Pac-12 Basketball: By The Numbers (11/11-11/13)

Here are the scores from the first three days of the 2016-17 season.

Arizona 65, Michigan State 63
Key Stat: Arizona tripled Michigan State's free throw attempts (27 to 9), outscoring the Spartans by 15 points at the line.
Offensive MVP: Kobi Simmons - One of two Wildcats with an AST:TO ratio above 1, converted 8 of his 10 free throws and had the highest offensive efficiency (156) for Arizona.
Defensive MVP: Keanu Pinder - Pinder was a spark plug off the bench, leading the Wildcats in steal percentage and rebounding percentage.

Arizona State 88, Portland State 70
Key Stat: Arizona State out-rebounded Portland State 40-29 and had a 12.8% offensive rebounding percentage advantage.
Offensive MVP: Tra Holder - Holder converted 7 of his 10 field goal attempts and went 9-11 from the line. 
Defensive MVP: Obinna Oleka - Oleka recorded 13 of ASU's 40 rebounds to go with a block and a steal.

California 82, South Dakota State 53
Key Stat: Cal dominated the offensive boards, winning the ORB% margin by 30.7%. 
Offensive MVP: Grant Mullins - Knocking down three 3s, dishing out three assists and grabbing seven boards guided Cal to the blowout.
Defensive MVP: Kingsley Okoroh/Kameron Rooks - Okoroh and Rooks both swatted back four shots apiece. Cal recorded 10 blocked shots while the Jackrabbits only turned back one.

Colorado 90, Sacramento State 53
Key Stat: Buffs outshot Sacramento St. by an effective field goal percentage of 64.2% to 30.9%.
Offensive MVP: Wesley Gordon - Gordon was a beast on the glass (26.4 TRB%), rejected a shot and recorded the best defensive rating (64) in the dominant victory.
Defensive MVP: Lucas Siewert - Knocked down all three of his 3-pt attempts and was the only starter that didn't turn the ball over.

Oregon 91, Army 77
Key Stat: Oregon erased 13 Army shot attempts via the block while Army failed to alter a single Oregon field goal attempt.
Offensive MVP: Tyler Dorsey - Dorsey connected on four of his six shots from deep, leading the Ducks in offensive efficiency.
Defensive MVP: Jordan Bell - Bell rejected six (!) shot attempts Friday while also snatching eight rebounds. Incredible defensive showcase.

Oregon State 78, Prairie View A&M 58
Key Stat: PV A&M committed 31 fouls while OSU had a modest 17, leading to a 37-11 advantage in made free throws by the Beavers.
Offensive MVP: Jaquori McLaughlin - McLaughlin had six of OSU's 10 assists and also scored 12 points off the bench.
Defensive MVP: Tres Tinkle - Tinkle made his presence felt on the defensive side. He recorded 15 total rebounds (13 defensive) and forced two steals.

USC 75, Montana 61
Key Stat: The Trojans outscored the road Grizzlies 27-7 at the free throw line. 
Offensive MVP: Elijah Stewart - Leading USC with 30 points, Stewart went 14-16 at the charity stripe and also poured in four triples.
Defensive MVP: Elijah Stewart - Stewart also shined on the defensive side, causing two steals and blocking a shot.

Stanford 80, Harvard 70
Key Stat: Stanford played well defensively in its opener in China, forcing the Crimson to shoot 37.3% from the field. 
Offensive MVP: Reid Travis - Travis went 7-12 on his shot attempts and also added 10 points via the free throw line. 
Defensive MVP: Reid Travis - Seventeen total rebounds. Not a big deal. No other Cardinal had more than six boards.

UCLA 119, Pacific 80
Key Stat: UCLA recorded an effective field goal percentage of 73.9 against the Tigers. You won't see that very often, no matter the competition. 
Offensive MVP: Lonzo Ball - Yes, Alford tallied 30 points, but Ball recorded a 19/11/8 slash line in his first ever collegiate game. That's pretty awesome.
Defensive MVP: T.J. Leaf - Leaf was tremendous in his debut, grabbing a team-high 15 rebounds and recording a block and a steal.

Utah 81, Northwest Nazarene 37
Key Stat: Northwest Nazarene went 1-25 from beyond the arc, finishing with an incredibly awful 16.4% field goal percentage for the game.
Offensive MVP: Kyle Kuzma - Kuzma was oh, so close to a 20-20 in the first game of the season, tallying 23 points to go with 19 rebounds. 
Defensive MVP: Tyler Rawson - The Southern Utah transfer had two blocks and five rebounds in 17 minutes for the Utes.

Washington State 69, Montana State 65
Key Stat: WSU allowed 12 triples, but held Montana St. to a sub-30% field goal percentage overall in the home opener.
Offensive MVP: Derrien King - The sophomore led the Cougs with 22, nailing three shots from deep and adding seven free throws.
Defensive MVP: Conor Clifford - The big man sent back three Bobcat shots in the victory.

Yale 96, Washington 90
Key Stat: Despite its size, Yale out-rebounded Washington on the offensive end 13-4, resulting in additional second chance opportunities.
Offensive MVP: Markelle Fultz - First of many this season for Fultz, who went 11-17 from the field and added seven rebounds and six assists.
Defensive MVP: Malik Dime - One of the best rim protectors in the country, Dime sent back six Yale shot attempts and also recorded two steals.

UCLA 102, CSU Northridge 87
Key Stat: Northridge actually had better shooting numbers than UCLA, but it was the offensive boards (12-5) that ended up costing the Matadors. 
Offensive MVP: Isaac Hamilton - Hamilton went 9-14 from the field for 22 points in UCLA's second 100+ game in as many tries.
Defensive MVP: Thomas Welsh - Welsh had a productive night on the defensive side with 13 total defensive rebounds, four blocks and two steals.

Oregon State 72, UTSA 64
Key Stat: The Beavers shot the well at a much higher effiency than the Roadrunners, gaining an 47.1-38.3 advantage in effective field goal percentage.
Offensive MVP: Tres Tinkle - Tinkle recorded a double-double with 26 and 12, while also adding four assists for OSU. Eleven of his 26 points were via the free throw. 
Defensive MVP: Tres Tinkle - Tinkle shined yet again on the defensive side, recording a pair of blocks and steals. He now has four steals in his first two games.

USC 82, Omaha 72
Key Stat: USC crashed the boards early and often, compiling 17 offensive rebounds in Sunday's win. 
Offensive MVP: De'Anthony Melton - Melton was solid off the bench, recording 13 points and nine rebounds while also dishing out four assists. 
Defensive MVP: Chimezie Metu - Melton picked up three steals, but I'll give the defensive nod to Metu, who rejected five shots and had the best defensive rating among USC starters.

Arizona State 96, Cal Poly 74
Key Stat: Arizona State managed to force 29 Cal Poly fouls, resulting in 42 free throw attempts, in which 33 were converted. 
Offensive MVP: Tra Holder - For the second consecutive game, Holder led the Sun Devils in offensive production. He knocked down a trio of 3-pointers and assisted on three ASU baskets. 
Defensive MVP: Sam Cunliffe - Cunliffe easily led USC starters in defensive efficiency, mainly due to his two blocked shots.