The 2009 Pacific Life Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament began with the first round on March 11, 2009 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, with quarterfinals on March 12, semifinals on March 13, and the finals on March 14 (3:00 p.m. PT). In front of a crowd of 16,988, #6 seed USC defeated #4 seed Arizona State for the Pac-10 Tournament Championship, which was the first and only time for their program. This was also the first time a team seeded sixth in the tournament went on to win the championship, although it would happen again three years later. The Trojans received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA National Tournament.