Oregon vs. Colorado score: Ducks punch ticket to Big Dance with win in Pac-12 Tournament Championship Game

Championship: Oregon 75, Colorado 68

No. 4 seed Oregon grabbed an NCAA Tournament bid with a 75-68 win over No. 3 seed Colorado in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament Championship Game on Saturday night in Las Vegas. The Ducks came into the week needing to win the Pac-12 conference title to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament, and they did just that.

Oregon star N'Faly Dante scored a game-high 25 points and nabbed nine rebounds in the win. Colorado came into the day on the bubble, the Buffaloes now await their fate tomorrow on Selection Sunday. Washington State and Arizona are in line to receive at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. 

Semifinals: Colorado 58, Washington State 52

No. 3 seed Colorado, sneakily one of the hottest teams in college hoops right now, wins an ugly one in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals to eliminate No. 2 seed Washington State, 58-52. Lowest-scoring game for the Buffs all season but they grinded it out and made shots and free throws late to ice it when Wazzu was hanging around.

"We had to dig deep. We played a really good team," Colorado coach Tad Boyle said on FS1 after the game. "Our guys are playing together, they care about each other, they're playing connected."

And now they're playing for a Pac-12 Tournament title. The game is slated for Saturday night at 9 p.m. ET on FOX. 

Semifinals: No. 4 Oregon 67, No. 1 Arizona 59

One more game for Oregon and we may be looking at a bid thief for the NCAA Tournament. Facing one path to the Big Dance, the Ducks got revenge on Arizona just under two weeks after their last meeting, which was a 20-point loss and the second of two losses to the Wildcats on the season. Oregon will now face either Colorado (which it was also swept by during the regular season) or Washington State (which it went 1-1 against) in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game. This is a remarkable moment for Dana Altman's team, which I should remind you needed a last-minute shot just to get by UCLA on Thursday. The margins in March can be razor thin, and one more Oregon victory could be bad news for a team like St. John's, Ohio State or Michigan State, all of which lost on Friday in their respective conference tournaments. 

Quarterfinals: Washington State 79, Stanford 62

No. 2 seed Washington State advanced to the next round of the Pac-12 Conference Tournament with a 79-62 win over No. 10 seed Stanford on Thursday in the quarterfinals. The Cougars will face the winner of No. 3 seed Colorado/No. 6 seed Utah on Friday for a right to go to the conference championship game.

Stanford will head into the offseason with a new coach as it transitions to the ACC this summer. Stanford coach Jerod Haase was fired shortly after the loss to the Cougars. This showing doesn't help his cause to remain at the school.

Quarterfinals: Oregon 68, UCLA 66

No. 4 seed Oregon held off a late surge from No. 5 seed UCLA to advance to the next round of the Pac-12 Conference Tournament with a 68-66 win on Thursday. UCLA star Dylan Andrews missed a floater at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime

Oregon big man N'Faly Dante scored 22 points, and freshman star Jackson Shelstad added 12 in the win. The Ducks will face top-seed Arizona on Friday with a spot in the championship game on the line. Oregon is in a position where it needs to run the table to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

UCLA ends its season with a 16-17 record and will miss out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time under coach Mick Cronin. 

Quarterfinals: Arizona 70, USC 49

No. 1 seed Arizona never trailed after the 17:03 mark in the first half and coasted to the Pac-12 Conference Tournament semifinals with a 70-49 win over No. 9 seed USC on Thursday. This was a rematch of last weekend's major upset where USC stunned Arizona for its first win over a top-five opponent since 2008.

KJ Lewis scored a game-high 15 points and Caleb Love added 11 for the Wildcats. Arizona has yet to lose back-to-back games under coach Tommy Lloyd. Arizona is seeking its third consecutive Pac-12 tournament title and will face the winner of No. 5 seed UCLA and No. 4 seed Oregon on Friday.

USC started the season as a preseason AP Top 25-ranked team but failed to meet expectations despite featuring a roster headlined by Boogie Ellis, Isaiah Collier and Bronny James. 

First round: Stanford 87, Cal 76 (OT)

No. 10 seed Stanford erased an 18-point second-half deficit to stun No. 7 seed Cal 87-76 in the third game of the Pac-12 Conference Tournament on Wednesday in Las Vegas. Stanford guard Michael Jones connected on a game-tying 3-pointer with 18 seconds left in regulation that sent the game to overtime, and the Cardinal outscored the Bears 18-7 in the extra frame.

Maxime Raynaud scored a team-high 21 points, and Jones finished with 20. The Cardinal will face No. 2 seed Washington State in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Cal finishes the season 13-19 in Year 1 of the Mark Madsen era at the school.

First round: UCLA 67, Oregon State 57

No. 5 Seed UCLA defeated No. 12 seed Oregon State 67-57 in the second game of the Pac-12 Conference Tournament on Wednesday in Las Vegas. The Bruins will face No. 4 seed Oregon on Thursday in the quarterfinals. 

UCLA star guard Dylan Andrews scored a career-high 31 points and Adem Bona added 17 in the win. UCLA would have to run the table this week to reach the NCAA Tournament. As for Oregon State, it ends the season with a 13-19 record just three years after winning this very tournament on its way to an Elite Eight appearance. 

First round: USC 80, Washington 74

No. 9 seed USC defeated No. 8 seed Washington 80-74 in the first game of the Pac-12 Conference Tournament on Wednesday in Las Vegas. The Trojans will advance to face Pac-12 regular-season champion Arizona on Thursday in the quarterfinals. USC star Boogie Ellis scored a game-high 25 points, and Kobe Johnson added 14 in the win. The Trojans are firmly outside the bubble and would need to run the table to receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

Washington ends the season with a 17-15 record. CBS Sports' Matt Norlander confirmed last week that the school plans to fire coach Mike Hopkins at the end of the Huskies season. UW made just one NCAA Tournament during his seven-year tenure at the school.

Expert picks for the Pac-12 Conference Tournament 

The final Pac-12 Tournament with full membership is almost underway from Las Vegas. Arizona and Washington State are the only teams considered "locks" to reach the NCAA Tournament. Colorado and Utah are firmly in the mix in CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm's latest projections. Every other team in the conference would need to run the table to receive a berth.

Check out our full breakdowns for each major college basketball conference tournament complete with CBS Sports expert picks below. 

March Madness 2024: College basketball conference tournament predictions, picks, odds, sleepers

Cameron Salerno