Pac-12 Basketball Notes: 'Say Hello to the Bad Guys'
With six teams within a half-game of first place, the first four weeks of Pac-12 play have created more questions than answers, and we will address those queries in a moment. While confusion reigns in the conference, we start with something on which we can rely – Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley’s passion.
His postgame media conference after last Wednesday’s two-point loss to UCLA, when Arizona State players were called for four technical fouls, is the quintessential Bobby Hurley.
He starts by saying multiple times he won't say how he really feels, which tells you everything about how he really feels. But the quote that sticks out occurs midway through the video and is this: “Say hello to the bad guys.”
It recalls Al Pacino’s classic moment as Tony Montana in Scarface:
Interestingly, the Sun Devils responded to that difficult loss – in which technical fouls led to a seven-point UCLA possession that changed the game – was a strong performance in a 15-point victory over shorthanded USC.
So let’s proceed with the questions:
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Did we overestimate Arizona’s talent based on nonconference play?
Remember when Arizona was 8-0 and ranked No. 1? The Wildcats figured to skate through the Pac-12, perhaps going unbeaten in conference play, and earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Well, the Wildcats are just 6-4 since then, and it could easily be 5-5 since UCLA blew a 17-point, second-half lead in a loss to Arizona at McKale Center on Saturday.
Arizona is still No. 3 in the NET rankings, but there are concerns, as ESPN noted in its Power rankings regarding Arizona.
Even with the win, however, there are some issues, particularly their defense inside the arc. After not allowing any of their first eight opponents to shoot better than 48.4% from 2, eight of their past 10 opponents have shot at least 51% on 2s.
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Is Stanford’s Spencer Jones a big-time scorer or not?
Spencer Jones’ absence was noticeable in Stanford’s 14-point loss to Washington State on Thursday, and his presence was noticeable on Saturday, when he scored 30 points and was 8-or-12 on three-pointers in the 10-point victory over Washington.
However, Jones’ scoring is erratic. He has scored six points or fewer six times this season, going 0-for-14 from three-point distance over those six games. But he has scored more than 20 points three times, including 21 points on 5-for-6 shooting from long range in the 18-point win over Arizona.
Message to Stanford opponents: Don’t let Jones get free from beyond the three-point line
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Is Oregon better or worse with N’Faly Dante back?
The Ducks started conference play 4-0 without all-Pac-12 center N’Faly Dante, but are 1-2 since his return.
Oregon must go through an adjustment period with a dominant low-post presence back as part of its offense, plus the two losses were on the road to Colorado and Utah, as difficult a trip as there is in the Pac-12.
Quite simply, Oregon is not an NCAA tournament team without Dante. With him, it might be.
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Has UCLA become a threat to win the conference title after an embarrassing start?
After losing to Utah by 46 points for its fourth straight loss, UCLA seemed destined for its worst season in a long time, perhaps ever. However, the Bruins have since won two of three, including a road win at Arizona State, and they nearly won at Arizona’s McKale Center, blowing a 17-point lead with less than 16 minutes left on Saturday.
Although that loss was aggravating, it indicating that Mick Cronin has sorted out some of the Bruins’ problems. Defense is always a staple of Cronin-coached teams, and limiting Arizona to 77 points at McKale Center, where the Wildcats were averaging 98.1 points, indicates the defensive lessons are starting to take hold.
The Bruins’ poor shooting is their bigger issue. They are still last in the conference in field-goal percentage (41.9%) and three-point shooting (30.0%), but over the past three games they shot 47.4% from the field and 40.7% from distance. UCLA is still just 8-11 overall and 3-5 in the conference, but keep an eye on the Bruins.
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Can USC regain respectability when Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier return?
Without both Boogie Ellis (hamstring) and Isaiah Collier (wrist) the past three games, the Trojans went 0-3. The absence of Ellis is particularly noticeable as USC failed to score more than 67 points in any of those three games and went 17-for-56 on three-pointers. And apparently Ellis was playing with the injury before being sidelined.
But Ellis could return soon, perhaps this week, and Collier, the top-rated freshman recruit in the country according to some services, is expected back by mid-February.
Without them, USC is not much of a threat.
However, any team with Boogie Ellis is dangerous.
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Will Cal coach Mark Madsen beat his alma mater on Friday?
Friday’s Stanford-Cal game in Berkeley has a notable coaching matchup:
Cal’s first-year head coach Mark Madsen will try to beat the school for which he was a star forward from 1996-1997 through 1999-2000. In his final game in Berkeley, Madsen had 19 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks to help the Cardinal beat Cal 81-70 in 2000, the first season the Bears played at Haas Pavilion.
Stanford head coach Jerod Haase was a starter on the 1992-1993 Cal team that beat the Cardinal 83-66 in his only game against Stanford in Berkeley, but that was at intimate Harmon Gym before it was expanded to become Haas Pavilion.
Madsen is hoping Stanford does not have an opportunity to win Friday’s game with a three-pointer at the buzzer, which haunted the Bears last week.
Cal lost by two points on Thursday when Washington’s Moses Wood hit a three-pointer at the buzzer:
And Washington State’s Myles Rice made a three-pointer at the buzzer to force Saturday’s game at Cal into overtime, although the Bears ended up winning that game:
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Who would win an end-to-end dribbling race between Washington State’s Myles Rice and Utah’s Deivon Smith?
Washington State freshman Myles Rice and Utah point guard Deivon Smith had big weeks.
Rice scored 35 points in the win over Stanford and hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game against Cal into overtime. Smith was named Pac-12 player of the week after his near-triple-double (24 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) in the win over Oregon and had 14 points and eight assists in just 28 minutes in the rout of Oregon State.
The question now is, what happens to Smith when Rollie Worster returns. Worster was the Utes’ starting point guard but missed the past three games with a leg injury, moving Smith into the starting lineup.
What is most impressive about both Rice and Smith is their speed with the ball in hand, as you can see here.
Rice's speed:
Smith's speed:
We might want to add Washington's Sahvir Wheeler to that speed contest and make it a three-man race:
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Is freshman Cody Williams the key to Colorado’s success?
Colorado has two stars in KJ Simpson and Trista da Silva, but the pivotal player in the Buffaloes’ bid for a conference championship is freshman Cody Williams. He missed seven games with a wrist injury, but has been back the past four games and is gradually returning to top form.
He had 23 points on 10-for-13 shooting (including 3-for-4 on three-pointers) in the 16-point win over Oregon, and he had 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting (including 2-for-3 from distance) in the 33-point rout of Oregon State.
Williams gives Colorado that third scoring threat teams need to be title contenders. At the moment the Buffaloes are right on the cusp of an NCAA tournament berth, either just in or just out, and Williams may be the determining factor.
On a different note, a behind-the-back dribble is usually just for show, but da Silva found it quite useful on this fast break:
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Is there anything we can say with certainty about the Pac-12?
Yes, Oregon State is the worst team in the conference.
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Pac-12 Player of the Year Standings
(A team’s place in the standings matters)
1. Frankie Collins, Arizona State – He’s scored at least 12 points in every conference game had 17 points, seven assists and six steals in the win over USC. And he does stuff like this:
2. KJ Simpson, Colorado – 19.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 51.0% shooting, 47.2% three-point shooting.
3. Caleb Love, Arizona – 18.2 points per game and 20.9 points in Pac-12 play.
4. Jaylon Tyson, Cal – Averaging a Pac-12-leading 20.7 points and 7.2 rebounds, and had his second 30-point game in the OT win over Washington State.
5. Keion Brooks Jr., Washington – 20.2 points, 7.3 rebounds as Huskies stay relevant
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Top Five Pac-12 Teams
(Based on results, not the eye test)
1. Arizona (14-4, 5-2 Pac-12) – The Wildcats are back on top, but their hold on the top spot is precarious.
2. Arizona State (11-7, 5-2) – Wins against Colorado and Utah keep the Sun Devils close to the top.
3. Colorado (14-5, 5-3) – Buffs have won three in a row since blowing that 20-point lead against Cal
4. Utah (14-5, 5-3) – Utes' No. 25 current NET ranking is impressive – probably more impressive than their performances.
5. Oregon (13-5, 5-2) – Ducks lost both games on the mountain trip and are virtually tied with Washington State for this fifth spot.
Cover photo of Bobby Hurley by Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports
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