Sport Basketball Most championships Arizona Wildcats (6) Current location Paradise Number of teams 12 | Last contest 2017 Conference Pacific-12 Conference Current stadium T-Mobile Arena | |
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Format Single-elimination tournament Played 1987–1990, 2002–present TV partner(s) Pac-12 Networks, Fox Sports and ESPN (2013-2024) Current champion Arizona Wildcats men's basketball |
The Pac-12 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, otherwise known as the Pac-12 Tournament, is the annual concluding tournament for the NCAA college basketball in the Pac-12, taking place in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena.
Contents
- History
- 19871990
- 2002 to the present
- Television coverage
- Format
- Tournament championships by school
- Coaches with championships
- Coaches by all time winning
- Coaches by tournament wins
- All time records by team
- Records All Time by Seed
- Pac 12 Tournament team records
- Pac 12 Tournament individual records
- Pac 12 Tournament final game team records
- References
History
The predecessor conference of the Pac-12, the Pacific Coast Conference, began playing basketball in the 1915–16 season. The PCC was split into North and South Divisions for basketball beginning with the 1922–23 season. The winners of the two divisions would play a best of three series of games to determine the PCC basketball champion. If two division teams tied, they would have a one-game playoff to produce the division representative. Starting with the first NCAA Men's Basketball Championship in 1939, the winner of the PCC divisional playoff was given the automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. Oregon, the 1939 PCC champion, won the championship game in the 1939 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
The last divisional playoff was in the 1954–55 season. After that, there was no divisional play and all teams played each other in a round robin competition. From the 1955–56 season through the 1985–86 season, the regular season conference champion was awarded the NCAA tournament berth from the PCC, later AAWU, Pac-8 and Pac-10.
Beginning with the 1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, the league (known as the Pac-8 until becoming the Pac-10 with the 1978 arrival of Arizona and Arizona State) would usually place at least one other at-large team in the tournament. Following the end of UCLA's dominance in the 1970s, the Pac-10 would struggle to get out of the early rounds of the NCAA tournament.
By the 1985–86 season, the Pac-10 was one of three remaining conferences that gave their automatic NCAA tournament bid to the regular season round-robin champion. The other two conferences were the Ivy League and the Big Ten Conference.
1987–1990
The modern tournament format began in 1987. The first incarnation of the tournament ran from 1987 to 1990, hosted at different school sites. UCLA was awarded the inaugural tournament, which was won by the Bruins. The Arizona Wildcats would take the next three. It was dropped after 1990 upon opposition from coaches, poor revenue, and poor attendance. The Pac-10 went back to having the regular season conference champion get awarded the automatic NCAA tournament bid for the 1990–2001 seasons. During that time Arizona and UCLA both won NCAA championships.
2002 to the present
In 1998, the Big Ten began to hold a conference tournament, leaving the Pac-10 and Ivy League the lone conferences without postseason tournaments. The tournament was restarted by an 8–2 vote of the athletic directors of the conference in 2000 after determining that a tournament would help increase exposure of the conference and help the seeding of the schools in the NCAA tournament. Stanford University and the University of Arizona opposed the tournament, while UCLA's and USC's votes, considered the deciding votes, were swayed by permanently hosting the tournament at Staples Center. Los Angeles is the second largest media market in the United States. The championship game has been broadcast nationally by CBS Sports.
With the 2011 championship game attracting only 12,074 paid attendees, less than two-thirds the capacity of Staples Center, commissioner Larry Scott reopened bids from other cities to host the Pac-12 Tournament. Other models including a round-robin model and hosting the tournament at conference sites have also been considered. Ultimately, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Seattle submitted bids for consideration.
On March 13, 2012 the Pac-12 Tournament was officially moved to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada for a three-year term.
Television coverage
Effective with the 2012–13 season, as part of the new television contract signed with Fox Sports and ESPN, one quarterfinal game, one semifinal game, and the championship game will rotate between Fox Sports and ESPN, with ESPN obtaining odd year tournaments and Fox Sports even numbered tournaments. All other games are broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.
Format
From 1987 to 1990 and 2006 to 2011, all ten teams participated in the tournament, with the top six teams receiving a bye in the opening round. Between 2002 and 2005, only the top eight teams in the conference participated in the tournament. Of the Pac-12 schools, only Washington State has never played in the championship game. Since 2012, all 12 teams have participated with the top four teams getting byes into the quarterfinals.
Tournament championships by school
Note: No tournament held between 1990 and 2002.
Coaches with championships
Coaches by all-time winning %
(.765) – Dana Altman (Oregon), (13-4)
(.750) – Walt Hazzard (UCLA), (3-1)
(.727) – Lute Olson (Arizona), (16-6)
(.700) – Sean Miller (Arizona), (14-6)
(.667) – Tad Boyle (Colorado), (10-5)
(.667) – Tim Floyd (USC), (6-3)
(.667) – Bill Frieder (ASU), (2-1)
(.625) – Steve Alford (UCLA), (5-3)
(.600) – Jim Harrick (UCLA), (3-2)
(.579) – Ben Howland (UCLA), (11-8)
(.577) – Lorenzo Romar (Washington), (15-11)
(.571) – Cuonzo Martin (California), (4-3)
(.571) – Henry Bibby (USC), (4-3)
(.550) – Ernie Kent (Oregon/Washington St.), (11-9)
(.500) – Ben Braun (California), (7-7)
(.500) – Larry Krystkowiak (Utah), (6-6)
(.500) – Andy Russo (Washington), (3-3)
(.500) – Ralph Miller (Oregon St.), (3-3)
(.500) – Steve Lavin (UCLA), (3-3)
(.500) – Tony Bennett (Washington St.), (3-3)
(.455) – Mike Montgomery (Stanford/California), (10-12)
(.429) – Johnny Dawkins (Stanford), (6-8)
(.429) – Andy Enfield (USC), (3-4)
(.400) – Kelvin Sampson (Washington St.), (2-3)
(.400) – Kevin O’Neill (Arizona/USC), (2-3)
(.333) – Craig Robinson (Oregon St.), (3-6)
(.333) – Don Monson (Oregon), (2-4)
(.333) – George Ravelling (USC), (2-4)
(.333) – Jay John (OSU), (2-4)
(.333) – Lou Campanelli (Cal), (2-4)
(.333) – Bobby Hurley (ASU), (1-2)
(.250) – Herb Sendek (ASU), (3-9)
(.250) – Wayne Tinkle (OSU), (1-3)
(.000) – Jerod Haase (Stanford), (0-1)
Note: Coaches with at least one win are listed here. Current coaches are in bold.
Coaches by tournament wins
16 – Lute Olson (Arizona), (16-6)
15 – Lorenzo Romar (Washington), (15-11)
14 – Sean Miller (Arizona), (14-6)
13 – Dana Altman (Oregon), (13-4)
11 – Ernie Kent (Oregon/Washington State), (11-8)
11 – Ben Howland (UCLA), (11-8)
10 – Mike Montgomery (Stan/Cal), (10-12)
10 – Tad Boyle (Colorado), (10-5)
7 – Ben Braun (Cal), (7-7)
6 – Tim Floyd (USC), (6-3)
6 – Larry Krystkowiak (Utah), (6-6)
6 – Johnny Dawkins (Stanford), (6-8)
5 – Steve Alford (UCLA), (5-3)
4 – Henry Bibby (USC), (4-3)
4 – Cuonzo Martin (California), (4-3)
3 – Walt Hazzard (UCLA), (3-1)
3 – Jim Harrick (UCLA), (3-2)
3 – Andy Russo (Washington), (3-3)
3 – Steve Lavin (UCLA), (3-3)
3 – Craig Robinson (OSU), (3-6)
3 – Herb Sendek (ASU), (3-9)
3 – Andy Enfield (USC), (3-4)
2 – Bill Frieder (ASU), (2-1)
2 – Lou Campanelli (Cal), (2-4)
2 – Kelvin Sampson (WSU), (2-3)
2 – Jay John (OSU), (2-4)
1 – Wayne Tinkle (OSU), (1-3)
1 – Bobby Hurley (ASU), (1-2)
Note: Only coaches with 1 or more wins listed here. As of March 12, 2017
All-time records by team
As of March 12, 2017*USC vacated its win vs. ASU in the 2008 Pac-10 Tournament.
Records All-Time by Seed
The number one seed has gone on to win 6 of the 17 conference tournaments (35.3% of the time). The lowest seed to win in the tournament history is the sixth seed. Notes—From 2002 to 2005 there were only eight seeds for the top eight teams participating in the tournament. In 2010 with USC on probation, only nine teams participated. From 2012 onward there have been 12 seeds. *In 2008 USC vacated its win vs. ASU, so that win is omitted from the 4 seeds all-time record below.
As of March 12, 2017