Stakes are high for 2018 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas

COMPLETE RELEASE // Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament Central // Tournament Media Guide

#PAC12HOOPS STARTING FIVE

2 - The 2018 Pac-12 Tournament presented by New York Life returns to T-Mobile Arena for its second year in the facility. It is the event’s sixth year in Las Vegas and the 21st all-time staging of the championship.
>> Last year’s debut in T-Mobile Arena saw event attendance records set for a quarterfinal session (Session 4 - 18,153), single session (semifinals - 19,224) and total session (86,910).

6 - Six Conference teams enter the Pac-12 Tournament with at least 20 victories, with a seventh (Utah) just shy with 19 wins.
>> Only the 15-team ACC (eight) and 14-team SEC (eight) have more teams with 20 victories.

4, 8, 9 - Four Pac-12 teams are in the NCAA RPI Top 50 (ARIZ, USC, UCLA, UTAH), eight are in the top 75 (ASU, WASH, ORE, STAN), and nine are in the top 100 (COLO).
>> The Pac-12’s eight RPI top 75 and nine RPI top 100 teams are bettered only by the ACC (12, 11) and SEC (12, 9).
>> Nine NCAA RPI Top 100 teams would equal the most ever for the Conference (2015-16).

10.6 - Through 108 league games as of March 4, the average scoring margin is 10.6 points.
>> 61 games have been decided by single digits
>> 20 have been decided by one possession (3 pts. or less)
>> 7 have gone into overtime (9 total OT periods)
>> 7 decided on team’s final possession (Daejon Davis, STAN - 1/7 vs. USC; Dominic Green, WASH - 2/3 vs. ARIZ; Tra Holder, ASU - 2/8 vs. USC; Stephen Thompson Jr., OSU - 2/10 vs. WASH; Chimezie Metu, USC - 2/15 vs. ORE; Drick Bernstine, WSU - 2/22 vs. CAL; Daejon Davis, STAN - 2/24 vs. WSU).

20-22 - Over the course of the past two Pac-12 Tournaments (2016 & 2017), 20 of the 22 contests have gone “chalk,” or in favor of the better seed.
>> The only upsets to occur came during the 2017 tournament with No. 5 seed CALIFORNIA beating No. 4 UTAH in the quarterfinals and No. 2 ARIZONA beating No. 1 OREGON in the title game.

PAC-12 TIPOFF

BIGS LOVE: The 21 double-doubles posted by ARIZONA freshman Deandre Ayton is tied for third nationally and the most in the nation by a freshman. UCLA senior Thomas Welsh is T-12th nationally with 16.
>> The Conference freshman-record is 23 set by UCLA’s Kevin Love (2007-08), which included 19 during the regular season. The NCAA rookie mark is 28 by Kansas State’s Michael Beasley in 2007-08.

HOLIDAY SEASON: UCLA’s Aaron Holiday (20.1p/5.8a) is on pace to become only the sixth player in Conference history to average of 20.0+ points and 5.0+ assists for a season:

Gary Payton, OSU (1988-89 & 1989-90)
Terrell Brandon, ORE (1990-91)
Damon Stoudamire, ARIZ (1994-95)
Jason Terry, ARIZ (1998-99)
Markelle Fultz, WASH (2016-17)

THYBULLE & TREPAGNIER: WASHINGTON’s Matisse Thybulle (92 steals, 44 blocks) joined USC’s Jeff Trepagnier (94 steals, 40 blocks in 1999-2000) as the only players in Conference history to record 90 steals and 40 blocks in a single season. He is only the sixth Division I player since 1992-93 to accomplish the feat.

RECORDS WATCH: Several Pac-12 teams and players have set marks or are climbing/on pace for game, season or career records lists:

WASHINGTON STATE
>> 334 3FGM, third-most threes in Conference season (2016-17: UCLA - 354; 2006-07: ORE - 350)

Kenny Wooten, OREGON
>> 84 blocks, 3rd on Pac-12 freshman season list, 4 shy of 10th on Pac-12 season list

Matisse Thybulle, WASHINGTON
>> 92 steals, 6th on Pac-12 season list, on pace to approach Pac-12 season record (110, Jason Kidd, CAL 1993)
>> 196 career steals, 29 shy of Pac-12 career top 10

Jordan McLaughlin, USC
>> 689 career assists, sixth on Pac-12 career list
>> 199 career steals, 26 shy of Pac-12 career top 10

Deandre Ayton, ARIZONA
>> 19.9 ppg, on pace for Pac-12 freshman season top 5
>> 11.4 rpg, on pace to break Pac-12 freshman season record (10.6, Kevin Love, UCLA 2008)
>> 354 rebounds, second on Pac-12 freshman season list

Tra Holder, ARIZONA STATE
>> 533-of-694 FT, 9th on Pac-12 career FTM list, 1 FTA shy of Pac-12 career top 10
>> 1,772 points,46th all-time in Pac-12

Thomas Welsh, UCLA
>> 992 career rebounds, T-16th all-time in Pac-12, 8 shy of becoming 14th to 1,000 in league history

Kingsley Okoroh, CALIFORNIA
>> 196 career blocks, 9th on Pac-12 career list, 8 shy of eighth