There have been major upsets and Pyric victories; heroic performances and flameouts to remember; terrific coaches and those for whom Las Vegas was a last stop; future NBA stars and those whose professional exploits amount to a summer in Manila. The Pac-12 Tournament’s time in Sin City has been dominated by two squads: Arizona, whose fans have treated the week as an annual tradition, turning T-Mobile Arena into “McKale North,” and Oregon — with only two interlopers.
With the 10th tournament in Las Vegas set to kick off — the 2020 event was cancelled because of COVID-19 — here’s a countdown of the perfect 10 Pac-12 Tournament moments in Las Vegas:
10 2015: Trojans become first, only 12-seed to beat a 5-seed
The Andy Enfield era got off to a horrendous start at USC, as the Trojans won just 11 games, including two in conference play, in his first year at the helm. The next year, they were not much better. Despite a lineup that featured some talented underclassmen, including Elijah Stewart, Jordan McLaughlin, Nikola Jovanovic and Katin Reinhardt, the Trojans won just 11 regular-season games, including three in conference play.
That was good enough to earn them the 12-seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, pitting them against fifth-seeded Arizona State, which had scored wins that year over Arizona, UCLA and Colorado, among others.
The Sun Devils took control early, leading by 10 at the half, but the Trojans roared back with a vengeance, outscoring ASU 11-2 in the final four minutes for a 67-64 victory. It would go down as the only 12-5 upset in Pac-12 Tournament history.
9 2019: Ducks clip Sun Devils in overtime semi, setting stage for title-game rout
It was wide open to the field — UCLA, Arizona and Oregon relegated to afterthoughts as the No. 9, No. 7 and No. 6 seeds in the 2019 Pac-12 Tournament. It was all lined up perfectly for a Washington or an ASU or a Utah to sneak in for an unexpected title.
Only Dana Altman had other plans. Oregon routed Washington State by 33 in the first round, then beat 3-seed Utah, 66-54, in the quarterfinals. Bobby Hurley’s best Sun Devils squad awaited as the No. 2 seed, but Ehab Amin played the game of his life. His late 3-pointer forced overtime, and he had five of his 13 points in the OT frame to send the Ducks into the title game. That one wasn’t quite the worry: They beat the top-seeded Huskies, 68-48, for the championship.
8 2017: Trier ices championship game with 4 clutch free throws
It was billed as a matchup of two of the country’s best: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 7 Arizona for the 2017 Pac-12 title. The Ducks started a host of future NBA pros, including Dillon Brooks, Jordan Bell, Payton Pritchard and Tyler Dorsey. Arizona countered with Lauri Markannen, Allonzo Trier, Kadeem Allen and Rawle Alkins.
And the game lived up to its billing as it went down to the wire until Trier saved it late. Bell’s layup with 25 seconds left made it a two-point game, but Trier’s two free throws with 18 seconds remaining gave the Wildcats a cushion. A Dorsey 3-pointer went awry, and two more from Trier just about iced it, with Dorsey’s 3-pointer with a second left proving too little, too late.
Allonzo Trier holds up the trophy for Most Outstanding Player after Arizona defeated Oregon in the championship of the 2017 Pac-12 Tournament.
7 2013: Loyd rises to occasion to lift Ducks to first Sin City title
The diminutive Johnathan Loyd remains one of the most impressive Ducks in Oregon athletics history. Standing just 5-8, Loyd nonetheless played for both the Ducks’ men’s basketball and football teams, and he was never better than in the 2013 Pac-12 Tournament.
Loyd outdueled one of the best groups of guards in league history, besting ASU’s Jahii Carson and UCLA’s Jordan Adams and Larry Drew II for MVP honors after leading No. 3-seed Oregon to the title-game win over favored UCLA. Loyd had 19 points in the win over the Bruins.
6 2015: Snowden celebrated in Hall of Honor ceremony
In a tournament that had one of the most lopsided title games in conference history — an 80-52 Arizona rout of No. 2 seed Oregon — an even more historic moment happened with the selection of important Arizona coach Fred Snowden into the lofty Pac-12 Hall of Honor. Snowden, the first Black coach in Division I basketball history, has not been given his just due as a pivotal figure in sports history. Watching the conference celebrate his contributions was a nice moment.
5 2016: Both semis go to overtime before Oregon dominates final
The dream scenario for a Friday in Las Vegas — at least one that doesn’t take some explaining or medicine — would be two semifinal overtime matchups between four ranked teams. The fans at T-Mobile Arena on March 11, 2016, were given that reality.
Top seed and fifth-ranked Oregon took out No. 15 Arizona, 95-89, and No. 12 Utah beat No. 24 Cal, 82-78. It might have been the most exciting day in Pac-12 Tournament history. Unfortunately, the next day was not quite as fun, as the Ducks beat the Utes, 88-57.
4 2021: Oregon State gets cooking
Las Vegas is meant for underdogs who come out of nowhere, and there can’t be a better story than Maurice Calloo and the 2019 Beavers. After Ethan Thompson, the eventual Tournament MVP, led the Beavers past top seed Oregon, 75-64, Calloo had a team-high 15 points off the bench to lead the Beavers past No. 23 Colorado in the championship game.
Arizona’s Deandre Ayton reaches for a rebound during the second half against UCLA in the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament semifinals. Ayton scored a season-high 32 points and had 14 boards.
3 2018: Ayton feasts on L.A.’s best
DeAndre Ayton saved the best for last. The Arizona star freshman had already proved himself as the best player in the country. Then he kicked it up a notch in Las Vegas.
Ayton had 32 points on 13-of-16 shooting and 14 rebounds in a semifinal overtime win over UCLA, then followed with another 32 points and 18 boards in the championship game against USC.
2 2014: Bruins upend Wildcats in classic matchup
In a matchup that featured five players who still play in the NBA nine years later, a good UCLA squad beat one of the great Arizona teams in history, 75-71, in the championship game. Kyle Anderson (21 points), Jordan Adams (19) and Normal Powell (15) led the Bruins past Nick Johnson, Kaleb Tarczewski, Aaron Gordon, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, T.J. McConnell and Gabe York.
Adams hit one of the most memorable 3-pointers in UCLA history with 43 seconds left, Gordon missed a 3 on the other end, and David Wear and Powell both hit a pair of free throws to ice it for the Bruins.
Arizona's Bennedict Mathurin shoots against UCLA during the first half of the 2022 Pac-12 Tournament championship game, which featured a Mathurin-led Wildcats comeback.
1 2022: Arizona tops UCLA in title slugfest
Las Vegas is just made for legendary bouts, and it doesn’t get any more legendary in the Pac-12 than Arizona vs. UCLA for all the marbles.
Eight years after they dropped a heartbreaker to the Bruins, the Wildcats got some revenge in the form of Bennedict Mathurin. The Wildcats found themselves in an unfamiliar position early in the second half against the Bruins, down 12 after a Johnny Juzang 3-pointer with 17:16 left. Then Mathurin took over with 14 points the rest of the way as the Cats flipped the script, 84-76.
Arizona men's basketball coach Tommy Lloyd speaks to local media Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023 at McKale Center — a few days after Arizona's buzzer-beater defeat to ASU on senior day. Lloyd discusses the hectic nature of college basketball and the "fun" it is to play in a game with that sort of outcome, even when it doesn't always go your way. Video by Ryan Wohl/Special to the Arizona Daily Star
