Pac-12's Basketball Media Preseason Poll will be published on Friday the 21st. Here are my predictions for the upcoming season. As always I welcome your comments and feedback.
1. Oregon – the Ducks who won 31 games last season are coming back loaded with talent this year headed by Dillon Brooks (who could miss the first few games of the season though), and with a quartet of four-star prospects being added to the squad, the Pac-12 title seems to be Oregon’s to lose.
2. UCLA – yes, the Bruins were dreadful last year at 15-17, but with four starters returning headed by Isaac Hamilton and Bryce Alford, along with five-star newcomers in Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf, the Bruins will quickly make you forget about last season and will be Oregon’s toughest contender for the league crown.
3. Arizona – another year, another season where the Wildcats will be heavily dependent on its true freshmen. Granted there are very talented additions such as Rawle Alkins, but there isn’t enough overall depth to be a serious Pac-12 champion contender. A down year for the conference though should see Arizona finish in the upper echelon of the league at season’s end.
4. USC – I really like the returning group of Jordan McLaughlin, Bennie Boatwright, and Elijah Stewart. Those three along with four-star prospects and incoming freshmen Jonah Mathews and De'Anthony Melton form a Trojan squad that could very well duplicate the 21-win season from last year.
5. Oregon State – I can see this Beaver team despite the loss of Gary Payton II taking the next step in the program’s development and make the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. Returning players Tres Tinkle and Stephen Thompson Jr., along with a formidable junior college transfer in Keondre Dew and talented freshman guard JaQuori McLaughlin, could create an Oregon State team that would be a handful for any of its Pac-12 foes.
6. Colorado - the Buffaloes may not have an impressive list of returning players, although Xavier Johnson coming back from a season lost to injury could be significant. Their newcomer group, however, is certainly not in the top tier of the league. Head coach Tad Boyle, in my opinion, may be the most underrated coach in the Pac-12 and if there is any team that can be labeled as the potentially most overachieving team in the Pac-12 it’s Colorado.
7. Cal – with the losses of Jaylen Brown, Tyrone Wallace, and Jordan Mathews, Cal didn't do nearly enough to replace that level of talent. A stout tandem of Ivan Rabb Jabari Bird may keep the Golden bears from taking a total nose dive this season, but in theory, Cal should still take a major step back from last season where they earned a NCAA tournament berth.
8. Stanford – I do like the core of returning players here in Dorian Pickens, Marcus Allen, and Michael Humphrey. Incoming freshmen Kodye Pugh and Trevor Stanback are some of the better newcomers in the league. But this is still a program that has to prove itself and with a first-year head coach in Jerod Haase I think there will be some growing pains that will prevent the Cardinal from a significant improvement over a .500 campaign last year.
9. ASU – on paper, this is the most talented guard group seen in Tempe since James Harden was donning a Sun Devil jersey. However, question marks abound on its front court and the “academic redshirt” that forces Rivals Top-100 prospect Romello White to sit out this season is a bigger blow than some may realize. This is why it will be hard for ASU to have a breakthrough year this season. I predict a mark of 14-17, 7-11 Pac-12.
10. Utah – a season that will feature six transfers and five freshmen isn’t a recipe for success. True, you could do a lot worse than having two returning players of the caliber of Lorenzo Bonam and Kyle Kuzma, but this is Ute team that I can see taking a major step back from a 27-win campaign last year. Some may label them this year as the biggest disappointment; some may call it just a dose of harsh reality.
11. Washington – there is little doubt that true freshman Markelle Fultz is a ridiculously talented player, but his supporting cast this year can hardly replace the departures of Andrew Andrews, Dejounte Murray, and Marquese Chriss. So if last year’s very talented squad could only muster a 19-15 mark, a roster with much less firepower this year is going to endure a worse fate.
12. Washington State – I like their returning stars in Josh Hawkinson and Ike Iroegbu, but the rest of the Cougars’ roster is suspect at best and not one that could see them escape the basement of the league.
1. Oregon – the Ducks who won 31 games last season are coming back loaded with talent this year headed by Dillon Brooks (who could miss the first few games of the season though), and with a quartet of four-star prospects being added to the squad, the Pac-12 title seems to be Oregon’s to lose.
2. UCLA – yes, the Bruins were dreadful last year at 15-17, but with four starters returning headed by Isaac Hamilton and Bryce Alford, along with five-star newcomers in Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf, the Bruins will quickly make you forget about last season and will be Oregon’s toughest contender for the league crown.
3. Arizona – another year, another season where the Wildcats will be heavily dependent on its true freshmen. Granted there are very talented additions such as Rawle Alkins, but there isn’t enough overall depth to be a serious Pac-12 champion contender. A down year for the conference though should see Arizona finish in the upper echelon of the league at season’s end.
4. USC – I really like the returning group of Jordan McLaughlin, Bennie Boatwright, and Elijah Stewart. Those three along with four-star prospects and incoming freshmen Jonah Mathews and De'Anthony Melton form a Trojan squad that could very well duplicate the 21-win season from last year.
5. Oregon State – I can see this Beaver team despite the loss of Gary Payton II taking the next step in the program’s development and make the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. Returning players Tres Tinkle and Stephen Thompson Jr., along with a formidable junior college transfer in Keondre Dew and talented freshman guard JaQuori McLaughlin, could create an Oregon State team that would be a handful for any of its Pac-12 foes.
6. Colorado - the Buffaloes may not have an impressive list of returning players, although Xavier Johnson coming back from a season lost to injury could be significant. Their newcomer group, however, is certainly not in the top tier of the league. Head coach Tad Boyle, in my opinion, may be the most underrated coach in the Pac-12 and if there is any team that can be labeled as the potentially most overachieving team in the Pac-12 it’s Colorado.
7. Cal – with the losses of Jaylen Brown, Tyrone Wallace, and Jordan Mathews, Cal didn't do nearly enough to replace that level of talent. A stout tandem of Ivan Rabb Jabari Bird may keep the Golden bears from taking a total nose dive this season, but in theory, Cal should still take a major step back from last season where they earned a NCAA tournament berth.
8. Stanford – I do like the core of returning players here in Dorian Pickens, Marcus Allen, and Michael Humphrey. Incoming freshmen Kodye Pugh and Trevor Stanback are some of the better newcomers in the league. But this is still a program that has to prove itself and with a first-year head coach in Jerod Haase I think there will be some growing pains that will prevent the Cardinal from a significant improvement over a .500 campaign last year.
9. ASU – on paper, this is the most talented guard group seen in Tempe since James Harden was donning a Sun Devil jersey. However, question marks abound on its front court and the “academic redshirt” that forces Rivals Top-100 prospect Romello White to sit out this season is a bigger blow than some may realize. This is why it will be hard for ASU to have a breakthrough year this season. I predict a mark of 14-17, 7-11 Pac-12.
10. Utah – a season that will feature six transfers and five freshmen isn’t a recipe for success. True, you could do a lot worse than having two returning players of the caliber of Lorenzo Bonam and Kyle Kuzma, but this is Ute team that I can see taking a major step back from a 27-win campaign last year. Some may label them this year as the biggest disappointment; some may call it just a dose of harsh reality.
11. Washington – there is little doubt that true freshman Markelle Fultz is a ridiculously talented player, but his supporting cast this year can hardly replace the departures of Andrew Andrews, Dejounte Murray, and Marquese Chriss. So if last year’s very talented squad could only muster a 19-15 mark, a roster with much less firepower this year is going to endure a worse fate.
12. Washington State – I like their returning stars in Josh Hawkinson and Ike Iroegbu, but the rest of the Cougars’ roster is suspect at best and not one that could see them escape the basement of the league.
Last edited:
