UW Husky men ready for last charge at Pac-12 basketball tournament

LAS VEGAS — One last time.

The Pac-12 men’s basketball teams will gather inside T-Mobile Arena this week to play the final games in a tradition-rich conference that began in 1915 under a different name: Pacific Coast Conference.

Over the past century, schools were removed and added. The old PCC became the Pacific 8, then Pac-10 and finally the Pac-12 in 2011.

Next year, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen to the Pac-12, which essentially goes into hiatus.

Washington, Oregon, USC and UCLA will play in the Big Ten. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are headed to the Big 12. California and Stanford found a home in the ACC, while Washington State and Oregon State signed a two-year agreement to play in the West Coast Conference.

“I haven’t gotten too nostalgic this season, but it’s extremely sad what’s happening to the Pac-12,” Washington men’s coach Mike Hopkins said in January after UW’s trip to UCLA. “You think of all the legendary players this league has produced. You start with those John Wooden teams (at UCLA) with (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and (Bill) Walton.

“Arizona had a great run with Lute (Olson). So many great players at Washington. Too many to name, but you start with Brandon (Roy), IT (Isaiah Thomas), (Detlef Schrempf) and so many. … It’s just sad those rivalries are going away and you hope to preserve them in some fashion going forward. But it won’t be the same that’s for sure.”

Change is coming for the Pac-12 and the Huskies, who announced Friday Hopkins will coach for the remainder of the season but will not return next season.

Hopkins hopes to go out with a bang.

“If we play well anything can happen,” Hopkins said during a phone interview Friday. “This has been a resilient group. We’ve been looking for consistently all season, and I fully believe we have what it takes to get on a run.

“But before you get on a run, you got to win that first one because it’s the most important game of season. Let’s pour all we have into that one and see what happens.”

The first one is Wednesday’s noon contest that pits No. 8 seed Washington (17-14) against No. 9 seed USC (14-17) with the winner advancing to face No. 1 seed Arizona (24-7) in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

In his previous six trips to the Pac-12 tournament, Hopkins is 3-6, including four losses in the first round.

In 2019, UW had a first-round bye and won two games before falling in the title game. And in 2022, the sixth-seed Huskies beat No. 11 Utah 82-70 in its opener and lost to No. 3 USC 65-61 in the quarterfinals.

In terms of preferable opponents, USC is the least favorable matchup for UW. The Trojans have beaten the Huskies in eight straight games, including an 82-75 win on March 2 at Alaska Airlines Arena when USC freshman guard Isaiah Collier scored a career-high 31 points.

USC has won four of its past five games and three in a row, including a 78-65 victory against Arizona on Saturday.

“Over the last few weeks he’s been a good of a player as anyone in our conference,” UW assistant Ben Lee said during a radio interview when asked about Collier. “So, with him and Boogie Ellis in the backcourt, just two assassins, you have to be locked in for 40 minutes.

“They’ve been as hot as anyone in our conference and definitely we want some get back after they took care of us at home.”

Washington is coming off one of its best games of the season, a 74-68 road win against cross-state rival Washington State, which spoiled the Cougars’ senior-night celebrations and WSU’s chance to tie Arizona for the regular-season championship.

The Huskies held the Cougars to 39.4% shooting from the field, including 4 of 24 on three-pointers. In their previous game against USC, the Trojans converted 54.4% from the field — it’s highest percentage against a Pac-12 opponent — and sank 8 of 17 three-pointers.

“Can we be locked in execution wise on the defensive side of the ball for 40 minutes?” Lee said noting UW’s offense ranks second in the league while averaging 80.8 points and the defense is last in points allowed (77.0). “Offensively, we’ll be able to score the ball. But defensively, can we execute our game plan for 40 minutes?”

Considering the impending makeover with a team that has five scholarship players with expiring eligibility, it’s fair to wonder if the Huskies will be motivated to make a one last valiant stand for their lame-duck coach?

“If you can’t be excited for the last Pac-12 tournament ever in Vegas with all eyes on you, I think you’re probably playing the wrong sport,” Lee said. “I think our guys will be fired up and ready to go. We practiced at noon (Sunday). We practiced (Monday) at 11 a.m. and we’re practicing at noon (Tuesday) so their bodies will be adjusted.

“If that ball tips up and you’re not ready to play in a Pac-12 tournament game, then something is wrong with you.”