ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Tournament Roundtable

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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 10: Deandre Ayton #13 of the Arizona Wildcats cuts down a net after the team defeated the USC Trojans 75-61 to win the championship game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

All-Tournament Team/MVP Projections

Defense wins championships. Sure, it’s cliché, but Washington isn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut. The Huskies’ success will be dictated by the play of Matisse Thybulle. The two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year is the anchor of coach Mike Hopkins’ 2-3 zone. Thybulle’s skill set has turned a defense designed to force low-percentage shots into a turnover machine and his teammates feed off of his presence. For that, he’s my MVP.

As for the rest of my all-tournament team: Arizona State’s Remy Martin and Zylan Cheatham, guards Jaylen Nowell and David Crisp joining Thybulle and Oregon forward Louis King. – ZP

Personally, I felt Matisse Thybulle was robbed by his own teammate for Pac-12 Player of the Year. How many times do we see a player record over 100 blocks and 70 steals in the same season?

However, if Washington does win the Pac-12 Tournament, he won’t get jipped again. The Huskies are at their peak when defense turns into offense. For that reason, Thybulle is my Tournament MVP.

The remainder of my selections might hold some wild cards. I see a hot-shooting Utah team getting to the championship, with senior guard Sedrick Barefield being the main catalyst and freshman Timmy Allen playing a key role.

Nowell will get one more nod for UW, and Colorado’s Tyler Bey and ASU’s Zylan Cheatham are honored from the semifinalists. – TB

This one is tough. While players like Robert Franks and Bennie Boatwright are some of the conference’s best, I don’t see either making the short list for the All-Tournament team. Instead, the team will be dominated by Ducks and Huskies — the two squads that will play in the championship.

Louis King and Paul White have been under-the-radar catalysts for Oregon recently and will both be on the team. But their teammate, guard Payton Pritchard, will be the tournament MVP. He has experience playing at a high level and will help carry the Ducks to the league title.

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Along with them will be Washington guards Matisse Thybulle and Jaylen Nowell, and Arizona State forward Zylan Cheatham. – CF

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