Former Pac-12 foes Oregon and Arizona set for first March Madness meeting

By Canadian Press on March 22, 2025.

SEATTLE (AP) — In the very recent past, the NCAA Tournament selection committee would seek to avoid having Oregon face Arizona in the second round of March Madness.

But now that they’re no longer conference rivals, the former Pac-12 schools were placed in the same section of the East Region bracket. The winner of Sunday’s matchup moves on to the Sweet 16 in Newark, New Jersey, to face either top-seeded Duke or No. 9 seed Baylor.

“Obviously we have a lot of respect for Oregon, we’ve battled with them in the past three years and I know those battles go way before me as well,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “It is a little weird playing them in the second round of the tournament, because it’s a team you’re used to being a conference rival and usually you wouldn’t see that until later on.”

The Ducks (25-9) have never played the Wildcats (23-12) in the NCAA Tournament. Arizona’s final Pac-12 game came against Oregon in last year’s conference tournament semifinals, a 67-59 win for the Ducks.

The Pac-12’s collapse was sealed in the summer of of 2023, when Oregon and Washington bolted for the Big Ten, joining Southern California and UCLA, and Arizona went to the Big 12 with Colorado, Arizona State and Utah.

Oregon did just fine in its first Big Ten season, earning a No. 5 seed and beating Liberty 81-52 in its tournament opener on Friday night. The Ducks have advanced to the second round in each of their nine March Madness appearances in 15 years under coach Dana Altman. Last season, Oregon lost to Creighton in double overtime after beating South Carolina.

Arizona beat Akron 93-65 in the first round. The Wildcats lead their series with Oregon 55-38.

Last season, Arizona was a No. 2 seed and lost to Clemson in the Sweet 16.

Switching sides

Jeremy Roach spent an eventful four years at Duke. He began his career by playing in an empty Cameron Indoor Stadium during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski retired at the midpoint of Roach’s stay in Durham.

Now he’s at Baylor, playing on a fifth and final year of eligibility granted because of the pandemic. And next up is a date with his former program in Raleigh, North Carolina, about a half-hour’s drive from his former Durham campus home.

“It’s going to be cool,” Roach said Saturday. “Definitely excited for the matchup, not trying to overlook it or make anything bigger than what it is. It’s another basketball game. … So not trying to put too much into it.”

The 6-foot-2 Roach is averaging 10.1 points for the ninth-seeded Bears (20-14). While he has started 18 games, he’s also had two stints in the concussion protocol and he’s now coming off the bench.

“He showed me the ropes of what it was to play at Duke, what it was to wear a Duke uniform,” Duke junior guard Tyrese Proctor said. “He just encouraged me all the time, gave me confidence and it was great playing with him for the last two years.”

The top-seeded Blue Devils (32-3) went to the Final Four in Roach’s second season as Krzyzewski made his farewell push before handing the job to Jon Scheyer. Roach left Durham as part of the Blue Devils’ offseason overhaul that made way for the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class — led by unanimous Associated Press first-team All-American Cooper Flagg — and a trio of transfer additions tailored to fill gaps in the lineup.

“It was handled with love, honesty and we just felt mutually both ways that it was the best thing for him in his career, and obviously just where we had to go because of that,” Scheyer said of Roach’s transfer. “I have nothing but love for Jeremy, and our relationship is strong. He’ll be a Duke guy forever.”

Clash of styles

Alabama likes to go fast. Saint Mary’s does not. Whichever team can dictate the pace on Sunday is likely heading to the Sweet 16.

The second-seeded Crimson Tide (26-8) lead the country in scoring and beat Robert Morris 90-81 in the first round. The seventh-seeded Gaels (29-5) slowed Vanderbilt to a crawl to win 59-56 and reach the round of 32 for the third time in four years.

Alabama will likely have forward Grant Nelson available from the opening tip. Nelson is dealing with a knee injury and sat out the first 31 minutes against Robert Morris before coach Nate Oats inserted him into the game with the Colonials threatening to pull a stunner. Nelson and All-America guard Mark Sears helped settle things down.

Saint Mary’s is seeking its third appearance in the Sweet 16. The Gaels have become tournament fixtures but understand it’s time for them to reach the second weekend.

“We didn’t come here to just win one game. We’ve done that before,” senior forward Luke Barrett said. “We’re trying to leave a legacy on this program, and we’re trying to do something special this year, and that’s what we set out from the very start of the year. The start of that means winning this game.”

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AP Sports Writers Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Will Graves in Cleveland contributed to this report.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press

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