Pac-12 Basketball

Another bubble has been burst after Oregon took down Colorado 75-68 in the Pac-12 tournament championship game Saturday night.

The Ducks pulled off a huge upset over Arizona Friday night before taking down the Buffaloes to seal their NCAA tournament fate. This year's tournament appearance will be the first for Oregon since the 2020-21 season.

Oregon capped off what has been a crazy night for "bid thieves." NC State beat North Carolina in the ACC Tournament to steal a bid earlier in the night, adding more chaos ahead of selection Sunday.

After the Ducks' win, fans praised the team for the miraculous run in the Pac-12 tournament.

Now Oregon is heading to the big dance riding the momentum of a huge conference tournament week. The Ducks will look to turn that momentum into wins as begin their NCAA tournament journey.

For Colorado, the Buffaloes could still receive an at-large bid after what has been a solid season, but fans will certainly be nervous heading into selection Sunday.

After USC's 2023-24 season came to an end on Thursday with a loss to Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament, many are wondering about the future of Bronny James.

While it's not yet clear if James will enter the 2024 NBA draft, an Eastern Conference executive told ESPN's Jeremy Woo that teams will undoubtedly be interested in selecting him for the prospect of pairing him with his legendary father, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, no matter how slim the chances of adding him to their roster.

"I think everyone is preparing for him to go in the draft, and I'm dead serious -- I think a lot of teams will take the stance that they'll draft him if there's a 1% chance LeBron will join them," the exec said. "So, I'll be surprised if he doesn't enter. Will he stay in, I don't know."

The elder James has a $51.4 million player option on his contract for the 2024-25 season, and he has until June 29 to decide whether he will exercise it or opt out and test free agency. ESPN's Brian Windhorst said last month that there are indications that the 39-year-old is "angling to sign a multi-year deal in the offseason with the Lakers that will be nine figures."

Bronny appeared in 25 games for the Trojans and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He made his season debut in December after suffering cardiac arrest during a July workout that led to the discovery of a congenital heart defect.

Despite his nondescript freshman season, Bronny is still regarded as a gifted athlete and skilled defender who can develop into a productive player. While it would likely benefit him to remain in college for another year, the chance of sharing the court with his father could be too enticing to pass up.

It's no secret that LeBron is nearing the end of his career, so perhaps drafting Bronny will give teams a larger chance than expected to sign the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

"A team would have to have room or have assets the Lakers would want, and I don't see that as likely, but I think there will be teams that will take that approach," the exec said.

USC might not be making an NCAA tournament appearance this season, but the Trojans appear ready to play the spoiler.

DJ Rodman and Kobe Johnson each scored 19 points to lead USC to a 78-65 win over No. 5 Arizona on Saturday. Isaiah Collier finished with 16 points and Bronny James had five points and six rebounds off the bench as the Trojans won their third straight game.

USC has looked like a vastly improved team of late, going 4-2 over its final six regular-season games. The Trojans' two losses came by a combined six points. If this version of the team showed up earlier in the 2023-24 campaign, it's likely the Trojans would enter the Pac-12 tournament with a good chance of playing deep into March.

Instead, this talented-but-flawed group finished the regular season at 14-17 and will need to win the conference tourney to make the tournament.

Oumar Ballo and Keshad Johnson led the way for Arizona with 17 points, but no other Wildcats player scored more than seven points as they struggled to find an offensive rhythm. Leading scorer Caleb Love had by far his worst performance of the season, finishing with two points on 1-of-10 shooting. Love had scored in double figures in each of his previous 27 games.

Pelle Larsson finished with as many turnovers and fouls as points (five).

Despite the loss, Arizona will go into the Pac-12 tournament with a chance to re-enter the No. 1 seed conversation with a deep run. At the very least, the Wildcats should be a lock for a No. 2 seed.

Boogie Ellis' stellar night carried USC to an 81-73 victory over Arizona State as it looks to build positive momentum going into the Pac-12 tournament.

The fifth-year senior scored a game-high 28 points on 6-of-8 shooting from three in 26 minutes. It was the third time he has scored at least 24 points in the past five games. He only reached that mark four times in the Trojans' first 21 games.

Ellis scored or assisted on 25 of USC's 49 points in the second half to help the team pull away.

Bronny James' struggles down the stretch this season continued. The freshman guard was held scoreless for the second straight game and went 0-of-2 from the field. He had two assists, one rebound and one steal in 16 minutes.

This is the second time this season that James has failed to make a basket and score in consecutive games.

Jose Perez led Arizona State with 25 points. The Bronx native made all 11 of his free-throw attempts. The Sun Devils were successful on 18.8 percent of their three-pointers (3-of-16).

USC has won two straight three of its last four games. Head coach Andy Enfield's team will wrap up the regular season on Saturday when they host No. 5 Arizona at the Galen Center. The Wildcats won the first meeting between these two teams 82-67 on Jan. 17.

The Wildcats have won six straight games against their Pac-12 rivals. USC's last victory was on Jan. 7, 2021.

USC is on track to be the No. 11 seed in the Pac-12 tournament but could climb as high as No. 9 if it defeats Arizona and Arizona State loses to UCLA.

USC freshman Bronny James' decision to enter the 2024 NBA draft appears to be based on the teams interested in him rather than the pick that he'll be selected with.

Rich Paul, the agent and longtime friend of LeBron James, weighed in on the choice that the younger James will make.

"I don't value a young player getting into the lottery as much as I do getting him on the right team in the right developmental situation," Paul said on Saturday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The ideal situation for Bronny could be on a team that his father isn't playing for, despite the elder James' interest in sharing the court with his son in the NBA.

"LeBron wants Bronny to be his own man," Paul said, although he noted that LeBron would be "head over heels excited if that were to happen organically."

The 19-year-old has struggled to maintain his efficiency as he's moved back and forth between the starting lineup and the bench, averaging 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game before Saturday's action while shooting 37.4 percent from the field and 27.5 percent from three.

James didn't fare much better against Washington on Saturday, attempting just one shot in 14 minutes off the bench while grabbing three rebounds and dishing out two assists. It's worth noting that he didn't make his college debut until Dec. 10 as he recovered from suffering a cardiac arrest during a workout in July. He was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect.

If there isn't an NBA team or situation that he feels comfortable with, he could return to college for his sophomore year. That way, James would be able to go through a normal offseason and avoid joining his teammates on the floor just over a month into the season. It isn't difficult to imagine his shooting percentages increasing in that scenario, too.

The USC Trojans earned a big conference victory over Washington Saturday, but freshman Bronny James was reduced to a limited role in the win.

The Trojans won 82-75 to improve to 12-17 on the season and had some notable breakout performances. This includes guard Isaiah Collier, who had 31 points and went 14-of-20 from the field. Forward D.J. Rodman and guard Boogie Ellis also had 17 points each, with the two combining for 10 rebounds as well.

James, meanwhile, went scoreless and only attempted one shot. He did grab three rebounds and dished out two assists, including one that made waves on social media.

While there was plenty to like from the Trojans in the upset victory, James' inability to make a significant impact still dominated much of the discussion on social media.

James is averaging 5.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 19 games for USC in 2023-24, and at this point, it's unclear if he will return for his sophomore season or declare for the 2024 NBA draft.

Until then, however, he will look to help the Trojans finish out the season strong as USC has two games left on their regular season slate.

Bronny James played limited minutes while dealing with foul trouble Thursday night as USC fell short of a big upset of No. 19 Washington State, losing 75-72.

James got on the board early, hitting a contested jumper a few minutes into the matchup, but from there he couldn't get much going and played just three minutes in the first half after picking up a pair of fouls.

James saw a little more action in the second half but once again saw his time limited by foul trouble. He finished with just two points, a rebound and four fouls.

Isaiah Collier led the way for the Trojans in the scoring department, notching 24 points and continuing to show why he will likely be a first-round pick in this year's NBA draft.

Unfortunately for Collier, his efforts weren't enough to propel USC to its best win of the season.

Leading by as many as nine points, the Trojans looked to be in good position for the upset halfway through the second half, but a run from the Cougars put them on top as they avoided the upset.

The Trojans dropped to 11-18 and 5-12 in Pac-12 play with the loss. With just three games left to play in the regular season, a tournament bid seems nearly impossible for USC.

Still fresh in his college career, Bronny has plenty of time to find his footing. He's shown flashes at various points throughout the season, such as when he scored 15 points early on in conference play against Oregon State.

James entered the game averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game this season. As he continues to develop, he could turn into a valuable player for the Trojans.

LeBron James is a four-time champion, one of the best basketball players in history and, apparently, not the biggest fan of mock drafts.

The King took to social media Monday to react to a post stating that ESPN removed the younger James from its 2024 mock draft and instead projected him to go to the NBA in 2025 and said, "if y'all don't know he doesn't care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!"

James also said mock drafts don't matter "one bit" and encouraged younger players to keep "striving to be great."

ESPN isn't the only publication that doesn't envision Bronny James being drafted in 2024.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman did not include the USC guard in his most recent two-round mock draft, which was released Friday.

James is just a freshman for the Trojans and has been a secondary contributor. He is averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 27.5 percent from three-point range for an 11-16 squad.

It should be noted he missed some of the team's summer training and did not debut until more than a month into the season because he was recovering from the cardiac arrest he suffered in July.

If James does stay at USC, he will have a year of college basketball experience under his belt and, presumably, an entire offseason to prepare for the 2024-25 campaign. That should help him be a bigger factor for the Trojans during his sophomore season if he forgoes the NBA.

There has also been no shortage of speculation about LeBron James wanting to play alongside his son in the NBA at some point. The 20-time All-Star has a player option with the Los Angeles Lakers and could choose to exercise it and become a free agent during the same summer as the 2025 NBA draft.

If that is the same offseason that Bronny James chooses to go to the NBA, his father could wait to see what team drafts him and then go there in free agency.

For now, though, the younger James is focused on helping the Trojans improve down the stretch and, if his father is to be believed, not paying attention to any mock drafts.

USC freshman Bronny James had a rough start to Saturday's game against UCLA.

The son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James notched just two points, two assists and one rebound in the first half against the Bruins. However, he played just six minutes before the two sides went to the locker room tied at 34.

Bronny's lack of playing time in the first half had college basketball fans questioning why head coach Andy Enfield wasn't utilizing him more:

Bronny entered Saturday's game averaging 20.4 minutes per night, so it's unclear why Enfield opted to keep him on the bench for much of the first half.

That said, the 19-year-old hasn't exactly had a big impact when he's on the floor. Through 18 games entering Saturday, he averaged just 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 36.5 percent from the floor and 27.5 percent from deep.

Bronny's rather poor performance likely isn't all his fault as the Trojans have struggled mightily this year despite entering the season with high expectations. They sit 11th in the Pac-12 with a 10-16 record.