Pac-12 Basketball Preview: Arizona the Clear Favorite
Pac-12 play in men's basketball begins Thursday, and everyone is chasing Arizona, which is ranked No. 4 in the country this week.
Here are our look at the conference
Player of the year rankings so far
1. KJ Simpson, Colorado
2. Branden Carlsen, Utah
3. Caleb Love, Arizona
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Coach of the year rankings so far
1. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
2. Tad Boyle, Colorado
3. Craig Smith, Utah
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Freshman of the year rankings so far
1. Isaiah Collier, USC
2. Myles Rice, Washington State
3. Sebastian Mack, UCLA
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A look at the teams so far, in their predicted order of finish:
1. Arizona (9-2)
Coach: Tommy Lloyd, 3rd year
NET ranking: 2
Best win: Duke (road)
Worst Loss: Florida Atlantic (neutral)
Leading scorers: Caleb Love (16.5), Keshad Johnson (13.0)
Leading rebounder: Oumar Ball (8.1)
Top assist man: Kylan Boswell (4.4)
Scoring average: 92.5 (Pac-12 rank: 1st)
Three-point percentage: 36.6% (Pac-12 rank: 3rd)
Points allowed: 69.5 (Pac-12 rank: 6th)
Field-goal percentage defense: 41.0% (Pac-12 rank: 4th)
Comment: The only Pac-12 team ranked this week, and the Wildcats are No. 4
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2. Colorado (9-2)
Coach: Tad Boyle, 14th year
NET ranking: 33
Best win: Miami (neutral)
Worst Loss: Florida State (neutral)
Leading scorers: KJ Simpson (19.9), Tristan da Silva (15.7)
Leading rebounder: Eddie Lampkin (7.5)
Top assist man: KJ Simpson (4.5)
Scoring average: 86.2 (Pac-12 rank: 2nd)
Three-point percentage: 40.7% (Pac-12 rank: 1st)
Points allowed: 69.0 (Pac-12 rank: 4th)
Field-goal percentage defense: 42.0% (Pac-12 rank: 9th)
Comment: The one-two punch of Simpson and da Silva is formidable
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3. Washington (8-3)
Coach: Mike Hopkins, 7th year
NET ranking: 58
Best win: Gonzaga (home)
Worst Loss: San Diego State (neutral)
Leading scorers: Keion Brooks Jr. (20.1), Sahvir Wheeler (15.6)
Leading rebounder: Keion Brooks Jr. (7.6)
Top assist man: Sahvir Wheeler (7.1)
Scoring average: 83.0 (Pac-12 rank: 3rd)
Three-point percentage: 34.2% (Pac-12 rank: 8th)
Points allowed: 74.5 (Pac-12 rank: 10th)
Field-goal percentage defense: 41.2% (Pac-12 rank: 5th)
Comment: That win over Gonzaga makes you think the Huskies have something
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4. Utah (9-2)
Coach: Craig Smith, 3rd year
NET ranking: 25
Best win: BYU (road)
Worst Loss: St. John’s (neutral)
Leading scorers: Branden Carlson (16.8), Gabe Madsen (14.2)
Leading rebounder: Keba Keita (6.4)
Top assist man: Rollie Worster (6.2)
Scoring average: 80.6 (Pac-12 rank: 4th)
Three-point percentage: 38.0% (Pac-12 rank: 2nd)
Points allowed: 68.5 (Pac-12 rank: 3rd)
Field-goal percentage defense: 41.3% (Pac-12 rank: 7th)
Comment: Craig Smith has made amazing progress with this team, which was 4-16 in Pac-12 play two years ago in his first season.
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5. UCLA (5-6)
Coach: Mick Cronin, 5th year
NET ranking: 172
Best win: UC Riverside
Worst Loss: Cal State Northridge
Leading scorers: Sebastian Mack (15.2), Adem Bona (12.1)
Leading rebounder: Adem Bona (6.5)
Top assist man: Dylan Andrews (3.7)
Scoring average: 67.7 (Pac-12 rank: 11th)
Three-point percentage: 29.4% (Pac-12 rank: 10th)
Points allowed: 62.0 (Pac-12 rank: 1st)
Field-goal percentage defense: 38.7% (Pac-12 rank: 2nd)
Comment: Got to believe Cronin will improve this team, which has been horrible so far.
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6. USC (6-5)
Coach Andy Enfield, 11th year
NET ranking: 80
Best win: Kansas State (neutral)
Worst Loss: UC Irvine (home)
Leading scorers: Boogie Ellis (19.5), Isaiah Collier (16.1)
Leading rebounder: Kobe Johnson (5.6)
Top assist man: Isaiah Collier (4.3)
Scoring average: 78.5 (Pac-12 rank: 6th)
Three-point percentage: 34.9% (4th)
Points allowed: 73.1 (Pac-12 rank: 9th)
Field-goal percentage defense: 41.3% (Pac-12 rank: 8th)
Comment: Trojans usually rely on defense under Enfield, but they have been mediocre at that end.
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7. Washington State (9-2)
Coach: Kyle Smith, 5th year
NET ranking: 44
Best win: Boise State (neutral)
Worst Loss: Santa Clara (neutral)
Leading scorers: Isaac Jones (15.6), Myles Rice (15.5)
Leading rebounder: Isaac Jones (7.3)
Top assist man: Myles Rice (2.9)
Scoring average: 77.4 (Pac-12 rank: 8th)
Three-point percentage: 33.6% (Pac-12 rank: 9th)
Points allowed: 62.5 (Pac-12 rank: 2nd)
Field-goal percentage defense: 37.3% (Pac-12 rank: 1st)
Comment: If you’re looking for a sleeper in the Pac-12, the Cougars may be it
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8. Oregon (8-3)
Coach: Dan Altman, 14th year
NET ranking: 68
Best win: Georgia (neutral)
Worst Loss: Santa Clara (neutral)
Leading scorers: Jermaine Couisnard (13.1), Jackson Shelstad (13.0)
Leading rebounder: Kwame Evans Jr. (5.5)
Top assist man: Jackson Shelstad (3.0)
Scoring average: 79.0 (Pac-12 rank: 5th)
Three-point percentage: 34.3% (Pac-12 rank: 7th)
Points allowed: 70.9 (Pac-12 rank: 8th)
Field-goal percentage defense: 43.4% (11th)
Comment: Center N’Faly Dante could be back within a few weeks, but Nate Bittle may be gone for the season.
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9. Cal (4-7)
Coach: Mark Madsen, 1st year
NET ranking: 221
Best win: Santa Clara (Home)
Worst Loss: Montana State (home)
Leading scorers: Jaylon Tyson (19.4), Fardaws Aimaq (16.9)
Leading rebounder: Fardaws Aimaq (10.7)
Top assist man: Keonte Kennedy (4.5)
Scoring average: 76.0 (Pac-12 rank: 9th)
Three-point percentage: 34.7% (Pac-12 rank: 7th)
Points allowed: 75.9 (Pac-12 rank: 12th)
Field-goal percentage defense: 44.0% (Pac-12 rank: 12th)
Comment: The Bears can score under their new head coach, but the defense is lacking
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10. Stanford (5-5)
Coach: Jerod Haase, 8th year
NET ranking: 149
Best win: San Diego (home)
Worst Loss: Northern Iowa (neutral)
Leading scorers: Maxime Raynaud (14.6), Michael Jones (13.0)
Leading rebounder: Maxime Raynaud (9.1)
Top assist man: Jared Bynum (6.7)
Scoring average: 78.4 (Pac-12 rank: 7th)
Three-point percentage: 34.5% (Pac-12 rank: 6th)
Points allowed: 74.6 (Pac-12 rank: 11th)
Field-goal percentage defense: 42.9% (Pac-12 rank: 10th)
Comment: Will this be Haase’s final season as head coach?
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11. Oregon State (8-3)
Coach: Wayne Tinkle, 10th year
NET ranking: 196
Best win: Appalachian State (home)
Worst Loss: Pittsburgh (Neutral)
Leading scorers: Jordan Pope (16.9), Dexter Akanno (11.7)
Leading rebounder: Michael Rataj (6.5)
Top assist man: Jordan Pope (3.4)
Scoring average: 71.5 (Pac-12 rank: 10th)
Three-point percentage: 29.3% (Pac-12 rank: 11th)
Points allowed: 69.1 (Pac-12 rank: 5th)
Field-goal percentage defense: 40.1% (Pac-12 rank: 3rd)
Comment: Better than expected, but still not good enough to challenge
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12. Arizona State (6-5)
Coach: Bobby Hurley, 9th year
NET ranking: 144
Best win: SMU (home)
Worst Loss: San Diego (Home)
Leading scorers: Wayne McKinney III (14.6), Deuce Turner (13.0)
Leading rebounder: Steven Jamerson II (6.7)
Top assist man: Wayne McKinney III (3.0)
Scoring average: 66.9 (Pac-12 rank: 12th)
Three-point percentage: 29.0% (Pac-12 rank: 12th)
Points allowed: 69.5 (Pac-12 rank: 6th)
Field-goal percentage defense: 41.2% (Pac-12 rank: 6th)
Comment: Shooting woes will lead to some interesting courtside reactions by Hurley
Cover photo of Tommy Lloyd and Caleb Love by Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports
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