The college basketball season has taken off and my preview series continues its march, this time looking at the Pac 12 conference. Like many conferences, the hierarchy of teams is vastly different in basketball then it is in football. While Oregon and Stanford might dominate on the field, on the court it’s teams like Cal and UCLA that will headline. This also represents a second chance for new members Utah and Colorado to make a better first impression then they did in football.
1 ) California
Cal has four starters returning, led by Jordge Gutierrez, as well as numerous scoring options. The Bears have the experience and leadership to be conference champs.
2 ) UCLA
Their frontcourt will be the best on the conference and will carry the team, but they have a group of guards that must step up.
3 ) Washington
The Huskies lost players but still have Terrence Ross who should be a beast. Frosh Tony Wroten Jr adds to a talented group that could make a run for the conference title.
4 ) Arizona
Losing Derrick Williams was huge and he will be hard to replace. The team has a nice mix of vets and newcomers that will keep them competitive.
5 ) Oregon
Coach Dana Altman landed a trio of transfers that will work alongside returners EJ Singler and Tyler Nared on a team that could make some noise come season’s end.
6 ) Stanford
Josh Owens and Dwight Powell are the top returning starters on a team tha thas the talent to win, but must be consistent throughout the season.
7 ) Oregon State
Continuing the theme, the Beavers have most of last year’s team back. Whether they can get better results depends on how the players have grown.
8 ) USC
Despite having no standout stars, coach Kevin O’Neill will find the combinations he needs to field a competitive team.
9 ) Washington State
The Cougars lost alot of scorers from last season and will perhaps have the hardest time replacing them, but they will get good play from their guards.
10 ) Arizona State
The Sun Devils have too many unknowns on the roster to be competitive, so it will be a long season in Tempe.
11 ) Colorado
The Buffaloes only legit scorer is Andre Roberson, so they will have toruble adjusting to their new conference.
12 ) Utah
The Utes will have even more trouble adjusting to the Pac 12, given that they have little talent.
