After UCLA defeated Arizona State, here is their path to winning to Pac-12 tournament

Historical examples of five or lower seeds winning the conference tournament.

In the 2021 Pac-12 tournament, No. 5 seed Oregon State won the conference tournament and earned an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. The Beavers defeated UCLA by four then beat No. 1 seed Oregon and finally defeated No. 3 seed Colorado by two points to win the Pac-12 tournament.

In the 2019 Pac-12 tournament, No. 6 seed Oregon, won four straight games that included defeating the No. 3, No. 2, and No. 1 seeds in the tournament to claim the title and become Pac-12 tournament champions.

Other examples include No. 6 seed Colorado winning the 2012 conference tournament, No. 6 seed USC winning it in 2009, and No. 5 Oregon winning the conference tournament in 2003.

The best path to UCLA winning the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament.

UCLA has defeated Oregon State twice this season and the expectation is that on a neutral court, they will defeat the Beavers for the third time this season.

UCLA on the road lost to Oregon by only five points earlier in the season but they defeated the Ducks the last time they played when they won 71-63 on Feb, 3 on their home court. If the Bruins win comfortably against Oregon State the day before and can limit the minutes of their starters, UCLA has a good chance to defeat Oregon on a neutral court as the Ducks have lost three of their last five games.

If UCLA can defeat both Oregon State and Oregon and then USC can beat Washington and upset Arizona, these two teams would face one another in the conference semi-finals. The Trojans recently defeated both the Huskies and the Wildcats so USC winning both games is not out of the realm of possibility. The Bruins lost to USC the last time these two crosstown rivals played one another but UCLA did on the road defeat the Trojans by 15.

If this game were to occur, the Bruins would be playing their fourth game in four days. Colorado would be playing their third consecutive game in three days. In the only time these two teams have faced one another, UCLA defeated the Buffaloes on Feb, 15 by a final score of 64-60. This would be the most realistic match-up in the conference tournament championship game for the Bruins and UCLA could defeat Colorado to earn an invitation to the NCAA Tournament.

A ton would have to happen for UCLA to win the Pac-12 Tournament in 2024 but it is referred to as March Madness for a reason and historically, lower seeds have won the conference tournament. If the Bruins can replicate what Oregon did in the 2019 Pac-12 tournament by winning four straight games, UCLA could be one of the main stories heading into the NCAA Tournament.