After all-conference guard Boogie Ellis decided in April to return to USC, and the famously bloodlined Bronny James a month later agreed to join five-star guard Isaiah Collier there, the Trojans quickly became the odds-on favorite to win the Pac-12 next season.
Certainly, they led the league in hype.
But now, with the spring roster transition season finally cooling off, it’s not so clear who the favorite should be. Arizona lost only Azuolas Tubelis to the NBA Draft while pulling in six players in May that include North Carolina’s leading scorer last season, guard Caleb Love.
Colorado, meanwhile, gained versatile forward Tristan da Silva back from the NBA Draft pool to join five-star forward Cody Williams of Gilbert Perry High School, TCU big man transfer Eddie Lampkin and a strong returning core led by former UA signee KJ Simpson.
Then there’s Oregon, which pulled in the conference’s second-best recruiting class and didn’t have to sweat out a possible NBA departure, and UCLA, last year’s regular-season league champion which at least salvaged center Adem Bona back from its draft exodus.
Those five teams are expected to compete for the Pac-12’s preferential top four spots, and recent national buzz suggests it might be a toss-up between Arizona and USC for the conference title.
Updated projections from both ESPN and the Athletic have Arizona at No. 11 and USC at No. 19, while ESPN also has Colorado at 22nd and the Athletic has UCLA at 23rd.
Among the other Top 25 projections updated last week, 247 Sports put Arizona at 18th, ahead of No. 23 USC and No. 24 Colorado. But CBS had USC ahead of Arizona, putting the Trojans at No. 12 and the Wildcats at 16th, while Sports Illustrated put USC at 13th and UA at 15th.
In addition, NCAA.com’s March Madness projections had USC as a No. 3 seed in the West Region, suggesting the Trojans would win the league over Arizona, projected as a No. 4 seed in the East.
While Arizona has filled out its entire 13-player roster for 2023-24, there are still a few more recruiting and portal decisions that could affect how the Pac-12 looks for next season.
So, for now, we’ll list Pac-12 teams in order of how well they fared during the spring “season” of NBA Draft decisions and transfer portal merry-go-round action, not in their predicted order of finish next season.
(NOTE: Includes 247 Sports and On3 data. On3’s team transfer rankings measure a team’s improvement or lack thereof relative to itself, not other teams, and its transfer score measures a gain or loss in talent via the transfer portal.
ARIZONA
Early NBA departures: F Azuolas Tubelis, G Pelle Larsson (withdrew)
247 Pac-12 recruiting class ranking: 10th: G KJ Lewis (four star), C Motiejus Krivas (Lithuania), G Conrad Martinez (Spain), F Paulius Murauskas (Lithuania)
On3 Pac-12 transfer ranking (score): 2 (16)
In: G Caleb Love (North Carolina), G Jaden Bradley (Alabama), F Keshad Johnson (SDSU).
Out: G Kerr Kriisa (West Virginia), F Adama Bal (Santa Clara)
Spring summary: Expected earlier this spring to bring in Creighton transfer guard Ryan Nembhard, UA coach Tommy Lloyd instead landed six players in May, offsetting the loss of Kerr Kriisa to West Virginia and potentially making up for Tubelis’ departure in other ways.
COLORADO
Early NBA departure: F Tristan da Silva (withdrew)
247 Pac-12 recruiting class ranking: 4th: F Cody Williams (five star), C Assane Diop (four star), F Courtney Anderson (three star)
On3 Pac-12 transfer ranking (score): 5 (1)
In: C Eddie Lampkin (TCU)
Out: G Nique Clifford (Colorado State), C Lawson Lovering (Utah), F Quincy Allen (James Madison)
Spring summary: Traditionally the Pac-12’s most stable program, Colorado lost a few role players but regained the versatile da Silva from the NBA Draft and added a huge (literally and figuratively) transfer in Lampkin, who had 20 points and 14 rebounds against Arizona in a second-round 2022 NCAA Tournament game.
Eddie Lampkin Jr., right, terrorized UA in the NCAA Tournament in 2022, and now is in the Pac-12 after transferring to Colorado.
UTAH
Early NBA departure: C Branden Carlson (withdrew)
247 Pac-12 recruiting class ranking: 11th: F Jake Wahlin (three star), G Hunter Erickson (unranked).
On3 Pac-12 transfer ranking (score): 3 (12)
In: G Deivon Smith (Georgia Tech), F Cole Bajema (Washington), C Lawson Lovering (Colorado)
Out: F Lazar Stefanovic (UCLA), G Mike Saunders (McNeese State), G Jaxon Brenchley (Denver), G Bostyn Holt (South Dakota)
Spring summary: Branden Carlson has decided he will play five seasons for the same college basketball team. Who does that anymore?
CALIFORNIA
Early NBA departures: None
247 Pac-12 recruiting class ranking: 7th. F Rodney Brown (three star), C Devin Curtis (three star)
On3 Pac-12 transfer ranking (score): 1 (17)
In: F Jaylon Tyson (Texas Tech), F Keonte Kennedy (Memphis), G Mike Meadows (Portland), C Fardaws Aimaq (Texas Tech), G Jalen Cone (NAU)
Out: F Kuany Kuany (VCU), F Sam Alajiki (Rice), G Joel Brown (Iona), C Lars Thiemann (LMU), G Jarred Hyder (Cal Poly), G Marsalis Roberson (UC Davis), G DeJuan Clayton (unknown)
Spring summary: After leaving as Utah Valley’s head coach, former Stanford star and Bay Area native Mark Madsen went home to launch a much-needed renovation.
UCLA
Early NBA departures: G Jaylen Clark, G Amari Bailey, F Jaime Jaquez, G Tyger Campbell, C Adem Bona (withdrew)
247 Pac-12 recruiting class ranking: 3rd: G Sebastian Mack (four star), F Devin Williams (four star), F Brandon Williams (four star), G Ilane Fibeuil (four star), G Jan Vide (Slovenia)
On3 Pac-12 transfer ranking (score): 4 (2)
In: F Lazar Stefanovic (Utah)
Out: G Abramo Canko (Wake Forest), C Mac Etienne (unknown)
Spring summary: No matter what happens, there always seems to be talent hanging around Pauley Pavilion.
USC
Early NBA departures: None
247 Pac-12 recruiting class ranking: 1st: G Isaiah Collier (five star), G Bronny James (five star), F Brandon Gardner (four star), C Arrinton Page (four star).
On3 Pac-12 transfer ranking (score): 12 (-12)
In: F D.J. Rodman (Washington State)
Out: G Tre White (Louisville), G Malik Thomas (San Francisco), G Reese Dixon-Waters (San Diego State), C Iaroslav Niagu (Charlotte)
Spring summary: James’ spring addition to a monster recruiting class, plus the returns of Ellis and 7-footer Vincent Iwuchukwu, helped brush over some significant losses in the transfer portal.
Bronny James, son of LeBron, should make USC a contender in the Pac-12 this upcoming season.
OREGON
Early NBA departures: None
247 Pac-12 recruiting class ranking: 2nd: F Kwame Evans (five star), G Jackson Shelstad (five star), F Mookie Cook (four star)
On3 Pac-12 transfer ranking (score): 6 (-6)
In: F Devan Cambridge (ASU), G Jesse Zarzuela (Central Michigan), SF Dalton Knecht (Northern Colorado), F Kario Oquendo (Georgia)
Out: F Quincy Guerrier (Illinois), F Rivaldo Soares (Oklahoma), C Kel’el Ware (Indiana), F Lok Wur (Grand Canyon), F Tyrone Williams (Old Dominion), F Ethan Butler (Northern Illinois)
Spring summary: The Ducks had an unusual net loss in the transfer portal, but their strong recruiting class and lack of NBA departures make up for it.
ARIZONA STATE
Early NBA departures: None
247 recruiting class ranking: 6th: F Akii Watson (three star), G Braelon Green (three star)
On3 Pac-12 transfer ranking (score): 7 (-6)
In: G Brycen Long (Houston Christian), G Adam Miller (LSU), F Kamari Lands (Louisville), F Bryant Selebanque (Tulsa), C Shawn Phillips (LSU), F Zane Meeks (San Francisco), G Adam Miller (LSU)
Out: C Duke Brennan (undecided), F Devan Cambridge (Oregon), G Austin Nunez (undecided), G DJ Horne (N.C. State), G Luther Muhammad (undecided), C Enoch Boakye (Fresno State), C Warren Washington (Texas Tech), G Austin Nunez (Mississippi), G Malcolm Flaggs (unknown)
Spring summary: The Sun Devils had the sort of revolving door normally seen after coaching changes. But forward Jamiya Neal did pull out of the portal to play for Bobby Hurley again.
STANFORD
Early NBA departures: None
247 Pac-12 recruiting class ranking: 5th: F Andrej Stojakovic (five star), G Kanaan Carlyle (Four star), C Aiden Camman (unranked)
On3 Pac-12 transfer ranking (score): 11 (-12)
In: G Jared Bynum (Georgetown)
Out: G Michael O’Connell (North Carolina State), F Neal Begovich (Duke), G Isa Silva (Long Beach State), F Harrison Ingram (North Carolina), G Jarvis Moss (Davidson)
Spring summary: Portal losses are huge for Stanford, which can’t easily shove replacements through the admissions office, though coach Jerod Haase keeps recruiting at a high level.
WASHINGTON
Early NBA departures: None
247 Pac-12 recruiting class ranking: 8th: G Wesley Yates (four star), F Christian King (unranked)
On3 Pac-12 transfer ranking (score): 10 (-8)
In: G Sahvir Wheeler (Kentucky), G Anthony Holland (Fresno State), F Moses Wood (Portland)
Out:G Keyon Menifield (Arkansas), G Noah Williams (unknown), F Cole Bajema (Utah), F Jackson Grant (Utah State), F Langston Wilson (Milwaukee), F Tyler Linhardt (Idaho), G Kyle Luttinen (unknown)
Spring summary: Wheeler was a big addition at point guard after Menifield took off, but many of the Huskies’ other portal losses are so far unaddressed.
WASHINGTON STATE
Early NBA departures:
F Mouhamed Gueye, G Justin Powell, G TJ Bamba (withdrew, then transferred).
247 Pac-12 recruiting class ranking: 9th: C Rueben Chinyelu (four star), C Oscar Cluff (unranked), G Isaiah Watts (unranked)
On3 Pac-12 transfer ranking (score): 9 (-7)
In: G Joseph Yesufu (Kansas), F Isaac Jones (Idaho)
Out: F D.J. Rodman (USC), C Adrame Diongue (unknown), G TJ Bamba (Villanova), C Dishon Jackson (Charlotte)
Spring summary: The Cougars were hammered both in the portal and in the NBA Draft, where Gueye’s decision to leave for good was not a huge surprise, but Powell’s was.
OREGON STATE
Early NBA departures: None
247 Pac-12 recruiting class ranking: 12th: F Gavis Marrs (unranked)
On3 Pac-12 transfer ranking (score): 8 (-6)
In: None
Out: Glenn Taylor (St. John’s), G Nick Krass (Southern Mississippi), G Donovan Grant (unknown)
Spring summary: Beavers have needed significant talent and chemistry improvements since their 2021 Elite Eight appearance, and … still do.
Arizona coach Chip Hale closes the book on the 2023 season after the Wildcats were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament via a 9-3 loss to Santa Clara (video by Michael Lev / Arizona Daily Star)
