Pac-12 Conference men's basketball championship history

With the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament approaching, teams in the Pac-12 Conference will battle it out for an automatic bid to the national tournament. Here's a look at the history of the collegiate athletic conference that operates in the Western United States.

The Pac-12 Conference holds an annual men’s basketball tournament with the winner getting an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The Pac-12 features 12 teams--Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington and Washington State.

The conference tournament begins March 11 and runs through March 14.

The Pac-12 was formed in 1916. It was known as the Pacific Coast Conference, Athletic Association of Western Universities, Pac-8 Conference and Pac-10 Conference before becoming the Pac-12.

The conference held men’s basketball tournaments from 1987 to 1990 and then 2002 to the present.

The conference tournament was initially halted due to poor revenue and lack of attendance among other issues.

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Read below for a list of past tournament champions.

2019: OREGON

Oregon won the Pac-12 in 2019. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Oregon won the title in 2019. The Ducks defeated Washington, 66-48. Payton Pritchard was named tournament MVP.

2018: ARIZONA

Deandre Ayton was a dominant player for Arizona before his NBA days. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Arizona won their third title in four seasons. The Wildcats defeated USC in 2018, 75-61. Deandre Ayton was named tournament MVP.

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2017: ARIZONA

Arizona got back the Pac-12 title from Oregon in 2017. They defeated the Ducks, 83-80. Allonzo Trier was named tournament MVP.

2016: OREGON

Oregon won its second title in four years. The Ducks defeated Utah, 88-57. Elgin Cook was named tournament MVP.

2015: ARIZONA

Arizona won the Pac-12 in 2015. The Wildcats defeated Oregon, 80-52. Brandon Ashley was named tournament MVP.

2014: UCLA

UCLA won its first conference title since 2008. The Bruins defeated Arizona, 75-71, in 2014. Kyle Anderson was named tournament MVP.

2013: OREGON

Oregon defeated UCLA, 78-69, in 2013. Johnathan Loyd was named tournament MVP.

2012: COLORADO

Colorado defeated Arizona, 53-51. Carlon Brown was named MVP.

2011: WASHINGTON

Washington repeated as champions in 2011. They defeated Arizona, 77-75, in overtime. Isaiah Thomas won a second MVP.

2010: WASHINGTON

In 2010, Washington defeated California 79-75. Future NBA star Isaiah Thomas was named MVP.

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2009: USC

DeMar DeRozan was a stud for USC in 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

USC won the Pac-12 in 2009. The Trojans defeated Arizona State, 66-63. DeMar DeRozan was named tournament MVP.

2008: UCLA

UCLA defeated Stanford, 67-64, in 2008. Darren Collison was named tournament MVP.

2007: OREGON

In 2007, Oregon won a second conference title. The Ducks defeated USC< 81-57. Tajuan Porter was named tournament MVP.

2006: UCLA

UCLA won the conference title in 2006. The Bruins defeated California, 71-52. Leon Powe, of Cal, was named MVP.

2005: WASHINGTON

Washington won its first conference title. The Huskies defeated Arizona, 81-72. Salim Stoudamire, of Arizona, was named MVP.

2004: STANFORD

Stanford defeated Washington, 77-66, in 2004. Josh Childress was named tournament MVP.

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2003: OREGON

Oregon won its first Pac-12 title in 2003. The Ducks defeated USC, 74-66. Luke Ridnour was named MVP.

2002: ARIZONA

Luke Walton was once the pick of the litter at Arizona. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)

In 2002, Arizona would pick up right where it left off. The Wildcats defeated USC, 81-71. Luke Walton was named MVP of the tournament.

1990: ARIZONA

Arizona won a third consecutive title in 1990 before the Pac-12 tournament went away. The Wildcats defeated UCLA, 94-78. Jud Buechler and Matt Muehlebach shared the MVP award.

1989: ARIZONA

Arizona repeated as champions in 1989. They defeated Stanford, 73-51. Sean Elliott won a second MVP title.

1988: ARIZONA

Arizona won the Pac-12 title in 1988. The Wildcats defeated Oregon State, 93-67. Sean Elliott was named MVP.

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1987: UCLA

UCLA defeated Washington in the first-ever conference tournament championship game in 1987. The Bruins won, 76-64. Future Hall of Famer Reggie Miller was named MVP.

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