Vegas Madness at a glance
Overachievers
Alfonso Plummer, Utah. The junior guard closed the season strong by reaching double figures in scoring four times in the last five games after doing it twice prior to that. He took his game to a new level Wednesday in a Pac-12 tournament first-round loss to Oregon State at T-Mobile Arena. Plummer hit 11 of 16 from 3-point range, including one from the left wing that put the Utes ahead 69-65 with 1:12 remaining. Jarod Lucas hit two 3-pointers in the final minute to lift the Beavers to a 71-69 victory, but Plummer was the star of the day. He had made 39 3-pointers in 25 games before Wednesday.
Isaiah Stewart, Washington. The freshman wrapped up a stellar campaign with his best game of the season. He went 9 of 11 from field and 10 of 11 from the free-throw line, scored a career-high 29 points and had 12 rebounds in a 77-70 loss to Arizona in the Pac-12 first round.
Seattle University women. The Redhawks came to Orleans Arena seeded seventh in the Western Athletic Conference tournament and having lost four straight. That streak ended with a 61-48 upset of No. 2-seeded Utah Valley in a quarterfinal game Thursday. Kamira Sanders scored 21 points, and Joana Alves added 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Underachievers
Oscar da Silva, Stanford. The junior had a tremendous season, averaging 16 points and 6 rebounds on 58 percent shooting, but he had a night to forget Wednesday. Da Silva went 2 of 11 from the field and finished with four points as bubble-sitting Stanford lost to California 63-51 in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament. The forward grabbed seven rebounds, but also committed three turnovers and didn’t get to the free-throw line.
Jamal Bey, Naz Carter, Hameir Wright, Washington. The three starters struggled in the loss to Arizona, as they each scored two points and shot a combined 3 of 17. They combined to miss eight 3-point attempts and combined for six turnovers with three assists.
Worth remembering
Stanford men. The Cardinal entered the day as one of the “Last Four In” the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN and Fox Sports bracket projections, then lost to Cal. Stanford coach Jerod Haase still thinks his team should get a bid: “I do think that we have the ability to be an NCAA team and do something if we end up getting there.”
Can’t miss
Oregon State vs. Oregon. There’s nothing like a good rivalry game, even in an empty arena. The Ducks and Beavers will meet in the first game of the Pac-12 quarterfinals in what figures to be a strange day, as only essential personnel and close friends and family will be allowed into T-Mobile Arena. The teams split the season series, each winning at home. Oregon won the last meeting Feb. 27, part of a four-game winning streak to end the season for the top-seeded Ducks. Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said he thinks his team is playing its best basketball of the season.
Thursday’s schedule
Pac-12 Conference
At T-Mobile Arena
Quarterfinals
No. 8 Oregon State vs. No. 1 Oregon, noon
No. 5 Arizona vs. No. 4 Southern California, 2:30 p.m.
No. 10 California vs. No. 2 UCLA, 6 p.m.
No. 11 Washington State vs. No. 3 Arizona State, 8:30 p.m.
Western Athletic Conference
At Orleans Arena
Women’s quarterfinal
No. 6 Cal State Bakersfield vs. No. 3 Grand Canyon, 9:30 a.m.
Men’s quarterfinals
No. 8 Chicago State vs. No. 1 New Mexico State, noon
No. 5 Missouri-Kansas City vs. No. 4 Grand Canyon, 2:30 p.m.
No. 7 Cal State Bakersfield vs. No. 2 Texas-Rio Grande Valley, 6 p.m.
No. 6 Utah Valley vs. No. 3 Seattle, 8:30 p.m.