Previewing the Madness: The Pac-10

The Pac-10 is down this season, there really isn't a question about that.

But just because the league is down doesn't mean there hasn't been exciting, competitive basketball.

Washington was the runaway favorite in the preseason, but they really struggled down the stretch of the season, losing three of their last five games and falling to third in the conference standings. Arizona had control late in the season, but an ugly 0-2 road trip to the LA schools forced them into a situation where they had to sweep the final weekend to win the regular season title. UCLA was the surprise team. For all the flack they have gotten the last couple of years, the Bruins finished all alone in second place in the Pac-10 tournament.

Now, with teams like Washington State, USC, and Cal playing some of their best basketball of the season, don't be surprised when you see some upsets in this tournament. It may not have the number of tournament teams that the Big East has, but that should do nothing to diminish the entertainment value, to say nothing of the competition on the bubble for the teams sitting in 3rd-6th.

Where: Staples Center, LA

When: March 9th-12th

Final: March 12th, 6:00 pm, ESPN


Favorite: Arizona Wildcats

Right now, Arizona is the best team in this conference. Derrick Williams is not just the best player in the Pac-10, he is one of the best in the country and will likely be a first team all-american when things are all said and done. One of Arizona's bigger problems is that they haven't had a consistent second option step up alongside Williams. There is talent there -- Solomon Hill, Kevin Parrom, Jordin Mayes, Jesse Perry -- but that talent is inexperienced. Jamelle Horne and Kyle Fogg provide some of that leadership, but it gets to the biggest problem for the Wildcats -- point guard play. Momo Jones has had some big games this season, but he is inconsistent and is not enough of a playmaker.

• Other Contenders: Washington and UCLA are the two other teams that should be considered favorites to win this thing. The Huskies are, easily, the most talented team in the conference. But they have been completely out of whack down the stretch. Throw in Veony Overton's suspension and Justin Holiday's concussion on top of Abdul Gaddy's knee injury, its tough to know what to expect out of this team. UCLA has played much better late in the season, as they are finally starting to play defense like a Ben Howland team. With guys like Tyler Honeycutt, Reeves Nelson, Joshua Smith, and Malcolm Lee on the roster, there is plenty of talent for the Bruins. Will they play like it?
  

Sleeper: Washington State Cougars

I like Wazzu this season. Klay Thompson is as good of a shooter and scorer as there is in the country. With Faisal Aden and Reggie Moore playing alongside him in the back court, the Cougars can match up with anyone in the conference. Inside, DeAngelo Casto and Marcus Capers are both above-average Pac-10 players. Better news? They play Washington in the first round, a team they swept this season. When the Cougar's shots are dropping, they are a tough team to beat.

• Deeper Sleepers: The Cal Bears has one of the most fun players in the conference to watch in Jorge Gutierrez, but with the emergence of Allen Crabbe late in the season as a secondary scorer on the perimeter, the Bears have become a threat to pull an upset. Also keep an eye on USC. This team has a number of impressive wins this season, and while they also have some questionable losses, those losses came before Jio Fontan was eligible. Nikola Vucevic is the best low-post scorer in the conference.
  

Players to Watch:

• Jorge Gutierrez, Cal: Gutierrez plays as intense as anyone in the Pac-10. He's a terrific defender that has really developed his offensive game this season. One of the benefits of the Bears winning the Pac-10 Tournament will be that the rest of the country gets a chance to see Gutierrez play. He's worth it.
• Klay Thompson, Washington State: Like I said, Thompson is one of the best scorers in the country. He led the Pac-10 in scoring at 21.4 ppg and is a pleasure to watch work off the ball.
• Nikola Vucevic, USC: As anyone ever averaged 17.7 ppg and 10.3 rpg and been more anonymous on a national level than Vucevic?
  

Continue reading...

The Pac-10 will be in need of some point guards

Wednesday was not a good day for point guards in the Pac-10.

It started with the injury to Abdul Gaddy, who tore his acl and will obviously be out for the season.

His counterpart at Washington State, sophomore Reggie Moore, was arrested for possession of marijuana and drug paraphenalia stemming from an incident on Dec. 12th. Both of the charges that Moore will face are misdemeanors, but both also have mandatory minimum sentences of one day in jail and $250-500 in fines.


"This is a team matter that we take very seriously," Bone said in a statement. "We initially learned about this incident Dec. 12, and at this time we have dealt with, and are still dealing with the issue. We will take further appropriate action if necessary."

Moore has averaged 7.7 ppg and 3.6 apg in the past nine games, but he sat out the first five games of the year with a wrist injury. Ken Bone texted ESPN writer Diamond Leung and told him that Moore would be eligible to play on Thursday against Oregon State.

The Cougars need him. They are coming off of an 0-2 trip to the LA schools, and the Beavers just swept the Arizona schools.


Down in Berkeley, the struggling Cal Bears have lost one of their best scorers in freshman Gary Franklin, who announced his intention to transfer. Franklin recently lost his starting job. While he's averaged 8.2 ppg this season, he's done it shooting an abysmal 29.7% from the floor while notching more turnovers than assists.


Interestingly enough, this is the eighth time in the past five basketball seasons that a player from Mater Dei high school in California has transferred. Taylor King went from Duke to Villanova to Concordia, Mike Gerrity went from Pepperdine to Charlotte to USC, the Wear twins left UNC for UCLA over the summer, and Kamyron Brown left Oregon to head to Nebraska.

Franklins transfer means that Mike Montgomery is now left with just eight scholarship players and a huge void in his back court.

No word on where Franklin is looking, but he considered Arizona State and Baylor and was also committed to USC at one point. He was also a part of George Dohrmann's "Play Their Hearts Out."
Continue reading...

Conference Play Primer: The Pac-10

Favorite: Washington Huskies

Washington has dropped out of the national top 25. Part of the reason for that is U-Dub once again has started the season slowly, going 8-3 in non-conference play without a marquee win, unless you consider beating Texas Tech or Virginia a marquee win. That said, Washington doesn't have a bad loss year, either. They lost close games to Kentucky and Michigan State in the Maui Invitational before losing by one to Texas A&M, who has climbed all the way into the top 25, on the road. Its enough that Kenpom has the Huskies sitting pretty at fifth in the country. It generally isn't a good idea to argue with Kenpom, either. Washington is deep -- ten guys average at least 13.0 mpg and no one plays more than 27.0 mpg -- and they are balanced -- all ten of those players average at least 5.4 ppg. They have athletes, they have shooters, they have playmakers, and they have defenders. You know about Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning, so I'm going to mention Justin Holiday, Jrue's brother, who has been great thus far in his senior season. He's averaging 12.5 ppg and 6.2 rpg and has been just as good as Venoy Overton on the defensive end of the floor.


Player of the Year: Derrick Williams, Arizona

With all due respect going to Klay Thompson of Washington State, Williams is my early season pick for Pac-10 player of the year. It isn't just because of the numbers he puts up. Williams averages 19.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg while scoring at an insanely high efficiency -- he averages more than two points per shot attempt, as he is knocking down 63.2% from the floor and 68.4% from three. Its the fact that he is putting up these numbers without a true point guard on the floor with him. Williams is much improved at getting his own shot. At 6'8", he has enough athleticism and quickness that he will likely be a combo-forward in the NBA, but his perimeter skills are still dragging a bit behind his tools. He's improved -- his three point shooting percentage proves that, and he was also become adept at driving left from the perimeter -- but he's still a guy that would benefit from a point guard that could get him the ball in better spots to score. Thompson's numbers are better, but so is his supporting cast.

All-Conference Team

• G: Isaiah Thomas, Washington: 15.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.8 apg
  
• G: Faisal Aden, Washington State: 16.1 ppg, 41.9% 3PT
  
• F: Klay Thompson, Washington State: 22.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.3 spg, 42% 3PT
  
• F: Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Washington: 13.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.4 spg, 1.4 bpg
  
• C: Nikola Vucevic, USC: 15.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg
  

Biggest Surprise: Washington State

The Cougars finished in last place in the Pac-10 in 2010. Dead last in a conference that many considered to be one of the worst of the decade. With their core basically intact this season, most expected an improvement out of Wazzu, but I doubt many people expected them to become a legitimate contender for the conference crown, a potential tournament team, and a group that is on the edge of cracking the top 25. There are still some concerns that I have -- DeAngelo Casto still isn't much more than a dunker and is a bit of a hot head, Klay Thompson and Faisal Aden are both a bit soft, they don't have much quality depth. Having said that, Thompson's performance in the Diamond Head Classic should help rid him of the "soft" label, and Reggie Moore's return from injury has given this group a big boost. There are not many teams in the country with a perimeter as good as Wazzu's.


Biggest Disappointment: UCLA Bruins

Simply put, there is too much talent on this team for Ben Howland's club to be struggling like this. Their front line, on paper, looks as good as anyone in the country. Joshua Smith is a force on the block when he decides to be, Reeves Nelson is a blue-collar forward that has improved this season, and Tyler Honeycutt has the tools to be a first round pick. Malcolm Lee and Jerime Anderson are blue-chip recruits. Zeke Jones, Tyler Lamb, and Brendan Lane are all capable players. So why the struggles? This team doesn't defend the way Ben Howland teams should defend. Jones and Anderson -- and the entire back court, for that matter -- have a habit of making the wrong decision in critical junctures. They don't get up for games against lesser competition -- UCLA nearly beat Kansas on the road, then lost to Montana at home, beat BYU, then nearly lost to Montana State and UC Irvine. Can we pin all of that on leadership? Who knows, but with the talent UCLA has, they should be a Pac-10 favorite. Few outside of Westwood currently believe that.

Teams to keep an eye on:

• USC: The Trojans have been a different team the last month, and that was true before they added Jio Fontan, who is averaging 16.7 ppg and 3.3 apg, to the mix. They knocked off Texas at home by 17 (without Fontan) and they beat Tennessee on the road after coming up a couple of Josh Selby jumpers short of beating Kansas in the Phog. Nikola Vucevic and Alex Stephenson are big enough to compete with anyone up front, and the tandem of Maurice Jones and Fontan has been tough to handle through three games.
• Cal: There are some decent pieces on the Bears. Jorge Gutierrez is good, as is Harper Kamp. A 25 point win over New Mexico is nice, but I think their five point first half against Notre Dame is probably a better indication of how good this team is.
  
• Arizona State: This is charity, because I think Arizona State has some talent. On the perimeter, they are loaded, with guys like Ty Abbott, Rihard Kuksiks, Jamelle McMillan, and Trent Lockett. But up front, they are relying on the undersized Kyle Cain. And that's about it.
  

Teams to forget about:

• Stanford, Oregon, and Oregon State: These are just not good basketball teams.
  

Continue reading...

The Only Conference Preview You Need To Read: The Pac-10

Summer officially ends on September 22nd, but for me, the end of summer always coincided with the end of August. Or when I had to go to school. (That first day was always the worst, wasn't it?) Anyway, school is right around the corner, which means that college basketball season is around the corner, down the street, through two lights, and on the left. Since we've all had a fight with our GPS at one time or another, we at BIAH will take this week to roll out our way-too-early, all-encompassing conference previews.

To browse through the other conferences, click here.


Pre-season Awards

Player of the Year: Klay Thompson, Washington State

Thompson started the 2009-2010 on a torrid streak, averaging 25.6 ppg over his first 13 games. A volume shooter in just about every definition of the word, Thompson's game is based around his excellent shooting range (ask San Diego). The rest of his game has developed -- he's a better shooter off the dribble, he showed improvement getting to the rim and getting to the line -- but as good as Thompson was during the first few months of the season, he struggled quite a bit in Pac-10 play. As the focal point of every defensive scheme, Thompson struggled to get to the foul line at the same rate and started forcing tougher and tougher shots. As he gets stronger and continues to develop his offensive repertoire, there is reason to believe that Thompson will be able to handle the defensive focus this season. And as Reggie Moore and DeAngelo Casto continue to improve around him, don't be surprised if he gets easier opportunities.


And a close second goes to: Isaiah Thomas, Washington

Thomas is a dynamo. At just 5'9", the lefty is a terror to keep out of the paint. More of a natural scorer than a natural point, Thomas is strong enough to bully his way to the rim against bigger opponents and athletic enough to finish when he gets there. He's a streaky shooter, but when he is on he's as dangerous a scorer as you will find on the West Coast. Thomas, and the Huskies, were considered major disappointments last February, as Washington was struggling to remain above .500 in a very weak Pac-10. But Thomas played great basketball down the stretch, improving his shot selection, limiting his turnovers, and becoming more of a leader than just a scorer. Washington fans hope that carries over into this season.

Breakout Star: Malcolm Lee, UCLA

There are a few guys I liked in this spot -- Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Nikola Vucevic, and Reggie Moore, to be specific -- but I think Lee is hands down the most talented of that group. It also means that his first two seasons have been quite a disappointment. Lee is talented, there is no question about that. He's 6'5", he is athletic with an awesome first step, and he is quick-learner -- he spent much of last season playing the role of point guard as Jerime Anderson continued to struggle. There are some things Lee certainly needs to work on -- his jumper has been lacking, as well as his shot selection (when you shoot 25% from three, you shouldn't be taking a third of your shots from beyond the arc), and he could use some strength on his frame -- but this kid was predicted as a first rounder before last season. If the Bruins can find some stability at the point and Lee can slide into his more natural spot off the ball, he could make a big leap this season.

All-Conference First Team

• POY - Klay Thompson, Washington State, Jr.
  
• G - Isaiah Thomas, Washington, Jr.
  
• G - Malcolm Lee, UCLA, Jr.
• G - Reggie Moore, Washington State, So.
• F - Nikola Vucevic, USC, Jr.
  
• F - Derrick Williams, Arizona, So.
  

All-Conference Second Team

• G - Jeremy Green, Stanford, Jr.
• G - Ty Abbott, Arizona State, Sr.
• G - Allen Crabbe, Cal, Fr.
  
• F - Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Washington, Sr.
• F - DeAngelo Casto, Washington State, Sr.
  

Freshman of the Year: Allen Crabbe, Cal

The past two seasons, Cal has been one of the most fun programs in the country to watch simply because of the outstanding talent they had in their back court -- Patrick Christopher, Jerome Randle, Theo Robertson. But with those three graduating, the Golden Bears are going to have to rely on freshmen to pick up the slack. The best of the bunch in Crabbe, a 6'6" shooter that was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in California last season. Known primarily as a jump-shooter, the rest of his game really started to develop during his senior season. And with the underrated Gary Franklin running the show, Crabbe should be plenty of good looks this year.


All-Freshman Team

• G - Gary Franklin, Cal
• G - Kaela King, Arizona State
• G - Terrence Ross, Washington
• G - Roberto Nelson, Oregon State
  
• F - Josh Smith, UCLA
  

What Happened?:

• Expansion: This will be the final season of the Pac-10. While the conference didn't quite get the 16 teams they wanted by swallowing up the majority of the Big XII, the league did manage to add Utah and Colorado to their mix.


• Oregonian Drama: The Ducks pretty thoroughly embarrassed themselves as they chased the like of Brad Stevens and Tom Izzo and Mike Anderson and, well, pretty much any coach that you can name. Eventually, they landed Dana Altman from Creighton, which, all in all, is a pretty good hire.
  
  That wasn't it. Terrence Jones originally committed to the Washington Huskies in a press-conference with high school teammate Terrence Ross. But he eventually went back on that commitment and is now at Kentucky. He wasn't the only player to waffle on Washington. Enes Kanter did as well, and he ended up at Kentucky too. Oh, and 2011 recruit Tony Wroten seems to be down Kentucky and Washington, amongst others. Anyone else think the potential matchup between Kentucky and Washington in Maui will be fun?


• You gotta feel for this kid: Stanford's Andy Brown. He missed his senior year in high school, he redshirted last season, and he is going to miss this season. All because he tore his left acl three times.


• Arizona State has an eventful offseason: Rihard Kuksiks nearly left school. Kyle Cain originally signed with Rhode Island, but after he was let out of his LOI by URI, he ended up in Tempe. Carrick Felix, a JuCo transfer, originally committed to Duke, but then went back on that and he, too, is at Arizona State. Then there is Demetrius Walker (remember him?) who is now headed to New Mexico.
  


• More UCLA turnover: Transfers galore into and out of Westwood. J'Mison Morgan is headed to Baylor, Mike Moser is off to UNLV, and Drew Gordon bounced to New Mexico. But Ben Howland also brings in some transfers. David and Travis Wear, the twins from UNC, will both be eligible next season, and Lazeric Jones in a JuCo player brought in to help shore up the Bruin's back court problems. And Ben Howland brought in Matt Carlino a year before he graduated high school.
  

What's next?:

• Expansion: Utah will be joining the league next season, and Colorado will be coming on in 2012. The question is now how will the conference be divided up. It seems reasonable to assume that the league is going to go to two divisions -- they want that football title game and all. But every school wants to be in the same division as USC and UCLA. Its quite the recruiting advantage to be able to play in Southern California every season.
  


• Unpredictability: There is so much youth (there are 17 seniors in the conference. 17!!!!), so much turnover, and so much mediocrity in the Pac-10 this season that predicting this league after Washington at the top is nothing more than a crap shoot. While there may not be a ton of NCAA Tournament teams and lottery picks coming out of this Pac-10, what we can count on is entertaining basketball games and a wild conference championship race. The Pac-10 is going to be fun to follow this year.
  


• Roberto Nelson: Nelson was Craig Robinson's star recruit in the class of 2009, but he was never able to get academically eligible. Well, Nelson will be allowed to play this season. Can he help turn around the Beaver program? Nelson was also featured prominently in George Dohrmann's book Play Their Hearts Out.
  


• Who is that team in green?: I wouldn't blame you if you didn't recognize the Oregon basketball team next season. New head coach. Four transfers. And a new court. Need I mention the Michael Dunigan mess?
  

Power Rankings

1. Washington: The Huskies lose Quincy Pondexter, who was the only first rounder to come from the Pac-10 last season. But even with that loss, U-Dub is essentially the only program in the conference that could be considered to be doing well. After a Sweet 16 trip last season, Lorenzo Romar returns everyone of consequence save Pondexter. The diminutive Isaiah Thomas will be back for his junior campaign to lead the Huskies back court. Thomas is a big-time scorer and playmaker and will be complimented very well by Venoy Overton, who is probably the best defender in the conference. Also expect big things from Abdul Gaddy, the second-rated point guard in the class of 2009 (behind John Wall) that struggled at times as a 17 year old freshman. Also joining them in the back court will be freshman Terrence Ross, a 6'5" shooting guard that should be able to contribute immediately, and 6'6" wing Justin Holiday (Jrue's older brother), a lanky and athletic small forward. Up front, this team certainly has the talent, the question is whether that group ever reaches that level. Matthew Bryan-Amaning is a 6'9" power forward with length and athleticism that will be counted on to replace some of Pondexter's scoring and boards. Behind him, Darnell Gant and Desmond Simmons will be asked to play more predominant roles, while JuCo transfer Aziz N'Diaye will a shot-blocking presence, and very well could end up in the starting lineup. The front court depth took a hit when Tyreese Breshers retired due to injuries. Washington right now is the hands-down favorite to win the Pac-10. If they don't, they have only themselves to blame.


2. Arizona: In a wide open Pac-10, the Wildcats certainly have the talent necessary to make a run at the league title even with the loss of Nic Wise. The problem is that the majority of that talent is going to be freshmen and sophomores. Derrick Williams should be one of the best sophomores in the country, and will be even more productive as his post game develops. Senior Jamelle Horne isn't the brightest, but he does have some talent and his ability to spread the floor will help create space for Williams inside. Solomon Hill, Kryrl Natyazhko, and Kevin Parrom are all sophomores, and their development this season will go a long way towards determining how good Arizona will be this season. Perhaps the most pressure, however, is going to fall on Lamont "MoMo" Jones. Arizona is known as Point Guard U for good reason, and MoMo is the one that will be taking the reins this season. MoMo showed some promise as a scorer last season, but he will be counted on to be a leader and a distributor this year. Joining him in the back court will be junior Kyle Fogg, who has proven to be a solid scorer and shooter, along with junior Brandon Lavender and freshmen Daniel Bejarano and Jordin Mayes. The Pac-10 is difficult to predict, Arizona even more so with their youth. This team could put it all together and make a run to the league title, or they could suffer from inexperience and finish below .500 in the league. Neither would surprise me, but the former seems much more likely than the latter.


3. UCLA: Last season, UCLA finished below .500 overall and in Pac-10 play. And while they lost Michael Roll, Nikola Dragovic, and James Keefe as well as Mike Moser, J'Mison Morgan, and Drew Gordon to transfer, there is reason to believe that UCLA can have more success this season. For starters, there is Malcolm Lee. Lee has yet to live up to the hype he had coming into the program, but if he can iron out some of the inconsistencies he had last season, there's hope that he can eventually fulfill that potential as a junior. Jerime Anderson is back at the point, although he has never lived up to his hype, either. Lazeric Jones, a JuCo transfer, was brought in to compete with Anderson for minutes and, potentially, a starting spot. Joining them in the back court will be freshmen Tyler Lamb and Matt Carlino. The biggest issue will be up front, as most of the Bruin big men have left the program or will be sitting this season out. Sophomore Reeves Nelson looks primed for a big bump this season. The tough, physical Nelson plays power forward like a football player and once he adds some post moves to his repertoire, he could be a dangerous player in the conference. Joining him up front is Tyler Honeycutt, who is more of a perimeter player than a front court player, and Josh Smith, a 6'10" behemoth. At one point, he reportedly weighed over 300 pounds, but the latest on Smith is that he is much better shape. Depth, inexperience, and a lack of size will likely be issues, but there is talent on this roster. Who develops -- and how much they develop -- will determine how good this team ends up being.


4. Washington State: The Cougars lost six players to transfer, but only one -- Xavier Thames -- played any kind of significant minutes. The Cougars also lost starter Nikola Koprivica to graduation, but beyond that they return four of their top five scorers. Klay Thompson is the best returning player in the conference, a scorer that has developed a solid offensive arsenal based around his dangerous jumper. He can score points in a hurry. Reggie Moore had a very productive freshman campaign at the point, and DeAngelo Casto is one of the better big men in the Pac-10. Those three combined form arguably the best 1-2-3 punch in the league. The problem is there is not much depth on this team. They really only went seven deep a season ago, and with two of those seven gone, Bone did not bring in much of anything in the recruiting trail. Marcus Capers and Brock Motum will both see time, likely as starters. If Bone can develop a bench for this group, they have a shot at making an NCAA Tournament run.


5. California: The Golden Bears are essentially in complete rebuilding mode. Their top four scorers -- essentially their only four scorers -- from last season all graduated, and sixth man Omondi Amoke was booted from the program. The leading returning scorer is Jorge Gutierrez, a scrappy, 6'4" off-guard known more for his defense than anything. That said, Gutierrez was a solid play maker and shooter the last two seasons playing a supporting role, meaning he may be able to elevate his game. He likely will need to, as the rest of the Cal back court looks to be freshmen. Allen Crabbe is a shooter and the reigning Gatorade California player of the year and Gary Franklin seems poised to take over the point guard role, while fellow freshmen Emerson Murray and Alex Rossi, along with sophomore Brandon Smith, will contribute minutes. The front court will be more experienced. Markhuri Sanders-Frisson returns, as does Harper Kamp, who get redshirted last season with an injury. Sophomore Bak Bak will provide depth for the Bears up front, and don't be surprised is freshman Richard Soloman sees minutes with 7'3" Max Zhang leaving to play professionally in China. Mike Montgomery knows what he is going to get out of his front court -- size, toughness, experience, leadership. The question mark is the back court. How good Gutierrez, Crabbe, and Franklin are will likely determine how good Cal ends up being.


6. Arizona State: The Sun Devils lost quite a bit this season. Derek Glasser, Eric Boateng, and Jerren Shipp all graduated. Victor Rudd, Demetrius Walker, and Tyler Rohde all transferred. That said, Herb Sendek still has some talent on his roster. He caught a break whenRihard Kuksiks decided not to turn pro in his native Latvia. Ty Abbott is a senior and has developed into a more-than-capable scorer on the wing. Jamelle McMillan, the son of Nate McMillan, should be fine stepping into the point guard void left by Glasser. Trent Lockett showed flashes of being a big time player as a freshman. That's a solid returning back court, and we haven't even gotten to the talent that Herb Sendek brings in this year. Keala King is the most highly rated recruit, a 6'5" guard with a nice, all-around offensive arsenal that should see minutes immediately even if Kuksiks is back. Brandon Dunson and Corey Hawkins should also compete for minutes in the back court. The bigger issue will be up front. Ruslan Pateev is a 6'11" sophomore that didn't get many minutes as a freshman. 7'2" Jordan Bachynski also joins the fray. The more interesting prospects, however, are Kyle Cain and Carrick Felix. Both are relatively small, but Felix is a dynamic athlete that originally committed to Duke and Cain, a bit bigger, will provide some toughness and strength inside. If Sendek somehow develops his front court, the Sun Devils have a shot at a tournament berth.


7. USC: The Trojans likely wish that this season was the one they would face the postseason ban, not last season. But as we all know, USC AD Mike Garrett tried to save Trojan football by throwing Trojan hoops under the bus, which is a shame because USC was poised to surprise quite a few people. That doesn't mean there aren't some pieces on this roster. Alex Stephenson and Nikola Vucevic both return, giving the Trojans one of the better front lines in the Pac-10. And while the Trojans do lose Mike Gerrity, they bring in Fordham transfer Jio Fontan, who will become eligible in December. Beyond that, however, the question marks begin. How will Donte Smith, Marcus Simmons, and Evan Smith handle expanded roles this year? Will USC's recruiting class -- headlined by four-star shooting guard Bryce Jones -- be able to contribute immediately? Because if the Trojans want to have a chance at being relevant this season, they will need more than just Stephenson, Vucevic, and Fontan.


8. Oregon State: Once again, Craig Robinson is going to have a rough go of it in Corvallis. Gone is the talented Roeland Schaftenaar and both of the Tarver brothers, meaning that the Beaver's Princeton-style offense will be based around the talents of senior guard Calvin Haynes. Joining Haynes in the back court will, in all-likelihood, be redshirt freshman Roberto Nelson, Robinson's prized recruit in the class of 2009 that couldn't get eligible, senior Lathan Wallace, and sophomore Jared Cunningham. Also don't be surprised if Chicago native Ahmad Sparks, a 5'8" freshman point guard, sees time as well. Up front, Joe Burton, Omari Johnson, and Daniel Deane all return, but the real star in the front court could very well end up being Devon Collier. A product of Bob Hurley and the famed St. Anthony's program, Collier was a pretty heavily recruited prospect. Freshmen Eric Moreland and Chris Brown should also compete for time. the Beavers will once again have a tough, competitive team, but they lack the talent to be a real threat in this league.


9. Stanford: The Cardinal finished second to last in the Pac-10 last season, and they will head into this season without their star Landry Fields, who is now a New York Knick. They do return Jeremy Green, the only other player on the roster to average double figures. Green is a 6'4" guard known mostly for his ability as a spot-up shooter. Joining Green in the back court will be Jarrett Mann, a 6'3" junior that led the team in assists as well as turnovers. Jack Trotter and Andrew Zimmermann both return up front, but beyond that, Stanford's rotation will essentially be made up of freshmen -- there are eight on the roster total, not including the injury-riddled Andy Brown. Dwight Powell is a five-star, 6'10" center, and Anthony Brown is a top 100 two guard that should contribute immediately. Johnny Dawkins is showing promise on the recruiting trail, but he still has a while to go until this Stanford team will be competitive.


10. Oregon: Good luck recognizing the Ducks next season. Ernie Kent is gone, replaced by Dana Altman. Mac Court will soon be gone. Leading scorer TaJuan Porter is gone to graduation. Jamil Wilson, Matthew Humphrey, Drew Wiley and Josh Crittle all decided to transfer, and Malcolm Armstead very nearly did as well. Michael Dunigan left the program amidst a potential scandel to sign with a professional team in Israel. Oregon is in trouble this year. Armstead is their leading returning scorer and creator, but he is really the only threat they have. Joevan Catron returns after receiving a medical redshirt, while LeKendric Longmire, Jeremy Jacob, Teondre Williams, EJ Singler, and Garrett Sim round out the returning rotation. A run to the top half of the league would be an impressive feat for Altman.

Continue reading...

Utah receives an invite from the Pac-10

Its not a surprise in the least, but today we got word that Utah will, in fact, be the 12th team invited into the Pac-10 conference. The two schools are schedule to join the conference for the 2012 season, but many expect Utah and Colorado to push for inclusion beginning in 2011.

Now that that is over, the next logical question becomes how does the Pac-12 split up their conference? Well, we may have gotten that answer from the Denver Post this afternoon:

Playing in a south division instead of a north with the Bay Area, Oregon and Washington schools was a must for Colorado to accept an invitation. Its largest out-of-state alumni base is in southern California.

"That is a huge boost for us," [Colorado athletic director Mike] Bohn said. "The southern division for the University of Colorado provides many opportunities that are keys to reaching our alumni to our recruiting and to enhance media exposure that connects best to the Denver market."

So there you have it. The Pac-10/Pac-12 North is going to consist of Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, Stanford, and Cal. The Pac-10/Pac-12 South will be Colorado, Utah, USC, UCLA, Arizona, and Arizona State.

The only quirk left to figure out is the schedule. For basketball, the Pac-10 had arguably the most beautiful conference schedule. 10 teams each with a logical regional traveling partner. 18 conference games, with each team playing a double round robin. It just worked so perfectly.

With 12 teams in two divisions, the conference has two choices as far as I can tell. They can do what the SEC does, playing each team within their division in a home-and-home, while rotating between home and away for the interdivisional games.

But that is only 16 games. If they want to keep it at 18, then every three years, the league will rotate who makes an interdivisional home-and-home trip. This second method would actually work out better. When Pac-10 schools travel, they travel with partners. So, for example, the way it has worked is that on a Thursday, Oregon will play at Washington while Oregon State plays at Washington State. On Saturday, they switch, and Oregon heads to Washington State with Oregon State will play at Washington.

With the 16 game format, some teams would be forced to play nine road games while others got nine home games, unless the league did away with travel partners. In the 18 game format, that number could be balanced out. For example, the Arizona schools would play a home-and-home with the Washington schools, take a road trip to the Oregon school, and then play host to the Bay Area schools.

Anyway, worrying about all of that is a long way off. Conference play with Utah and Colorado included won't for at least another 18 months.

The important thing is that -- at least for the time being -- conference realignment seems to have finally come to a close ...

For now.
Continue reading...

The Expansion Crisis 2010 Day 8: Updated as news comes in

9:48 am: The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that Colorado will accept an invitation to join the Pac-10 today.

Apparently, this will happen regardless of the dealings between Nebraska and the Big Ten.

If, somehow, the Big XII manages to stay together, the Pac-10 will add Utah, which has been reported on quite a bit, in order to become a 12 team league. That means two divisions and a Pac-10 conference championship game.

This stuff happens quickly. I bet we are far from done today. Hit the jump for more:

10:10 am: The Oklahoman is reporting that they were told by a high-ranking OU official to "load up your sun-screen." Its not difficult to see that as a thinly veiled reference to the Pac-10 and the west coast.

It looks like this is happening.

11:40 am: It's offical: Colorado is going to the Pac-10.

12:50 pm: As Stewart Mandel points out, Colorado's move signifies a bad end for the Big XII. The Buffaloes were unable to buyout the contract of football coach Dan Hawkins, but if the Big XII remains once the realignment axe is finished swinging, they will owe a $9 million fee for leaving the conference. If they couldn't afford, or didn't want to pay, the buyout, would they consciously decide to pony up the $9 million?

2:00 pm: The Big XII exodus continues. TMZ Sports is now reporting that Oklahoma State will be the third team to leave the conference, as they join Colorado in heading west. If that's true, then it likely ends all speculation that the four Texas schools were considering the SEC.

4:30 pm: A television station in Kansas City is now reporting that Texas and Texas A&M are headed to the Big Ten, Oklahoma is petitioning to join the SEC, and Oklahoma State will be joining the Pac-10. An earlier report from TMZ comfirmed Oklahoma State accepting an invite from the Pac-10. Texas and Texas A&M would be leaving Baylor and Texas Tech, as well as Missouri, to their own devices.

As far as UT and A&M are concerned, many are not buying the rumor. Chip Brown of Orangebloods.com, who has been absolutely dominating this story, tweeted earlier that any news about the two schools joining the Big Ten "would be news them." So take that scoop with a grain of salt.

5:00 pm: This is not exactly expansion related, but Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins has announced that he will be resigning at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. This comes on the heels of a federal investigation into a scandal involving scalped tickets, a scandal involving athletic equipment, a fight between his football and basketball teams, and the potential for the Jayhawks to be without a conference once realignment is complete.

Continue reading...

Conference Tournament Preview: Pac-10

Where: Staples Center, LA

When: March 10th-13th

Final: 6:00 pm CBS




Favorite: Cal Bears

Cal was the preseason conference favorite, and while the Pac-10 has been down, Cal has been the best team in the league over the last month. The Bears have one of the best back courts in the country with Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher, and Theo Robertson. And if those three can do anything, they can score. Cal ranks fourth in the country in offensive efficiency, and when Randle and company get it going from deep, they are a difficult team to slow down.

Jerome Randle was the Pac-10 POY.
(photo credit: ESPN)

Cal seemingly has a bid locked up, but a poor showing here could really hurt the Bears. In a way, the Pac-10 has become similar to the better mid-major leagues. Cal is really the only team that can absorb a loss and feel comfortable about their standing. If nothing else, it should be entertaining to watch.


And if the lose?: Washington Huskies

Washington has been a major disappointment this season. Billed by some as a potential Final Four team in the preseason, the Huskies never quite put it all together. Some of it was the overwhelming expectations Abdul Gaddy had coming in, some of it was a lack of defensive intensity, some of it was simply poor play on the road. No one other than those involved with the program can really know the answer to that.

But what is clear is that this Washington team has as much pure talent as anyone in the league. Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter are undeniably as good of a 1-2 punch as you will find. They have athletes every where on their roster. This is a dangerous team if they can put it all together. And that may just be the case coming in. Washington has won four in a row, with three of those four wins coming on the road, a place that has not been kind to the Huskies.


Don't count out: Arizona State Sun Devils

ASU is a team that is going to grind out wins. They play a methodical pace, working the ball offensively as they try to find their best shot. ASU has been playing a different system than you are used to seeing a Herb Sendek team play. Instead of running a Princeton-style offense -- which requires a big man with perimeter and passing skills -- they have gone to something closer to a motion offense utilizing a high pick-and-roll with PG Derek Glasser.

If we see Derek Glasser and Isaiah Thomas go head to head again, it will be for a tournament berth.
(photo credit: flickr)

Both Arizona State and Washington are on the bubble right now, and given their combined lack of quality wins -- and the fact that neither of them are going to be adding to their resume much in the Pac-10 tournament -- if looks like it is going to take a trip to the finals to earn a bid. What's interesting is that the two teams are projected to meet up in the semis, assuming both can get by their first round opponents. Does this qualify as a play-in game?


Sleeper: Arizona Wildcats

Finding a sleeper in this group is tough because, well, after the top three there is a whole lot of not much in the Pac-10. But if the Pac-10 qualifies as not much, than Arizona is the "ehh" that makes you wonder. This is a young team with a new coach in Sean Miller, but the Wildcats do have a veteran PG with some tournament success under his belt in Nic Wise and a couple of quality forwards in Derrick Williams and Jamelle Horne. Perhaps more importantly, they own wins over Washington, Arizona State, and Cal.

Names you need to know

• Derrick Williams, Arizona: Nic Wise is the leader of this team. He's the guy that takes and makes the big shots. But for those that haven't followed the Pac-10 all that closely, would you be surprised if I told you that Derrick Williams is, in fact, this team's leading scorer and rebounder? Williams is kind of a glorified garbageman at this stage in his development, as he doesn't have a great back-to-the-basket game. But he can rebound the ball and is an excellent finisher inside.


• Jamal Boykin, Cal: You know about Cal's three guards, but Boykin may be the most important piece to this Cal team simply because they don't have any other big guys that are a scoring threat. The Bears him to be able to handle his own in the paint on both sides of the ball as well as on the glass.


• Landry Fields, Stanford: Stanford is bad this year, but that is not Fields' fault. He's averaged 22.8 ppg and 8.7 rpg for the Cardinal. He's arguably the best basketball player in the conference and shown the ablity carry Stanford this season.
  

Continue reading...

Pac 10 expansion is all about the TV money

UPDATE: Andy Katz has weighed in on the subject, and he makes the point that the only logical addition would be BYU and Utah. The addition is for football, which eliminates quite a few of the programs out west. BYU and Utah would also be natural travel partners, which is perfect for the Pac-10's scheduling system.

It makes too much sense, which is probably why it won't happen. Isn't that how it normally works?


First, it was the Big Ten. Then, it was the NCAA Tournament. And now the Pac 10?

The rumors have been floating around for a while, but it seems like the Pac 10 is getting serious about expanding to 12 teams. Like the Big 10 expansion, the main reason for the Pac 10 adding teams would be to create two divisions and a conference championship game for the football team. The Pac 10 is looking to sign a new deal for television coverage, and having a conference championship game is a key negotiating point.

Are you really surprised that money and TV contracts are the main issue involved?

One of the issues is that the conference wants to get more games on national television, especially during the basketball season.

"My top priority when I was hired was to explore all available options to expand our revenue through television," Pac 10 commissioner Larry Scott told the Mercury News. "That has the utmost strategic importance."

There are two problems with the Pac 10 when it comes to getting games on national television. During the week, their tip times end up being too late to get played in the primetime slots on ESPN.

The other issue sit he way the conference schedule is laid out. There are five groups of travel partners in the conference. During a conference weekend, one set of partners (i.e. the Arizona schools) will travel to play another set of partners (i.e. the LA schools). The games are played on Thursdays and Saturdays, with the two groups switching opponents after the Thursday game. So if Arizona played USC Thursday, they play UCLA on Saturday, and vice versa for Arizona State.

Say ESPN wanted to buy the rights to the Cal-Washington game this season. With any other league, they would have some influence in the schedule if, for example, they wanted to show Villanova-West Virginia on Big Monday. With the Pac 10, they can't do that. The Cal-Washington game would either be Thursday's late game, or scheduled on a Saturday. Nationally televised games on a Saturday get much less exposure than a game played on Big Monday.

Anyway, the rumor that has been making the rounds is that Utah and Colorado would join the Pac 10, with BYU sliding into the Big XII to replace Colorado (a steal for the Big XII, as its not a difficult argument that BYU has a better basketball and football program than Colorado right now). Would that mean that Boise State and/or Utah State would move into the MWC?

Possibly.

The Pac-10's TV deal doesn't expire until the 2011-2012 season, but if they are going to be making changes in their membership, the talks will be starting now.
Continue reading...

The obligatory Friday morning "Pac-10 is no good" post

Pac-10 games are played on Thursdays and Saturday, and it has become routine to see articles every Friday and Sunday about how weak the Pac-10 is or how no one wants to win the Pac-10.

Its true.

And it amazes me.

Heading into last night, Cal was probably the favorite to win the league. The were tied for first with Arizona, finally getting healthy in their back court, and were arguably the most talented team in the conference.

But then the Bears went out and blew a 13 point lead and lost 66-63 to a USC team that has really struggled since finding out that they would not be allowed to participate in any postseason tournament. USC went on a 25-3 run over a ten minutes stretch spanning both halves. For the record, that's a USC team that has struggled to break 50 points in a game scoring at that rate.

This loss for the Bears came on the heels of blowing a late four point lead to Arizona on Saturday night.

That win for Arizona put them in a tie for first place despite all of their early season struggles and off-season departures. So did the Wildcats capitalize?

Nope.

They lost 81-75 at Washington.

UCLA and Arizona State did win, however, meaning that there is now a four-way tie atop the Pac-10, with Washington and USC a game back.

Apparently, Pac-10 teams are just good enough to make a run to the top, but aren't good enough to stay there.

Saturday will be a big day for the league. Cal will play at UCLA in a battle of first place teams, Arizona State heads to Washington where the Huskies have lost just one game, and Arizona gets Washington State on the road.

The conference is clearly not what it was even two years ago, but its tough to maintain a level of consistency with you have 21 players drafted in two years time from a league with only ten teams.

But no matter how poor the quality of play is, one this that is for certain is that this will be an entertaining race to follow.

Continue reading...

A couple of Pac-10 thoughts. Did you know this league isn't very good?

If you've been watching or reading anything about college basketball over the last two months, than you've probably heard someone, somewhere, mention something about the fact that the Pac-10 is down this season.

That is not breaking news.

What is a bit of a shock is how terrible the league truly is.

After the league's fourth week of conference games, Cal is the only team that can hold out for any kind of hope of earning an at-large bid, and even that is a stretch at this point. They are 13-6 overall and 5-2 and in first place in the league. But their best non-conference win is against Murray State (78th in the RPI). They are 0-4 against the top 50, and have lost to UCLA (136th) and Washington (75th). The only reason their RPI is in the top 25 range (currently 25th) is because they have played the 3rd toughest schedule in the country.

It will be tough for the selection committee to give an at-large bid to the Bears, especially when you consider that their "signature" win right now is at home against USC after the Trojans learned of their postseason ban, especially when you consider the Bears are bound to take a few more losses with seven of their remaining 11 games on the road.


If you haven't done it already, say goodbye to Washington's potential postseason.

The Huskies were swept by the LA schools, dropping a buzzer beater to the Bruins and getting waxed by USC. U-Dub has a number of issues. They don't play defense. They struggle with consistently giving effort. They don't have a true point guard. No one has been able to replace Jon Brockman.

But their biggest issue is simply that they cannot win away from home. Washington is 0-5 in true road games this year, and also lost to Georgetown in Anaheim. They are, literally, winless in every game away from Hec Edmundson Pavilion. That's not going to get it done.


Think about this for a second.

UCLA has be abysmal this season. Stanford has nothing on their roster beyond Landry Fields. Arizona is far from the Arizona we knew under Lute Olson. All three teams are sitting within a game of .500 on the season.

And all three teams are currently sitting one game out of first place in the Pac-10.

I mean, a UCLA team that lost to Cal St. Fullerton (RPI 236th), Portland (98th), Stanford (121st), and Long Beach State (125th), and is 136th in the RPI themselves, has an actual chance to win the Pac-10 even after they lost starting forward Drew Gordon.

I guess crazier things have happened.

I just can't think of many.

Continue reading...

The unpredictability of the Pac-10

Nothing makes sense in the Pac-10 this season.

USC was supposed to be terrible. They're not, and may actually be the best team, although it seems that a postseason ban has brought this team back down to earth.

Washington and Cal were supposed to be the two best teams in the league, but Washington is sitting at just 1-2 in the league and Cal has lost five games already this year. Its difficult to see either team as an at-large candidate today.

Stanford and Oregon, both expected to be at the bottom of the league, are a combined 4-1 in league play while UCLA and Arizona, two of the best programs in all of college hoops, are both under .500 this season.

Safe to say, the Pac-10 has been a bit unpredictable this season.

Which is why I'm going to make a prediction.

Oregon State plays at Oregon tonight. Oregon State is coming off of a 51 points loss at home to Seattle. (Yes, you read that right. I promise.) Oregon just knocked off Washington at home.

Logic says go with the Ducks.

The Pac-10 has defied all logic this season.

Which is why I'm predicting the Beavers to pick up their first Pac-10 win of the season tonight.

Continue reading...

NCAA speaks out on refs that called the T on Wazzu

Last week, we talked a little bit about the Washington State-Oregon game in Pullman. If you remember, the refs had called a technical on the Cougars bench with 0.3 seconds left on the clock because the Wazzu bench spilled to far onto the court after DeAngelo Casto scored what would have been the game-winner. TaJuan Porter hit two free throws to tie the game and force a second overtime that Oregon eventually took control of.

On Tuesday, the Pac-10 backed their official's decision.

The NCAA?

Not so much.

Check out this excerpt from the Seattle Times interview with Ed Bilik, secretary editor of the rules committee:

Ed Bilik, secretary-editor of the rules committee, told The Times from his office in Georgia that "interference" by fans or players off the bench must impact play directly to warrant a technical.

Referring to the end-of-overtime chaos that turned an apparent WSU victory into an Oregon win, Bilik said, "The ball was never even taken out of bounds. So how could it interfere with continuous play? Basically, there was no interference in terms of the ball being put into play."
Bilik's comments came in the wake of an "end of the game reminder" he issued this week to NCAA officials and published on the NCAA Web site as a result of the WSU-Oregon controversy.

The first part of that advisory says, "When a delay by a jubilant follower(s) or bench personnel before player activity has been terminated does not prevent the ball from being put in play promptly or does not interfere with continuous play, the delay shall be ignored, order shall be restored and play shall be resumed."

The words "ignored," "restored" and "resumed" were underscored.

In other words, what Bilik is saying is that there better be a damn good reason for a ref to call a technical foul with 0.3 seconds left in a game when said technical will effect the outcome of the game.

Could this open up the door for a Wazzu appeal?

The issue seems to be whether or not this was a judgement call. Are the refs allowed to determine themselves whether or not a technical is deserved in this situation? Or is there a rule in the rulebook that must be broken (i.e. coming on the court while the ball is in play)?

Personally, I doubt the last 0.3 seconds will be replayed, but if it does, it almost assuredly changes the result.

Judging by how jumbled the Pac-10 is, this decision may have a larger than intended effect on the league standings.

Continue reading...

What is the best league on the West Coast? Not who you think...

Yesterday, was Thanksgiving. And as the tradition goes, if you are watching sports on Thanksgiving, you are probably watching football.

If you did happen to have basketball on the brain yesterday, our old friend tryptophan might have made it difficult to stay up for the fourth game of the 76 Classic out in Anaheim.

As you may or may not have heard, UCLA played Portland last night in a game that tipped at about 11:20 here on the east coast. The game, played all of 40 miles from the UCLA campus, pitted one of college basketball's blue bloods against a typical WCC also-ran.

The final score was 74-47.

If I gave you three guesses at who won, how long would it take you to say Portland?

And as the score would indicate, this one was never even close. Portland never trailed, shooting 57% from the field and 6-8 from deep in the first half to open up a 36-19 halftime lead. That hot-shooting continued in the second half, as they finished the game at 54% from the floor and 11-19 from deep. Jared Stohl led the way with 15 points on 5-5 shooting while Nik Raivio, a potential all-league performer, had 13 points and 5 assists.

It was painfully clear who the best team on the floor was tonight, and given that Portland could very well be the fourth best team in the WCC, it begs the question: is the WCC better than the Pac-10 this season?

Its much closer than you think.

For starters, the WCC is 4-2 against the Pac-10. Arizona State (104-65 over San Francisco) and the Bruins (71-52 over Pepperdine) have the lone wins. In addition to beating UCLA, Portland also owns a win over Oregon, San Diego beat Stanford in the opener for both teams, and USC lost to Loyola-Marymount.

Advantage: WCC.

Well, what about big wins?

Portland not only has beaten UCLA and Oregon, but they own a 17 point win over a good Seattle team that was won at Weber State and Utah and beaten Fresno State at home. San Diego whooped up on Oklahoma, taking a 23 point second half lead before the Sooners came back with Brandon Johnson out of the game. Gonzaga won the Maui Invitational with wins over Cinci and Wisconsin, but their most impressive performance was probably taking Michigan State to the buzzer at the Breslin Center. Even St. Mary's, who always seems to play a weak non-conference schedule, beat a good SDSU team by 22 at home.

The Pac-10? To be honest, its pretty embarrassing. As a league, they own just two wins over power conference teams - Arizona beat Colorado, the worst team in the Big XII that barely hung on the beat Chaminade, in overtime while Stanford knocked off Virginia, a team not expected to make much noise in the ACC. Their best performance of the season came in Stanford's OT loss to a Kentucky team that has been playing far from their best basketball.

Advantage: WCC.

Enough comparing of numbers.

Washington is the best team on the west coast. Even with Gonzaga's win out in Maui, Washington has to be given the edge, especially with way Quincy Pondexter is playing right now.

Having said that, is there another Pac-10 team that you think is better than any of the WCC's top four (Portland, Gonzaga, St. Mary's, San Diego)?

Maybe once Cal gets healthy, yes. But after seeing them struggle in their four CvC games, and knowing that Harper Kamp and Theo Robertson are still out of uniform, right now this does not look like a tournament team, let alone a top 25 team. Arizona State has some talented kids on their perimeter - Trent Lockett, Derek Glasser, Rihard Kuksiks - but unless Eric Boateng makes a big improvement or Victor Rudd turns into a Jeff Pendergraph or an Ike Diogu, I don't think this team has the interior play to make the dance.

Stanford? No one outside Landry Fields.

Washington State? Ditto for Klay Thompson.

Arizona? Too young.

Oregon? They lost to Montana.

UCLA, USC, Oregon State? Please.

I can legitimately see a scenario in which the Pac-10 gets just one team into the dance.

The WCC, on the other hand, has three or four teams that could play their way to an at-large bid. Gonzaga is going to be back in the top 25 after their Maui win, and deservedly so. They are tough, they are balanced inside, and they have a star in Matt Bouldin. Portland is your typical quality mid-major - senior laden team with capable-to-above average bigs and a slew of shooters. San Diego has a number of quality role players surrounding potential all-league player Brandon Johnson. St. Mary's has had the least non-conference success thus far, but they may actually be the best team in the conference - Ben Allen and Omar Samhan are both big, talented posts while Matthew Dellavadova and Mickey McConnelly are excellent shooters and creators in the back court.

The season is young, and there is still plenty of chances for the WCC kids to falter and the Pac-10 teams to turn it around. But on paper, right now, the WCC looks to be a better league, especially at the top.

And I know what you're going to say - the bottom of the WCC is much worse than the bottom of the Pac-10.

Remember this: Loyola Marymount, who is in the bottom of the WCC, has already beaten USC, who is in the bottom of the Pac-10.
Continue reading...

11/23 - College Hoops Week in Review

What we learned this week: We'll get to Syracuse and their performance, and we have already touched on the Big East's success early in the season, so lets talk about the Pac-10?

Coming into the season, no one was saying that the Pac-10 was going to be the best league in the country. Outside of Cal and Washington, it seemed like everyone was in the midst of a rebuilding year, with the the term "re"-building (as opposed to simply building) being used loosely.

The Pac-10 conference has struggled early in the season.
(photo credit: Pac-10)

Just take a look at the numbers. The league has just four unbeaten teams (the Arizona schools and the Washington schools), and the overall record is 23-10, just a .697 winning percentage. That's far less than any other power conference (the lowest is the Big Ten, believe it or not, with a 27-9 record and a .750 winning percentage), and just a fraction better than the A-10, which is 26-12 with a .684 winning percentage.

And it isn't like the Pac-10 is losing to good teams, either. Stanford, who is 2-2, has lost to San Diego and Oral Roberts. UCLA lost to Cal St. Fullerton. USC was beaten by Loyola Marymount. Oregon State has already lost three games, to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas Tech, and Sacramento State, a team coming off of a two win season.

At least Oregon (at Portland) and Cal (Syracuse and Ohio State in MSG) lost to potential tournament teams.

You don't even want to ask about their best win. Arizona State over TCU? Oregon over Colorado State? Cal over Murray State? The way things are going, it won't be long until you start to hear serious talk of the Pac-10 getting just one team (Washington) into the tournament. With so many bad losses, and so few good wins, in out of conference play, the Pac-10's RPI will be in the toilet in this keeps up.

Is it too late for the Pac-10?

Not yet. Arizona State still has a trip to MSG for the Pre-season NIT, Arizona will be in Maui starting tomorrow to play in the Maui Invitational, and there is still the Pac-10-Big XII challenge. With a good performance in those three events, and a couple of wins in marquee out of conference match-ups (Washington vs. Georgetown, Washington State vs. Gonzaga, Oregon vs. St. Mary's, UCLA and Cal vs. Kansas), and maybe some doubters will be silenced.

Until then, expect the Pac-10 to be compared to last year's SEC.


GAME OF THE WEEK: Villanova 69, George Mason 68

George Mason asserted their control on this game early. Pressuring Villanova's guards all over the court, the Patriots were able to open up a 13 point first half lead. The Wildcats made a couple runs during the first 20 minutes, but Mason eventually went into the half up 37-28. A 15-5 run by the Wildcats early in the second half tied the game, and set off an exciting 13 minutes of basketball down the stretch.

Mason would build the lead back up to five on multiple occasions before Villanova finally came all the way back, going up 56-54 on a Scottie Reynolds lay-up. After back-to-back Patriot buckets, Taylor King buried a three with four and a half minutes left to give the Wildcats the lead. Once again, Mason would go on a run, scoring six straight point to build a 64-59 lead. But the Patriots couldn't seal this one as they hit just four of eight free throws down the stretch, leaving the door open for Villanova. Down 67-63 with under a minute left, freshman Maalik Wayns buried a three. After Sherrod Wright hit 1-2 from the line, another freshman, Isaiah Armwood, hit the first shot of his career, a three with just 17 seconds left on the clock. It ended up being the game-winner, as the Patriots couldn't get a shot off at the end of the game.



Also good this week:

• Louisiana-Monroe 74, Morehead State 73: Kenneth Faried had 24 points and 12 boards, but Tony Hooper hit a jumper at the buzzer to end an exciting back-and-forth game.
• Michigan State 75, Gonzaga 71: The Zags were up big in the first half, but a second half rally, sparked by the hot shooting of Durrell Summers, carried the Spartans to the four point win.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jon Scheyer, Duke

Scheyer has played as well as anyone in the country during the first two weeks of the season. In a 3-0 week for Duke, Scheyer averaged 16.0 ppg and 5.7 apg, while hitting 9-16 from deep. Impressive numbers, yes, but the most impressive stat is that Scheyer did not have a turnover in the three games. In fact, Scheyer has played 131 minutes in four games this season (32.8 mpg), and has yet to turn the basketball over. With the limited depth in Duke's back court, being able to rely on Scheyer to play well for a lot of minutes will be a key to the Blue Devil's success this season.

Also good this week:

• Shelvin Mack, Butler: Butler had a 2-0 week, winning both games on the road, and Mack's performance was a huge reason why. He averaged 16.0 ppg, 5.5 apg, and 4.0 rpg in the two wins.
• James Anderson, Oklahoma State: Could Anderson be better than he was last season? In two games last week, he averaged 27.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg while hitting 20-37 shots from the field in two Cowboy wins.
• Quincy Pondexter, Washington: Pondexter came into the week averaging 22 ppg and 11 rpg, but he had his best game of the season on Friday as he posted 30 points (on 10-18 from the field) and 15 boards.
  

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Syracuse Orange

I mean, was there any other choice? The Orange looked like a team that may not reach the tournament after losing an exhibition game to Le Moyne. But after taking MSG by storm this week, the Orange are a trendy pick to make it to the Final Four. Syracuse ran roughshod over Cal and UNC on Thursday and Friday. Against Cal, it was a big first half run that opened up an insurrmountable lead. In the UNC game, the Orange used a 22-1 run to open the second half to put that game away. And while Syracuse is making these big runs and putting up impressive offensive numbers, the reason the Orange are so good this season is their defense. Their length creates turnovers, while the talent in their backcourt and the willingness of their front line to run the floor creates points off of those turnovers.

As good as Andy Rautins has been, as promising as their front line has played on both ends, and and as much of a stud as Wesley Johnson is, the most impressive part of this team has been the play of Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche. Jardine and Triche are two different styles of point guards. Both are excellent defenders that can get into the passing lanes, but Triche seems to be a better player in the half court offensively, while Jardine is more of a dynamic, open court player that can score in transition. Excellent complimentary players, it has been their stellar early season play that has been the most pleasant surprise for the Orange.

Also good this week:

• Villanova Wildcats: Villanova improved to 5-0 while winning the Puerto Rico Tip-off this week. They knocked off George Mason, Dayton, and Ole Miss along the way. While the Wildcats are still trying to find their stride and a while away from being at full strength (Reggie Redding, Mouphtaou Yarou), this was a talented field that Jay Wright's club just ran through.
• Tennessee Volunteers: The Vols went 3-0 on the week, including two games where they git triple figures. While Bruce Pearl's club did struggle a bit with DePaul, when the athlete the Vols have get going in the full court, they are a tough team to slow down.
  
• Virginia Commonwealth Rams: The Rams were just 1-1 on the week, but the win came in impressive fashion against Oklahoma.
  

For match-ups of the week, check back for the daily Pregame Beat's, as most of the big games this week come during tournament play.
Continue reading...

Where is all the talent in the Pac-10?

During the 2007-2008 season, the Pac-10 was arguably the nation's best conference. Six of the ten teams reached the dance (and Arizona State was probably the first team left out). The league was well represented in the 2008 draft - five of the first eleven picks, seven of the first 21 picks, and twelve players overall were taken. In the 2009 draft, seven more players that were on a Pac-10 roster in '07-'08 were picked, including James Harden and Jordan Hill, who both went in the lottery.

It is safe to say that the league has produced as much, if not more, NBA caliber talent as any conference the last two seasons.

But that may change this season.

Each summer, Draft Express runs a segment breaking down the top 15 NBA prospects in each conference. This year, the pickins are quite slim out west (to note: DX does not count freshman, although it may be a moot point - Washington's Abdul Gaddy is the only Rivals top 25 frosh headed to the Pac-10). Take a look at their top 10 (which came in two parts, here and here):

1. PG Malcolm Lee, UCLA
2. PF Michael Dunigan, Oregon
3. SF Klay Thompson, Washington State
4. SG Patrick Christopher, Cal
5. SF Quincy Pondexter, Washington
6. SG Dwight Lewis, USC
7. PF Drew Gordon, UCLA
8. SG Jerime Anderson, UCLA
9. PG Isaiah Thomas, Washington
10. PG Jerome Randle, Cal
    

There may not be a lottery pick in that group. Outside of Isaiah Thomas and maybe Jerome Randle, there may not be a single pre-season all-american vote (although, I think Klay Thompson is going to surprise a lot of people outside Pullman). Thomas and Randle both posted impressive numbers last year, but with each standing around 5'9", we aren't exactly dealing with the next Derrick Rose.

Look, we know this season is a rebuilding one for the Pac-10 as a whole. UCLA is going through a changing of the guard as four year stalwarts Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and Alfred Aboya have finally graduated. Ditto for Arizona State, who lost James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph. Arizona, who is in danger of missing the tournament for the first time in a quarter century, and USC, who has seen as much talent pass through their program as any in the nation the last five years, are both essentially starting from scratch with new coaching staffs. Stanford and Washington State are down, and the Oregon schools are, well, just not that good right now.

Outside of Cal and Washington, there may not be another top 25 team, at least in the pre-season. Whether it is losing players to the draft, a coaching change, a scandal, or just simply a couple unlucky years recruiting, just about every team in the Pac-10 has suffered a setback in the last two year.

But that's the way it goes with the BCS conferences.

The SEC was a joke last season, but this year they boast one of the best teams in the country, and could realistically send six or seven teams to the dance.

The Big East was stacked in '08-'09, but this year they are probably only better than, well, the Pac-10.

So if you are a fan of the Pac-10, just sit tight this year. Things will swing back your way. Hey, if UCLA doesn't lose anyone to the draft, you could be looking at the 2011 national champs.


Continue reading...