Vilardo: Week 15 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Stat Notes

Statistical notes on the season as a whole and on upcoming games

Posted on March 3, 2021


  By Stephen Vilardo, SuperWest Sports

As we head into the final week of the regular season, we see some players heating up and some teams getting hot at the right time, while others limp toward the finish.

Remy Martin | thesundevils.com/ASU Athletics

Arizona State has won three in a row and four of their last five, with two more opportunities to come this week in attempting to salvage an otherwise disappointing season.

Not surprisingly a bright spot for the Sun Devils has been Remy Martin. The senior is averaging 26.9 points per game in his last seven games. He has reached double-figures in all 12 ASU games in 2021, and is averaging 23.8 points per game during the calendar year.

Oregon has played their way into the conference championship race by winning three in a row, going 8-1 before heading into their mid-week showdown with UCLA in Eugene. Chris Duarte has averaged 21.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game during the Duck win streak.

The Ducks only loss in the last nine games has come at the hands of USC. Unfortunately for the Trojans, that is their only win in their last four games. After opening the season 12-2 in conference play, USC now finds themselves 13-5—a game back of UCLA in the loss column, and one full game behind the Ducks in the standings.

Chris Duarte | goducks.com

Colorado is also sitting at 13 league wins after winning their last three, following a mini two-game slump. As he has his entire career for the Buffs, McKinley Wright IV has been big during the win streak,averaging 20.7 points, 7.7 assists ,4.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in his last three games.

Wright IV

Last Thursday, he had a 15 point/14 assist against USC. Wright is one of just nine players in the nation, and the only one from a power conference, averaging at least 15 points and 5.8 assists this season.

The only other power conference player averaging at least 15 points and 5.4 assists is also from the Pac-12: James Akinjo of Arizona. Akinjo and the Wildcats saw their season end on Monday night against Oregon, finishing with a 17-9 mark overall.

The Wildcats have a 139-60 record since the start of the 2015-16 season, the 17th-most wins of any team in the nation during that time. The win for Oregon was their 151st. They’re 151-51 during the same period, the fifth most in the country. (The five teams with more wins: Gonzaga 184, Villanova 168, Kansas 166, and Virginia 156)


A look at this week’s games

Oregon State at Utah

The Beavers were 18-point winners the first time the teams met at Gill Coliseum two weeks ago. It was Oregon State’s third-straight win over Utah. OSU forced 20 turnovers in the first meeting this season, resulting in 26 points off turnovers and 15 fast break points.

In games played in Salt Lake City, the Utes have had total control of the series, winning 14 of 16 meetings. The home team has won six of the last eight meetings between the two teams. In his last five games vs. Utah, Ethan Thompson is averaging 15.4 points per game.


UCLA at Oregon

UCLA visits Oregon for the teams’ only meeting of the regular season. The Bruins own a half game lead over the Ducks atop the conference standings as they gear up for the pivotal game at Matthew Knight Arena.

Oregon has dropped two home games this season, but have lost just nine of their last 99 played in Eugene. The Ducks have a .909 winning percentage at home since 2015-16, the fourth-best of any team from a power conference.

Oregon has won five of the last six between the teams played in Eugene, including last season’s lone meeting, 96-75. That 21-point win was the largest margin between the schools since a 94-68 UCLA win in March 2009.

The Bruins have gone 4-2 in the last six meetings overall. The teams have averaged 171.5 combined points in the last seven contests, with at least one team scoring 86 points or more in six of those seven matchups.


Stanford at USC

USC was a 72-66 winner when the Cardinal and Trojans met a month ago in Los Angeles. In that game, Evan Mobley had a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. It was one of his four outings this season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

The younger Mobley is tied for the most such games in the Pac-12 with Stanford’s Oscar da Silva, and the pair are tied for the seventh-most in the nation among players from a power conference.

usc logoUSC has won four of the last five between the teams, and have taken the last five played in the Galen Center. Stanford’s last win over the Trojans in Los Angeles was January 2015. This will be the 21st game that Stanford has played away from its campus.


Arizona State at Colorado and Utah

Arizona State has never left the Mountain trip with a sweep of the two games.

Colorado has won three in a row over Arizona State, and seven of the last 10 between the squads. The Buffs have won five straight in the series at the Colorado Events Center. Colorado has gone 8-1 all-time at home vs. the Sun Devils. The home team has gone 16-3 all-time in the series

Arizona State has won the last two games over Utah, and three of the last five between the schools. The home team has gone just 1-4 in the last five games. The Sun Devils have collected wins in each of their last two trips to Salt Lake City, but those are their only road wins in the series since the Utes joined the Pac-12.

The Utes have won seven of the last 10 meetings.


USC at UCLA

UCLA has won 18 consecutive games at Pauley Pavilion and their last 15 Pac-12 games played on the home floor. USC has won three in a row in the series, and four of the last five. The Bruins have won five of the last seven meetings at Pauley Pavilion.

usc logoThe first game between the teams this season resulted in a 66-48 USC win. The Trojans limited UCLA to 33.9% shooting from the floor and 15.8% on three-pointers in that one. Since the 2015-16 season USC has an 8-5 mark against UCLA.


Oregon at Oregon State

Since 1995, Oregon State has gone just 15-40 against Oregon, and five of those 15 wins have come in the last seven meetings. The Ducks have not won in Corvallis since March, 2017. Since the 2013-14 season, Oregon State has gone 5-2 in home games vs. Oregon.

In January, the beavers earned a win in Eugene and will look to sweep the season series for the second time in the last three years. In the first meeting this season, OSU had a 14-5 advantage in second-chance points. The Ducks were without Chris Duarte in that one.

Follow Stephen on Twitter @StephenVilardo and his organization @SERCenter, and visit his website at sercstats.com.




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