Arizona Claims No. 1 Seed for 2024 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament
ICARO Media Group
The bracket for the 2024 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament presented by Acura has been set, with Arizona securing the top seed following an outstanding regular season performance. The tournament will kick off on March 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Arizona, ranked No. 5 nationally, finished with an impressive record of 24-7, 15-5 in conference play, earning them their 10th all-time No. 1 seed. The Wildcats now aim to clinch the tournament crown for a remarkable third consecutive year, a feat previously achieved only by their own program during the years 1988-1990.
Washington State, ranked No. 18, finished in second place with a record of 23-8, 14-6. This marks their best seeding since the 2006-07 season, as they secured the No. 2 seed. Meanwhile, Colorado matched their best seeding at No. 3 with a third-place finish, granting them a first-round bye for the third time in the last four seasons.
Oregon claimed the final bye with their fourth-place finish, making it their ninth in 14 seasons under head coach Dana Altman. UCLA's victory in the final game of the regular season secured them the No. 5 seed.
There were two three-way ties in the standings. California, Utah, and Washington finished with a 9-11 conference record, resulting in a tie for sixth place. Using the multi-team tiebreaking procedure, Utah emerged as the No. 6 seed. California, with a split in the season series with Washington, claimed the No. 7 seed, while Washington took the No. 8 seed after going 0-2 against Colorado.
In another three-way tie, Arizona State, Stanford, and USC split their season series. USC secured the No. 9 seed due to their 3-1 collective record against the other two teams. Stanford landed the No. 10 seed, and Arizona State settled for the No. 11 seed. Oregon State took the No. 12 seed to complete the tournament bracket.
The tournament will consist of eight games, with the quarterfinals and semifinals being broadcast on Pac-12 Network and FS1, respectively. The Championship Game will be televised on FOX.
The action-packed tournament will commence on March 13 with the following matchups: No. 8 Washington vs. No. 9 USC, No. 5 UCLA vs. No. 12 Oregon State, No. 7 California vs. No. 10 Stanford, and No. 6 Utah vs. No. 11 Arizona State.
Fans can catch all the excitement and drama of the 2024 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament by purchasing All-Tournament Passes and Single-Session Tickets, which are now available for sale on Pac-12.com/tickets.
Pac-12 basketball enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating the start of the tournament, as teams battle it out for a chance to take home the coveted Pac-12 championship. The games will unfold over four days, culminating in the Championship Game on March 16.