1 big question for each Pac-12 team in the 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament (2024)

by Ryan Kelapire

Four Pac-12 men's basketball teams are in the NCAA Tournament field and this week will begin what they hope will be a fruitful run through March Madness.

Anything can happen this time of year. Here's an outlook of how these teams got here, what's ahead, and one big question facing each team.

UCLA (29-5, 18-2 Pac-12)

• Seed:2
• Region: West
• First Round Opponent: No. 15UNC Asheville(27-7, Big South Champion)
• Date/Time/Location/TV:Thursday, March 16, 7:05 p.m. PT, Sacramento, Calif., TruTV

Season Recap:Led by Pac-12 Player of the Year Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Adem Bona, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Jaylen Clark,Pac-12 Coach of the Year Mick Cronin and asteady senior point guard in Tyger Campbell, UCLAwon the Pac-12 regular-season championship easily, outpacing second-place Arizona and USCby four games. Known for their toughness, the Bruins have the No. 1 defense in the country, according to KenPom.com analytics. And while their deliberatestyle of play often results in low-scoring games, they have a top-25 offense when it comes to efficiency. Jaquez and Campbell led the Bruins to the Final Four in 2021 and have consistently made clutch plays throughout their careers. When the game is on the line, Cronincan put the ball in their hands and trust that they will make the right play.

The Big Question:How healthy will UCLAbe? Clark remains out with a lower leg injury, robbing the Bruins of an eliteperimeter defender, their third-leading scorer and second-best rebounder. Bona, their top big, suffered a shoulder injury in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals and missed the title game against Arizona. His absence was evident asUCLA had to deploy small lineups after seeing its other posts — Mac Etienne and Kenneth Nwuba — foul out. Bona's status is unclear for the NCAA Tournament, but getting his interior presenceback in the lineup would be big — literally —for the Bruins'chancesof making anotherdeep run.

Arizona (28-6, 14-6 Pac-12)

• Seed:2
• Region: South
• First Round Opponent: No. 15Princeton (21-8, Ivy LeagueChampion)
• Date/Time/Location/TV:Thursday, March 16, 1:10 p.m. PT, Sacramento, Calif., TruTV

Season Recap:The Wildcats finished tied for second in the Pac-12 in the regular-season standings, but took home their second straight Pac-12 Tournament trophy, topping UCLA for the second straight year. Arizona went undefeated during the non-conference season, boasting wins overNCAA Tournamentteams like Tennessee, San Diego State, Creighton and Indiana. And while the Wildcats suffered six Pac-12 losses, they alsobeatevery team that beat them. Junior forward Azuolas Tubelis was a strong candidate for Pac-12 Player of the Year and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the the Pac-12 Tournament after averaging18.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game during the Wildcats' title run. Tubelis andOumar Ballo give Arizona one of the most dominant frontcourts in the country.They anchor an offense that ranks No. 4 in the country in efficiency, per KenPom.com. Tommy Lloyd's team plays at a frenetic pace and moves the ball at will, ranking fourth in the nation in assist percentage. If defenses try to take away Tubelis and Ballo in the paint, the Wildcats have capable shooters who haveconnected on 38 percent of their triples this season. Arizona's defense rates just outside the top 40 but has been stingy in stretches.

The Big Question:Will Tubelis getredemption? The Lithuanian was hobbled by an ankle injury last March, limiting his effectiveness in the NCAA Tournament. He averaged just 6.7 points per gameand missed all eight of his shot attempts in the Sweet Sixteen loss to Houston. Look for him to make amends for that with a bounceback performance in the Big Dance. If he does, Arizona can beat anyone in its way.

USC (22-10, 14-6 Pac-12)

• Seed:10
• Region: East
• First Round Opponent: No. 7Michigan State (19-12, 11-8 Big Ten)
• Date/Time/Location/TV:Friday, March 17,9:15 a.m. PT, Columbus, Ohio, CBS

Season Recap:The Trojans picked up a quality win over then-No. 19 Auburn in the non-conferenceseason andbeat the teams they needed to beat during their Pac-12 slate, finishing in a tie with Arizona for second despite going 0-4 against theWildcats and Bruins. The Trojans, who recruit well under Andy Enfield, rank in the top 50 in offensive and defensive efficiency. Joshua Morgan, one of the top shot blockers in the country, has helped USC hold opponents to 42 percent shooting on 2-pointers, the second-best mark in the country.

The Big Question:Will the upperclassmen take over? Senior guard Boogie Ellis (19.8 PPG) and small forward Drew Peterson (14.8 PPG) are USC's leading scorers. Ellis in particular can get extremely hot, scoring 25 points or more seven times this season, including a career-high 35 points against Arizona in the final week of the regular season. It's not uncommon to see teams with spectacular scoring guards advance far in the NCAA Tournament, and the Trojans will be a tough out if Ellis, who's a master at creating his own shot,can catch fireat the right time. Like Tubelis, Ellis will be looking to atone for some NCAA Tournament struggles last year when he was held to three points in a first-round loss to Miami (FL). As for Peterson, he is one of two USC rotation players currently nursing a back injury (freshman 7-footer Vincent Iwuchukwu being the other). Peterson played in the Pac-12 Tournament, but his production has dipped the last couple weeks, failing to score in double figures in three straight games. The Trojans need him to get back on track.

Arizona State (22-12, 11-9 Pac-12)

• Seed:11
• Region: West
• First Four Opponent: No. 11 Nevada (22-10, 12-6Mountain West)
• Date/Time/Location/TV:Wednesday, March 15,6:10 p.m.PT, Dayton, Ohio, truTV

Season Recap:The Sun Devils had an up-and-down season, but finished on an upswing,pickingup a signature win at Arizona on a halfcourt buzzer-beater in the penultimate week of the regular season, then beating Oregon State and USC in the Pac-12 Tournament to give them the résumé boost they needed to secure a spot in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. That meansa quick turnaround, but Coach Bobby Hurley is used to it as thismarks ASU's third straight NCAA Tournament appearance that has begun in the First Four(2023, 2019and 2018). The Sun Devils are 1-1 in those games so far.

The Big Question:Will ASU shoot well enough to win? The Sun Devils have a top-30 defense but rank outside the top 100 on offense because of inconsistent shooting. They are only making 31 percent of their 3-pointers this season, ranking 315th (of 363) in the country. However, they have shown that they can be dangerous at times. Their win over USC in the Pac-12 quarterfinals was a prime example. The Sun Devils sank 14 of their 32 triples as they dropped 77 points on a tough USC defense. ASU has a balanced offense, but watch out for leading scorer Desmond Cambridge Jr. The Nevada transfer made six 3s as part of a 27-point effort against the Trojans, and will want to complete his college career on a high note.