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Pac-12 Tournament 2021: Bracket, TV Schedule, Dates and Predictions
March 8, 2021
The Oregon Ducks' 10-2 run since the start of February handed them the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 tournament.
Oregon earned the top honors despite losing to the second-seeded USC Trojans by 14 points on February 22.
For the Ducks and Trojans to meet again, they need to win two games each at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday and Friday.
The competition begins with three first-round games on Wednesday, but unlike the other power conferences, they will not involve teams fighting for their NCAA men's basketball tournament lives.
Only four Pac- 12 programs are projected to qualify for the field of 68, and if one of the other seven squads wins in Las Vegas, it would be viewed as a massive shock. The Arizona Wildcats are ineligible to play in the postseason this year.
Pac-12 Bracket and Schedule
Predictions
Oregon Continues Winning Run In Las Vegas
The Ducks have been one of the hottest teams in the country over the last month.
Although the Pac-12 is not as competitive as it has been in previous seasons, the Ducks deserve credit for reeling off 10 wins in 12 contests.
Dana Altman's team can wreak havoc in March because it has an abundance of scorers on its roster, led by Chris Duarte.
In total, the Ducks have five players who average over 10 points per game, and that group carries plenty of experience, led by Duarte and Will Richardson.
Altman coached the Ducks to three Sweet 16 appearances in a four-year span from 2016-19, and he guided them to the last Pac-12 tournament crown.
Although they are safely in the field of 68, the Ducks should come into Las Vegas with the most motivation of any team as they attempt to earn a rematch with USC.
On February 22, the Ducks got off to a porous start and were outshot in every facet of the game. USC was 49 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from three-point range. Oregon was 7-of-17 from three-point range and shot 40.4 percent from the field.
Since that defeat, Oregon eclipsed the 70-point mark in five straight games and finished the regular season with three consecutive 80-point performances.
If Oregon plays better offense in Las Vegas, it should be more competitive against USC and find a way to earn its second straight Pac-12 tournament title.
Stanford Gets Bounced In Opening Round
Stanford has fallen backward from a team that was on the NCAA tournament bubble to one in danger of a first-round exit in the Pac-12 tournament.
Most of the Cardinal's struggles can be attributed to the absence of big man Oscar da Silva, who has not played since February 20. Da Silva leads Stanford with 18.8 points per game.
Stanford sits in an unenviable position as the No. 6 seed. It will face the rival California Golden Bears on Wednesday.
In their two regular-season meetings, Da Silva was responsible for 47 points. Even with him in the lineup, Cal only lost the second clash by six points.
Cal put together a dismal 3-17 conference record, but it did upset No. 3 seed Colorado on February 13 and has one of the better scorers in the league in Matt Bradley, who averages 18.2 points per game.
If Stanford's struggles continue in Las Vegas, Cal could be ripe to spring an upset behind the play of Bradley, who had 39 points in the two losses to the Cardinal.
Cal should not be poised for an extended run, but it would not be surprising to see it beat a team that is limping to the finish line.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.