Schedule, bracket and storylines for the Pac-12 men's basketball tournament

If we learned anything in 2021, it’s that crazy things can happen in Vegas during the Pac-12 men’s conference basketball tournament. That much became clear after the fifth-seeded Oregon State Beavers, picked in the preseason to finish last, stunned the field to earn an automatic bid to the tournament, eventually making a run to the Elite Eight.  

That type of chaos likely isn’t in store for this year, but to be safe, don’t overlook anyone. 

UCLA and Arizona are set to be top seeds when the bracket comes out Sunday, but there are a few teams still fighting for their place in the Big Dance. It could be a crazy week in Sin City. Here’s everything you need to know, including how to watch. Programming note: if you don’t get the pac-12 Network because you have a cable provider other than Xfinity, you might have luck on the Pac-12 YouTube channel. 

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Pac-12 tournament schedule, television times

All times Eastern 

Wednesday, March 8

First round 

Colorado 74, Washington 68

Washington State 69, California 52

Stanford 73, Utah 62

Arizona State 63, Oregon State 57

Thursday, March 9

Quarterfinals 

UCLA 80, Colorado 69

Oregon 75, Washington State 50

Arizona 95, Stanford 84

Arizona State 77, Southern California 72

Friday, March 10

Semifinals

UCLA 75, Oregon 56

Arizona 78, Arizona State 59

Saturday, March 11

Championship

Arizona 61, UCLA 59

Pac-12 tournament favorites 

UCLA has made it clear it’s the class of the conference this season, but crazy things happen when you’re playing teams that know you well. Arizona could make a run or an inspired bubble team — we’re looking at you, Arizona State, USC and Oregon — could do damage in hopes of solidifying its resume. One potential problem for UCLA is the absence of junior guard Jaylen Clark, who was injured in team's Saturday game against Arizona. Bruins coach Mick Cronin confirmed he would miss the tournament.  

Pac-12 tournament top players

Oumar Ballo, F, Arizona: Last year’s Pac-12 sixth player of the year after transferring from Gonzaga, Ballo (13.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg) won most improved honors after stepping into a starting role this season. 

Adem Bona, F, UCLA: Born in Nigeria and moving later to Turkey, Bona took up basketball at the age of 13 and this season was named the conference’s freshman of the year. 

Boogie Ellis, G, Southern California: A gifted scorer (18.1 ppg) who shoots 44% from the field, he could single-handedly make sure the Trojans get off the bubble and into the tournament. 

Jaime Jaquez Jr., G/F, UCLA:  ): The best all-around player in the conference (17.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg) can do whatever his team needs, whenever they need it. 

Azuolas Tubelis, F, Arizona: The conference’s leading scorer (19.9) and rebounder (9.2), he’s one of two Tubelis brothers (twin Tautvilas has played in just five games this season) who came all the way from Lithuania to play for the Wildcats. 

Pac-12 tournament bubble storylines

Oh, there’s a lot. Arizona State, Southern California and maybe Oregon are fighting to get into the tournament. USC, with the No. 3 seed, is thought to have the strongest resume going into the conference tournament. A run from the Sun Devils (No. 6 seed) or Ducks (No. 4 seed) would go a long way but they might also need help from another bubble team in another conference — as in, they might need someone else flirting with the Big Dance to exit their conference tournament early. Oregon in particular has a history of peaking at the right time. 

Follow Lindsay Schnell on Twitter at @Lindsay_Schnell