KJ Simpson scores 18 points as Colorado takes down Utah to advance
LAS VEGAS (AP) — KJ Simpson scored 18 points and tied his career high with 10 rebounds, Eddie Lampkin added 17 points and 12 boards and No. 3 seed Colorado beat Utah 72-58 in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. Colorado, which has won seven in a row, plays second-seeded Washington State in the semifinals. Cody Williams, who hadn’t played since he injured his ankle in a win over Utah on Feb. 24, returned from a four-game absence and finished with six points on 3-of-9 shooting and three rebounds in 24 minutes. Branden Carlson and Hunter Erickson scored 13 points apiece and Cole Bajema added 10 for No. 6 seed Utah
Isaac Jones scores 16 points as No. 22 Washington State beats Stanford 79-62
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Isaac Jones scored 16 points and No. 22 Washington State beat Stanford 79-62 in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals. The Cougars had six players score in double figures and shot 50.8% from the field. Myles Rice and Jaylen Wells each scored 14, and Andrej Jakimovski had 13. Next up for the second-seeded Cougars is Colorado or Utah in Friday’s semifinals. Washington State has never played in the Pac-12 championship, so school history could be made with the tournament going away after this season. Stanford finished the season with a 14-18 record. The school announced after the game that it had fired coach Jerod Haase.
Dante makes hook shot with 37 seconds left and Oregon holds off UCLA 68-66 in Pac-12 tourney
LAS VEGAS (AP) — N’Faly Dante scored 22 points, including a jump hook with 37 seconds left, for his fourth 20-plus game of the season and No. 4 seed Oregon held off a late rally to beat No. 5 seed UCLA 68-66 in the Pac-12 Tournament. Oregon (21-11) advances to play top seed and sixth-ranked Arizona in the semifinals on Friday. Dante got a friendly bounce on the baseline hook shot for a 65-62 lead and he nearly blocked a shot at the other end, but Dylan Andrews sank a floater with 11.1 seconds left. Oregon and UCLA traded free throws, before Jackson Shelstad went 1 of 2 at the stripe to make it 68-66. UCLA, without a timeout, went the length of the court but Andrews’ shot hit the back of the rim.
Sixth-ranked Arizona rolls past USC 70-49 in Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals
LAS VEGAS (AP) — KJ Lewis led a balanced scoring attack with 15 points and sixth-ranked Arizona avenged a loss to USC to end the regular season by rolling past the Trojans 70-49 in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals. The top-seeded Wildcats are 25-7. They play the winner of the Oregon-UCLA game on Friday night. Arizona is two victories from becoming the first three-peat Pac-12 champion since the Wildcats won four straight in 1988-90 and 2002. There were no conference tournaments between 1991-2001. Ninth-seeded USC ended its season at 15-18. The Trojans’ four-game winning streak also came to a halt.