there's 31 better at-large teams than what we are."

CBS Sports' Sam Vecenie thinks that UCLA could be a dangerous team in the early rounds:

"

I don’t think any team would be particularly excited about seeing UCLA in the NCAA Tournament. Peaking at the right time. Just gotta get in.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) March 14, 2015"

The committee might look favorably upon the nature of the Bruins' defeat. They weren't thoroughly outplayed and reined in many of the Wildcats' top players.

Only time will tell if that puts them over the top.

No. 2 Oregon 67, No. 3 Utah 64

USA TODAY Sports

Pac-12 Player of the Year Joseph Young pulled up and hit a 30-footer with seconds remaining to give the Oregon Ducks a 67-64 win over the Utah Utes Friday night, putting his team one win away from a fourth Pac-12/Pac-10 tournament title.

In real time, Young's decision to stop way short of the three-point line looked questionable at best, especially as a couple of seconds remained, allowing him to get closer for the potential game-winner.

But when the shot found nothing but net, it brought the house down inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. ESPN Insider's Kevin Pelton put it best:

That shot was not only big in terms of Oregon's quest for a title, but it also made Ducks head coach Dana Altman a richer man, per Steve Berkowitz of USA Today:

Friday's game was in part billed as a head-to-head battle between Young and Utah's Delon Wright, whom many Utes fans argue was the rightful Pac-12 Player of the Year.

In the end, Young bested Wright on the scoreboard and in the box score. Young's 25 points were a game high, while Wright was limited to eight shots, scoring 16 points.

Dillon Brooks and Elgin Cook were also big for the Ducks, combining to score 27 points.

Oregon somehow escaped despite getting out-rebounded by a dozen boards and allowing Utah to have 19 opportunities at the charity stripe. It certainly wasn't the most convincing win of the Ducks' season, but it counts all the same.

Now, they'll look ahead to the championship game, where they'll meet Arizona. The Wildcats won their two regular-season meetings convincingly, blowing Oregon out by a combined 52 points. The Ducks are facing a major task ahead on Saturday.

The silver lining for both them and the Utes is that their respective places in the NCAA tournament should be assured. The two teams have done enough to this point in the season to get in the field of 68.