Three of four local teams advance in NCAA tournament

It is often difficult to determine how strong a conference is going into the national tournament. This year was especially difficult, with most teams limited to games inside their own conference. Based on the results so far, the PAC-12 conference was certainly underrated and under seeded for the tournament. Four of the five PAC-12 teams have advanced to the sweet sixteen-round. USC, Oregon, UCLA, and Oregon State. Overall, the PAC-12 is 9-1 in the NCAA tournament, with the only loss the Colorado Buffaloes dropping their second-round matchup against Florida State 71-53. Since USC plays Oregon in the next round, the PAC-12 is guaranteed at least one team advancing to the Elite Eight. Now let’s dive into how the local teams fared.

Eastern Washington fell to Kansas 93-84. After jumping out to a quick 9-0 lead, the Eagles were able to go into halftime ahead of Kansas 46-38. Brothers Tanner and Jacob Groves scored a combined fifty-eight points in the loss. In the second half, Kansas put up fifty-five points securing the victory. The good news for the Eagles is that the Groves brothers will be back next year to make another run at the tournament. The win was Kansas’ fourteenth consecutive first-round win in the tournament.

Gonzaga easily advanced by beating Norfolk St. 98-55 in the first round, then defeated Oklahoma 87-71 in the second round. Gonzaga’s third-round opponent will be fifth-seeded Creighton. This game will be played on Sunday, March 28, at 11:10 am on CBS. This is the sixth time in a row Gonzaga has made it to the sweet sixteen and their thirty-second straight win dating back to last year.

Oregon’s first-round opponent VCU had to forfeit due to COVID-19 protocols. The Ducks beat their second-round opponent, the #2 seed Iowa 95-80. Oregon will next play the USC Trojans. This game will be played at 6:45 pm on Sunday, March 28, on TBS. Oregon lost its only game against USC this season, 72-58, back on February 22.

The biggest surprise has to be Oregon State first upsetting Tennessee 70-56 in the first round, then beating Oklahoma State 80-70 in the second round. Oregon State’s third-round matchup will be against #8 seeded Loyola Chicago. That game will be played at 11:40 am on Saturday, March 27, on CBS. Oregon State’s win against Tennessee was the school’s first NCAA tournament win since 1982. Oregon State made 32-35 free throws against Oklahoma State, good for a 91.4% free throw percentage.