Arizona eliminated from Pac-12 Tournament in loss to Oregon
Mar 15, 2024, 7:34 PM | Updated: 7:42 pm
Keshad Johnson #16 of the Arizona Wildcats drives the ball against N'Faly Dante #1 and Jackson Shelstad #3 of the Oregon Ducks in the first half of a semifinal game during the the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
Arizona men’s basketball packed its bags to leave Las Vegas and the Pac-12 Tournament early after falling 67-59 to fourth-seeded Oregon Friday despite Oumar Ballo’s 18th double-double of the season.
With the loss, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd moves to 7-1 in Pac-12 Tournament games after entering this iteration undefeated.
Ballo finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in the game but it wasn’t enough to outdo Oregon’s backcourt. Pac-12 All-Freshmen honoree Jackson Shelstad and 25-year-old Jermaine Cousinard combined for 30 second half points with three 3s each.
The Ducks led by as much as 13 late but with five minutes left, Arizona used a 9-2 run to pull within four with 2:38 left but that was the closest it got.
RELATED STORIES
The Wildcats benefitted early from a 25-11 run when Ducks center N’Faly Dante had to exit the game after falling over Ballo on a block attempt. The Ducks failed to hit a field goal for the final seven minutes of that stretch as Arizona built up a lead as large as 14 points.
Once Dante was back in the game, he proved to be a hassle for the Arizona bigs, finishing the half with eight points, five rebounds, two steals and a block in just nine minutes.
For the first time since 2021, the Pac-12 Tournament will be won by a school not named Arizona as Oregon awaits the winner of Washington State-Colorado.
