Pac-12 Basketball Preview: Conference Play Starts Thursday

Cal opens Pac-12 play at Stanford on Thursday

Men’s Pac-12 play begins Thursday with five games, highlighted by Oregon’s game at Colorado.

Only one conference team is ranked in the top 20 this week, but that one team (Oregon) looks like a possible Final Four squad.

Pac-12 teams play 18 conference games this season, so each team will face four Pac-12 opponents only once.

Here is a quick rundown of the teams, presented in order of projected finish.

1. Oregon (11-2) 

Payton Pritchard - Photo by Ron Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports

Current AP rank: 4

Best win: Michigan 71-70 (road)

Worst loss: North Carolina 78-74 (neutral)

Best player: Senior guard Payton Pritchard (18.5 points, 6.2 assists, 51.2 FG%)

Comment: Oregon is the only school in the nation that currently ranks in the AP top seven in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball.

When Oregon plays Cal: Jan. 30 at Berkeley, March 5 at Eugene.

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2. Arizona (10-3)

Zeke Nnaji - Photo by Darren Yamashita, USA TODAY Sports

Current AP rank: 25

Best win: Illinois 90-69 (home)

Worst loss: St. John’s 70-67 (neutral)

Best player: Freshman forward Zeke Nnaji (16.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 69.6 FG%)

Comment: Wildcats have lost two in a row, but with freshmen being their top three scorers (Nnaji, Nico Mannion, Josh Green), they figure to improve as season goes on.

When Arizona plays Cal: Feb. 13 at Berkeley.

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3. Colorado (11-2)

D'Shawn Schwartz (5) and Tyler Bey - Photo by Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY S

Current AP rank: Others receiving votes (26th)

Best win: Dayton 78-76 OT (neutral)

Worst loss: Northern Iowa 79-76 (home)

Best player: Junior guard Tyler Bey (12.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks)

Comment: Colorado is 8-0 against Oregon at home, and Buffaloes play five of their first seven conference games at home.

When Colorado plays Cal: Feb. 6 at Boulder, Feb. 27 at Berkeley.

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4. Washington (10-3)

Isaiah Stewart - Photo by Joe Nichalson, USA TODAY Sports

Current AP rank: Others receiving votes (29th)

Best win: Baylor 67-64 (neutral)

Worst loss: Houston 75-71 (neutral)

Best player: Freshman forward Isaiah Stewart (19.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 61.1 FG%)

Comment: Top four scorers from last year’s Pac-12 championship team are gone, but freshmen Stewart and Jaden McDaniels were both among the top 10 recruits in the nation.

When Washington plays Cal: Jan. 11 at Berkeley, Feb. 22 at Seattle

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5. USC (11-2) 

Onyeka Okongwu - Photo by Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

Current AP Rank: Not ranked

Best win: TCU 80-78 (road)

Worst loss: Temple 70-61 (home)

Best player: Freshman forward Onyeka Okongwu (17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 62.4 FG%)

Comment: Trojans have strong freshman class, but they may be a year away with nation’s No. 1 recruit for 2020 (6-foot-11 Evan Mobley) arriving next season. 

When USC plays Cal: Jan. 16 at Berkeley 

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6. Utah (9-3)

Timmy Allen - Photo by Kelvin Kuo, USA TODAY Sports

Current AP rank: Not ranked

Best win: Kentucky 69-66 (neutral)

Worst loss: Coastal Carolina 79-57 (road)

Best player: Sophomore forward Timmy Allen (21.0 points, 7.4 rebounds)

Comment: Trivia question: Which team is the only one to finish among the top four in the Pac-12 standings each of the past five seasons? Yep, it’s Utah.

When Utah Plays Cal: Feb. 8 at Salt Lake City, Feb. 29 at Berkeley

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7. Stanford (11-2)

Oscar da Silva - Photo by Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY Sports

Current AP rank: Others receiving votes (tied-45th)

Best win: Oklahoma 73-54 (neutral)

Worst loss: Butler 68-67 (neutral)

Best player: Junior forward Oscar da Silva (17.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 61.8 FG%)

Comment: Freshman guard Tyrell Terry is making a major impact for the Cardinal, whose only losses were to teams currently are ranked No. 3 (Kansas) and No. 11 (Butler) this week.

When Cal plays Stanford: Jan. 2 at Stanford, Jan. 26 at Berkeley

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8. Oregon State (10-2)

Wayne Tinkle and Tres Tinkle - Photo by Joe Nicholson, USA TODAY Sports

Best win: Iowa State 80-74 (home)

Worst loss: Texas A&M 64-49 (road)

Best player: Senior forward Tres Tinkle (21.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 49.1 3-point FG%)

Comment: The Beavers equaled their best start through 12 games since the 1984-85 team opened 11-1. Oregon State 7-footer Kylor Kelley is second in the nation in blocks, at 4.33 per game.

When Oregon State plays Cal: Fb. 1 at Berkeley, March 7 at Corvallis

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9. UCLA (7-6)

Tyger Campbell - Photo by Matt Cashore, USA TODAY Sports

Current AP rank: Unranked

Best win: UC Santa Barbara 77-61 (home)

Worst loss: Cal State Fullerton 77-74 (home)

Best players: Freshman guard Tyger Campbell (8.6 points, 4.2 assists)

Comment: A UCLA team noticeably lacking in star players has lost three in a row, including that crushing home loss to Cal State Fullerton, which was 3-10. New coach Mick Cronin has his work cut out.

When UCLA faces Cal: Jan. 19 at Los Angeles

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10. Arizona State (9-4)

Remy Martin - Photo by David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports

Current AP rank: Unranked

Best win: St. John’s 80-67 (neutral)

Worst loss: Saint Mary’s 96-56 (neutral, Phoenix)

Best player: Junior guard Remy Martin (17.9, 4.1 assists)

Comment: A 40-point home loss to an unranked team is not encouraging, and neither is the ankle injury to top rebounder Romello White.

When Arizona State plays Cal: Feb. 16 at Berkeley

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11. Washington State (9-4)

CJ Elleby - Photo by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports

Current AP rank: Unranked

Best win: New Mexico State 63-54 (Spokane)

Worst loss: Omaha 85-77 (home)

Best player: CJ Elleby (20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds)

Comment: The Cougars have the longest active winning streak in the Pac-12, having won six in a row, albeit against mediocre competition.

When Washington State faces Cal: Jan. 9 at Berkeley, Feb. 19 at Pullman

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12. Cal (6-7)

Matt Bradley - Photo by D. Ross Cameron, USA TODAY Sports

Current AP rank: Unranked

Best win: Pepperdine 87-71 (home)

Worst loss: Boston College 64-60 (neutral)

Best player: Sophomore guard Matt Bradley (17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds)

Comment: Bears have lost three in a row and five of six heading into Pac-12 opener at Stanford on Thursday.