Editor's note: This story is part of the Star's Pac-12 Tournament preview, which runs in Wednesday's newspaper and on Tucson.com:
Arizona Wildcats
Arizona forward Zeke Nnaji (22) backs his way into the paint against Washington State in the first half of their Pac12 game at McKale Center, March 5, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Coach: Sean Miller
2019-20 record: 20-11
Conference record: 10-8
Pac-12 Tournament seed: No. 5
Jackpots: 73-66 vs. Wake Forest, Dec. 1; 75-47 vs. Arizona State, Jan. 4; 75-54 vs. Colorado, Jan. 18; 85-80 vs. USC, Feb. 6
Busted out: 63-58 at Baylor, Dec. 7; 84-80 vs Gonzaga, Dec. 14; 70-67 vs. St. John’s, Dec. 21; 69-63 vs. Washington, March 7
Studs: F Zeke Nnaji (16.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg); G Nico Mannion (14.0 ppg, 5.4 apg, 2. 5 rpg); G Josh Green (11.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
Wild cards: G Dylan Smith (8.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
All-in: A 1-4 run to end the season has Arizona fans reeling, as only a win over Washington State stemmed the bleeding of losses to Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington. And to think, the Wildcats seemed to be turning the corner with a 7-2 stretch in the middle of Pac-12 play. Now the Cats get Washington in the Pac-12 Tournament, just a few days after losing to the Huskies to close the regular season. Not ideal.
Arizona State Sun Devils
Coach: Bobby Hurley
2019-20 record: 20-11
Conference record: 11-7
Pac-12 Tournament seed: No. 3
Jackpots: 80-67 vs. St. John’s, Nov. 23; 79-59 vs. Georgia, Dec. 14; 66-65 vs. Arizona, Jan. 25; 77-72 vs. Oregon, Feb. 20
Busted out: 48-45 vs. Virginia, Nov. 24; 96-56 vs. Saint Mary’s, Dec. 18; 75-47 at Arizona, Jan. 4; 67-65 at Washington State, Jan. 29
Studs: G Remy Martin (19.2 ppg, 4.0 apg, 3.2 rpg); G Alonzo Verge Jr. (14.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg); G Rob Edwards (11.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
Wild cards: F Romello White (10.2 ppg, 9.0 rpg)
All-in: After improving to 23-11 and 12-6 in Pac-12 play in Bobby Hurley’s fourth season, the Sun Devils regressed just a bit this year, finishing the regular season 20-11 and 11-7 in conference play. ASU was wildly inconsistent at times, losing by 40 to Saint Mary’s while scoring wins over Arizona and Oregon.
Cal Golden Bears
Coach: Mark Fox
2019-20 record: 13-18
Conference record: 7-11
Pac-12 Tournament seed: No. 10
Jackpots: 79-75 (OT) vs. UNLV, Nov. 12; 52-50 vs. Stanford, Jan. 26; 87-52 at Washington, Feb. 22
Busted out: 87-52 vs. Duke, Nov. 21; 62-45 vs. Texas, Nov. 22; 71-63 vs. Harvard, Dec. 29; 87-52 at Washington, Feb. 22
Studs: G Matt Bradley (17.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg); G Paris Austin (9.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.5 apg); G Kareem South (8.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg); F Grant Anticevich (8.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
Wild cards: F Andre Kelly (7.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
All-in: A four-win improvement in Pac-12 play indicates better things are on the horizon under Fox. The Bears scored big conference wins over Colorado, Stanford and Oregon State, among others. The Bears are a year — and a lot of talent — away from being on the rise.
Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado Buffaloes guard McKinley Wright IV (25) reacts to a call during a game at McKale Center on Jan. 18. 2020.
Coach: Tad Boyle
2019-20 record: 21-10
Conference record: 10-8
Pac-12 Tournament seed: No. 6
Jackpots: 78-76 vs. Dayton, Dec. 21; 74-65 vs. Oregon, Jan. 2
Busted out: 72-58 at Kansas, Dec. 7; 79-76 vs. Northern Idaho, Dec. 10; 76-68 vs. Oregon State, Jan. 5; 72-64 at Stanford, March 1; 74-72 (OT) at Utah, March 7
Studs: G McKinley Wright IV (14.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.1 apg); Tyler Bey (13.6 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.5 spg); D’Shawn Schwartz (10.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
Wild card: F Evan Battey (8.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
All-in: Under Boyle, one of the better and longest-tenured coaches in the Pac-12, the Buffaloes have never really gotten over the hump. Case in point: After beating No. 4 Oregon in Eugene on Jan. 2, Colorado turned around and lost to Oregon State three days later. This is a team that also handed Dayton one of its two losses. If the Buffs find a way to conquer their self-inflicted demons, they have a real chance in Sin City.
Oregon Ducks
Coach: Dana Altman
2019-20 record: 24-7
Conference record: 13-5
Pac-12 Tournament seed: No. 1
Jackpots: 82-74 vs. Memphis, Nov. 12; 71-69 vs. Seton Hall, Nov. 27; 71-70 at Michigan, Dec. 14; 74-73 vs. Arizona, Jan. 9
Busted out: 73-72 vs. Gonzaga, Nov. 28; 78-74 vs. North Carolina, Nov. 29; 72-61 at Washington State, Jan. 16; 70-60 at Stanford, Feb. 1
Studs: G Peyton Pritchard (20.5 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.3 rpg); G Chris Duarte (12.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg); G Will Richardson (11.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.3 apg)
Wild cards: G Anthony Mathis (8.5 ppg); F Skakur Juiston (7.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
All-in: Oregon’s season is pretty much the definition of the Pac-12 over the last decade. Remarkable highs, including wins over Memphis, Seton Hall and Michigan, plus inexplicable losses to Washington State, Stanford and Oregon State that kept the Ducks out of the top 5. With Pritchard leading the way, this team can get hot in a hurry, though, so Vegas could be their coming-out party.
Oregon State Beavers
Coach: Wayne Tinkle
2019-20 record: 17-13
Conference record: 7-11
Pac-12 Tournament seed: No. 8
Jackpots: 82-65 at Arizona, Jan. 12; 63-53 vs. Oregon, Feb. 8
Busted out: 64-49 at Texas A&M, Dec. 21; 89-76 at Washington State, Jan. 18; 69-67 at Cal, Feb. 1
Studs: F Tres Tinkle (18.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.2 apg); G Ethan Thompson (14.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.5 apg); F Kylor Kelley (11.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
Wild cards: G Zach Reichle (7.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg)
All-in: Tinkle had to think his team was on the rise after improving from 10th to tied for fourth in the Pac-12 last season. But after going 10-8 last year in league play, the Beavers went 7-11 this year despite the presence of an all-league senior in Tres Tinkle, the school’s all-time leading scorer.
Oregon State Beavers
Coach: Jerod Haase
2019-20 record: 20-11
Conference record: 9-9
Pac-12 Tournament seed: No. 7
Jackpots: 73-54 vs. Oklahoma, Nov. 25; 70-60 vs. Oregon, Feb. 1; 72-64 vs. Colorado, March 1
Busted out: 68-67 vs. Butler, Nov. 26; 64-56 (OT) at Utah, Feb. 6; 68-65 at Oregon State, March 5
Studs: F Oscar da Silva (16.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg); G Tyrell Terry (14.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.2 apg)
Wild cards: F Spencer Jones (8.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg); G Daejon Davis (8.6 ppg, 3.7 apg, 3.2 rpg)
All-in: The Cardinal topped the 20-win plateau for the first time under Haase (and first since 2014-15), so there is progress. But a 1-7 stretch in the middle of conference play doomed Stanford in the long run. Of course, the one win was over Pac-12 champion Oregon, so who knows anything anymore?
UCLA Bruins
Coach: Mick Cronin
2019-20 record: 19-12
Conference record: 12-6
Pac-12 Tournament seed: No. 2
Jackpots: 72-68 vs. Colorado, Jan. 30; 65-52 at Arizona, Feb. 8; 70-63 at Colorado, Feb. 22; 69-64 vs. Arizona, Feb. 29
Busted out: 88-78 vs. Hofstra, Nov. 21; 75-61 at Notre Dame, Dec. 14; 77-74 vs. Cal State Fullerton, Dec. 28; 84-66 at Arizona State, Feb. 6
Studs: G Chris Smith (13.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg); F Jalen Hill (9.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg); G Jaime Jaquez Jr. (8.9 ppg, 4.8); F Tyger Campbell (8.3 ppg, 5.0 apg)
Wild cards: G Prince Ali (6.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
All-in: After a 7-6 nonconference slate, Cronin’s message finally sank in four games into the Pac-12 campaign. UCLA started conference play 1-3, but went 11-3 the rest of the way, with a seven-game winning streak that became the talk of college hoops. A couple of wins in the conference tournament would be a boon to the team’s NCAA Tournament odds.
USC Trojans
Coach: Andy Enfield
2019-20 record: 22-9
Conference record: 11-7
Pac-12 Tournament seed: No. 4
Jackpots: 76-66 at Nevada, Nov. 16; 74-63 at UCLA, Jan. 11; 57-48 vs. Arizona, Feb. 27; 54-52 vs. UCLA, March 7
Busted out: 70-61 vs. Temple, Nov. 22; 101-79 vs. Marquette, Nov. 29; 72-40 at Washington, Jan. 5; 79-65 at Utah, Feb. 23
Studs: F Onyeka Okongwu (16.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg); G Jonah Mathews (13.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg); F Nick Rakocevic (10.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg)
Wild cards: G Daniel Utomi (8.2 ppt, 3.8 rpg)
All-in: Enfield really hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves, leading USC to its fourth 20-win season in five years. The Trojans were marred by some inexplicable disappearances this year, but they’ve got the talent to pull off a run.
Utah Utes
Coach: Larry Krystkowiak
2019-20 record: 16-14
Conference record: 7-11
Pac-12 Tournament seed: No. 9
Jackpots: 69-66 vs. Kentucky, Dec. 18; 79-65 vs. USC, Feb. 23; 74-72 (OT) vs. Colorado, March 7
Busted out: 79-57 at Coastal Carolina, Nov. 21; 65-61 vs. Tulane, Nov. 24; 83-64 at Arizona State, Jan. 18; 70-62 at Stanford, Feb. 26
Studs: F Timmy Allen (17.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.0 apg); G Both Gach (11.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.7 apg); G Rylan Jones (9.6 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.9 rpg)
Wild cards: F Riley Battin (8.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
All-in: Just when Krystkowiak appeared to have taken the Utes to the next level, guiding them to a 27-9 mark in 2015-16, the team has stalled out. Four multigame losing streaks in conference play has a tendency to do that to a team.
Washington Huskies
Washington head coach Mike Hopkins comes onto the court trying to get the attention of his Huskies against Arizona in the second half of their Pac12 game at McKale Center, March 7, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Coach: Mike Hopkins
2019-20 record: 15-16
Conference record: 5-13
Pac-12 Tournament seed: No. 12
Jackpots: 74-67 vs. Baylor, Nov. 8; 72-40 vs. USC, Jan. 5; 90-83 at Arizona State, March 5; 69-63 at Arizona, March 7
Busted out: 66-64 vs. UCLA, Jan. 2; 61-55 at Stanford, Jan. 9; 61-58 (OT) at Cal, Jan. 11
Studs: F Isaiah Stewart (16.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg); F Jaden McDaniels (13.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg); G Nahziah Carter (12.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg); G Quade Green (11.6 ppg, 5.3 apg)
Wild cards: G Marcus Tsohonis (6.9 ppg, 2.2 apg)
All-in: Not just the most thoroughly disappointing team in the Pac-12 but one of the true duds of the season, the Huskies labored through Pac-12 play and could never get it going. Surprisingly, the presence of Stewart — the conference’s best projected incoming freshman — did little to galvanize this group.
Washington State Cougars
Coach: Kyle Smith
2019-20 record: 15-16
Conference record: 6-12
Pac-12 Tournament seed: No. 11
Jackpots: 79-71 (OT) vs. UCLA, Jan. 4; 79-67 vs. Washington, Feb. 9; 78-74 at Washington, Feb. 28
Busted out: 70-62 at Santa Clara, Nov. 12; 85-77 vs. Omaha, Nov. 21; 82-71 vs. Nebraska, Nov. 25
Studs: F C.J. Elleby (18.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg); G Isaac Bonton (15.3 ppg, 3.9 apg, 3.7 rpg)
Wild cards: F Jeff Pollard (8.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
All-in: The Cougars stumbled early in the season with a 3-4 start but got hot just as Pac-12 play was set to begin, heading into conference play with a six-game winning streak. That didn’t mean much once Wazzu entered Pac-12 territory as it struggled to keep games close. Only a 86-83 overtime loss to UCLA was determined by fewer than five points.
