Bennedict Mathurin, No. 2 Arizona Beat No. 13 UCLA to Win 2022 Pac-12 Championship

The No. 1 Arizona Wildcats defeated the No. 2 UCLA Bruins 84-76 in the men’s Pac-12 Championship Game on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for their first conference title since 2018, when Deandre Ayton was named tournament MVP.

Arizona now has eight wins in the Pac-12 title game, the most of any school in the conference. The Oregon Ducks have the second-most titles, and they’re still well behind the Wildcats with five championships.

Before Saturday, Arizona and UCLA hadn’t met in the Pac-12 Championship Game since 2014, which the Bruins won 75-71. The Wildcats reached the 2022 conference title game with wins over No. 9 Stanford and No. 4 Colorado.

Arizona entered halftime of Saturday’s contest down 40-35, but the team came out with fire in the second half for the come from behind victory. Sophomore guard Bennedict Mathurin had one of his best games of the season against UCLA, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. 

The Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year semifinalist finished with 27 points, four rebounds and seven assists to power the Wildcats to victory. He earned the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament award for his efforts. 

However, Mathurin couldn’t have done it without the help of several other players, including Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Christian Koloko, who finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds, one steal and three blocks. 

And don’t forget about sophomore guard Dalen Terry, who put up 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the win. 

It was an incredibly well-rounded performance from the Wildcats and arguably their best of the tournament. Even though the Bruins had four of their starters finish with at least 14 points, it wasn’t enough to combat Arizona’s depth. 

Senior guard Jules Bernard paced the Bruins with 19 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal, while junior guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, one assist and two steals. 

While the Bruins are still going to the NCAA tournament, the Wildcats are going to be a No. 1 seed in the tournament for the first time since 2014. They’ll await their destination on Selection Sunday.