Pac-12 Tourney Seeding Up For Grabs As Utah Closes Out Regular Season Vs. Arizona State
Mar 5, 2021, 5:34 PM | Updated: 8:04 pm
Ian Martinez #2 of the Utah Utes blocks a shot by Ethan Thompson #5 of the Oregon State Beavers during their game March 3, 2021 at Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Pac-12 Tournament seeding will be up for grabs for Utah men’s basketball as they host Arizona State on Saturday in the regular season finale.
This will be the only regular season meeting between Utah and Arizona State. They had both games this season postponed due to COVID-19 issues before being able to make up one of the matchups.
Only three Pac-12 regular season games remain this weekend before 11 of the 12 teams will head to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the conference tournament next week. The other two games left to be played this weekend will be the Southern California rivalry as UCLA hosts USC on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT on CBS. Oregon State will battle Oregon in Corvallis on Sunday at 6 p.m. MT on FS1.
š° PREVIEW
Men's Basketball Closes Out Regular-Season Against Arizona State.
Presented by @AFCU https://t.co/BhtrhB93fW
— Utah Basketballš (@UtahMBB) March 5, 2021
Pac-12 Seeding Scenarios For Utah Entering Saturday
The Pac-12 seedings scenarios is not a long list for Utah despite being in the middle of a global pandemic. Utah is currently 10-12 overall and 7-11 in Pac-12 play and are in 8th seed (taking out Arizona from the standings). Arizona State has the same overall record but have played two less conference games with a 7-9 record, while sitting in the seventh spot in the seedings.
The scenario for this Saturday is simple. The winner will be the seventh seed in the tournament, with the loser taking the eighth spot. Whoever takes the eighth seed will play the No. 9 seed on Wednesday, March 10 at 2 p.m. MT. That team is Washington State, who cannot move up or down in the standings. The seventh seed will battle the No. 10 seed on Wednesday, March 10 at 5 p.m. MST. The team holding down the 10th seed is the Washington Huskies.
The Runnin’ Utes have played Washington State just once this season in a 71-56 win in Pullman on January 21. They split the season series with Washington after beating them at home in the season opener, 76-62 on December 3 and falling in Seattle on January 24, 83-79.
Final. pic.twitter.com/B1LQ4P1REH
— Utah Basketballš (@UtahMBB) March 4, 2021
About Arizona State
Much like their football team, Arizona State basketball has been hampered with COVID-19 this season. They had high expectations for their team coming into the season but have not met those expectations. The Sun Devils were on a 3-game winning streak with a pair of wins over Washington and beating Washington State once before it was snapped on Thursday with a 14-point loss to Colorado in Boulder.
Now, they have the short turnaround of playing a game in Boulder on Thursday at 7 p.m. MT and prepare to face Utah at noon MT on Saturday at the Huntsman Center. Utah played ASU once last year in Tempe on January 18, 2020. They lost to the Sun Devils 83-64 in a game that head coach Larry Krystkowiak was ejected.
Remy Martin is the “head of the snake” for ASU, leading the team with 20.5 points per game. He is shooting 44 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the arc. Josh Christopher is posting 14.3 points per game, while Alonzo Verge Jr. (12.7) and Marcus Bagley (10.8) round out the Sun Devils that are averaging double figures.
Tip-off between the Utes and Sun Devils will be at 12 p.m. MST on Saturday, March 6. The game will be televised on FS1.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for KSLSports.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter:Ā @TrevorASports.Ā You can download and listen to the podcast,Ā here.
