ASU Basketball: 2018 Pac-12 Tournament Preview
By Trevor Booth
No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 5 Stanford/No. 12 Cal
If it weren’t for Ayton, Aaron Holiday likely would’ve been enshrined as the Pac-12 Player of the Year.
The star junior catapulted what was supposed to be a rebuild into a year of contention for UCLA, who may find themselves just two wins away from working their way back into the NCAA Tournament.
With Holiday earning all-conference first team honors, Thomas Welsh receiving second team recognition and Kris Wilkes being named to the All-Freshmen team, the Bruins ended up maximizing a roster that lost three rotation players due to the shoplifting incident in China.
The Bruins will get a bye in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament, where they’ll await the winner of No. 5 Stanford and No. 12 Cal Thursday at 3:30 p.m. MT.
UCLA traded a lopsided loss with a blowout victory in their two matchups with the Cardinal in the regular season, while they dominated Cal in both of their meetings this season.
The Bruins’ first battle with Stanford was one of the most entertaining this season. The Cardinal outlasted the Bruins by a score of 107-99 after two overtimes, where each team relied on their star power to carry them to the finish line.
Despite 31 points from Holiday, a combined 93 points from Stanford’s starters were too much to overcome in the offensive shootout.
In round two, the Bruins effectively changed their gameplan, allowing Daejon Davis more looks to limit the touches toward Reid Travis and Dorian Pickens. As a result, UCLA cruised to a 16-point victory after leading by 22 in the second half.
Likewise, the Bruin offense proved to be too much for a Cal team that amounted to just two conference wins on the season. They defeated the Bears by an average of 18 points in their two matchups, as Cal failed to match’s UCLA’s average of 88.5 points per game.
If the Bruins can limit the scorers of their opposition and get out in transition, they might become one of the most dangerous teams to face in this tournament.