Miller: Friday Pac-12 Hoops Tournament Previews

With four teams remaining, the semifinals separate the good from the elite

recent 3 min read

Posted on March 12, 2021


  By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports

The quarterfinals: where Cinderella dreams come to die.

But for the Beavers, the possibility of stealing the automatic bid remains, with just one problem standing in their way—the Oregon Ducks.

Dana Altman’s team lit up the Sun Devils yesterday, and continue to play better than any other program in the Pac-12.

And with just four teams remaining, the semifinals are the catalyst that separates the good from the elite.

I preview both of those games here, and provide my pick, along with Nick Bartlett’s, Stephen Villardo’s, and Anthony Gharib’s below.

Oregon State v. Oregon

Thursday, March 12
5:30 PM PT, Pac-12 Network

For the third time this season, Wayne Tinkle and Dana Altman face off.

The pair split the series during the regular season, though the Ducks were without three key players in the defeat at Matthew Knight Arena. At full strength, UO has been too much to handle for every team in the Pac-12 not named USC.

And in the semi-finals, the Ducks can almost taste another championship.

But the Beavers weren’t even supposed to be here.

Picked to finish last in league, Tinkle has put together a remarkable season that exceeded even the most optimistic expectations. Jarod Lucas has been an indispensable part of the success, but the emergence of Warith Alatishe has arguably been the difference.

Now, on the precipice of their biggest game of the season, the opportunity to have a chance of making the NCAA Tournament is just one victory away.

With so much house money to play with, Tinkle’s pre-game speech should be fairly easy: “Why not us?”

It’s going to take their best game of the season, but he just may be right.

Colorado v. USC

Thursday, March 12
8:30 PM PT, ESPN

Having taken care of business, the Buffs and Trojans battle it out for the third time this season.

Evan Mobley and the USC guards have lost both of their matchups to Colorado this season, but completing the three-peat is never easy.

Yet, Andy Enfield’s team is coming off a double-overtime nail biter against Utah, which could cause some conditioning issues down the stretch. On the other hand, CU didn’t finish off Cal until after 2:00 AM Eastern Time.

The result could be a sloppy first half with both teams struggling from the field. Free throw shooting might be the difference, giving a poignant advantage to Colorado.

But the play of the Trojan guards figures to determine the outcome. Getting the ball to Mobley in favorable positions is Objective One, but hitting outside shots is a close second.

With the shot at a championship on the line, there’s no reason to leave anything on the floor.

However, the number of ticky-tack fouls that have been called so far in the Pac-12 Tournament has gotten out of hand, potentially creating an X-Factor that must be handled by Boyle and Enfield.

At the end of the day, the team that takes care of the ball and limits easy looks from the field likely advances to the finals.

—More from Dane Miller—