Pac-12 Releases Adjusted Format, Bracket For Men’s Basketball Tournament
Feb 19, 2021, 2:49 PM
A Pac-12 basketball logo is shown on a stanchion before a semifinal game of the of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Washington Huskies at T-Mobile Arena on March 15, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Pac-12 announced the adjusted format and bracket for their upcoming conference men’s basketball tournament in Las Vegas.
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The Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament will be held from March 10-13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. 11 of the 12 teams are eligible for the tournament. Arizona is not eligible after declaring a self-imposed postseason ban following recruiting violations.
Normally, the Pac-12 tournament gives the top four seeds a first round bye. Since 11 teams will be participating, the top five seeds will not play in the first round.
UPDATE: Adjusted format & bracket for the 2021 #Pac12Hoops Men's Basketball Tournament, presented by @NewYorkLife, has been announced! 🏀
🗓️ March 10-13, 2021
📍 @TMobileArena | Las Vegas
📺 @Pac12Network + @espnMore details & format information ⤵️https://t.co/41yWD63RW9
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) February 19, 2021
Also, tip-off times have changed to allow for improved testing protocols and adequate sanitization between games. Below is the updated tournament bracket that the Pac-12 released on Friday.
Wednesday, March 10
Game 1: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed, 2 p.m. MST – Pac-12 Networks
Game 2: No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed, 5 p.m. MST – Pac-12 Networks
Game 3: No. 6 seed vs. No. 11 seed, 8 p.m. MST – Pac-12 Networks
Thursday, March 11
Game 4: No. 1 seed vs. Game 1 winner, 12:30 p.m. MST – Pac-12 Networks
Game 5: No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed, 3:30 p.m. MST – Pac-12 Networks
Game 6: No. 2 seed vs. Game 2 winner, 6:30 p.m. MST – Pac-12 Networks
Game 7: No. 3 seed vs. Game 3 winner, 9:30 p.m. MST – ESPN
Friday, March 12
Game 8: Semifinal 1, 6:30 p.m. MST – Pac-12 Networks
Game 9: Semifinal 2, 9:30 p.m. MST – ESPN
Saturday, March 13
Game 10: Championship, 8:30 p.m. MST – ESPN
If the Pac-12 Tournament started today (February 19), this is what the matchups would look like. Seeding will be based off of winning percentage.
Wednesday, March 10
Game 1: Washington State Cougars vs. Arizona State Sun Devils
Game 2: Utah Utes vs. Washington Huskies
Game 3: Oregon State Beavers vs. California Golden Bears
Thursday, March 11
Game 4: USC Trojans vs. winner of Washington State/Arizona State
Game 5: Colorado Buffaloes vs. Stanford Cardinal
Game 6: UCLA Bruins vs. winner of Utah/Washington
Game 7: Oregon Ducks vs. winner of Oregon State/California
Arizona is currently in sixth place in the Pac-12 standings and Utah is in 8th. The Utes will finish their road trip on Saturday when they face the Oregon Ducks in Eugene. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. MST and will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks.
Also, a note for the women’s side is that the conference announced they will have one open date during their tournament. Moving the first round from Thursday, March 4 to Wednesday, March 3. The quarterfinals will be on Thursday, March 4 rather than Friday, March 5. The semifinals will move from Saturday, March 6 to Friday, March 5. The Championship game will still be held on Sunday, March 7.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.
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