Arizona survives scare from Stanford to advance to semifinals of Pac-12 tournament

LAS VEGAS (KOLD News 13) - Arizona had to fight to the bitter end, but the Wildcats survived an upset bid from Stanford Thursday afternoon.

The Wildcats were able to offset an amazing shooting performance by the Cardinal for an 84-80 win in the second round of the men’s Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas.

Christian Koloko had 24 points and nine rebounds while Bennedict Mathurin added 18 points for Arizona, which will play either Colorado in the semifinals Friday night. That game is set to tip-off at 7 p.m. and will be televised by the Pac-12 Network and streamed HERE.

Spencer Jones led Stanford with a game-high 28 points and seven rebounds.

The Cardinal went 11-for-20 from the 3-point line and shot 62.5% from the free-throw line.

Arizona struggled on offense and shot 37.5% from the 3-point line and 47.7% from the field.

It was Arizona’s third win over Stanford this season. The Wildcats battered the Cardinal 85-57 on Jan. 20 and 81-69 on March 3.

The Wildcats, ranked No. 2 in the country, are almost a lock to get a top seed for the NCAA men’s tournament. If Arizona, the Pac-12 regular-season champion, with the conference’s postseason title then the Wildcats will get a No. 1 seed for the Big Dance.

The NCAA tournament bracket will be announced Sunday, March 14. The selection show will air on KOLD starting at 4 p.m. We will have a camera at the McKale Center to capture the Wildcats’ reaction.