SAN FRANCISCO β Still held inside β and on top of β a stylish Larry Scott-era building in the heart of the trendy SoMa district, the Pac-12 menβs basketball media day is always long on hype.
As with the womenβs basketball media day on Tuesday, coaches and their key players film promos and interviews, then take the main interview stage to walk-up music and videos.
A rooftop lunch buffet is punctuated by a display of mascot-themed Pac-12 βCupcakes of Champions,β such as Wilburβs Desert Dessert (UA), Chipβs Chocolate Chai (Colorado), Oskiβs Oreos (Cal) and Butchβs Apple Cup (WSU).
Pac-12 womenβs basketball teams, including national runner-up Arizona, never have trouble living up to all that buzz. But this year, the menβs teams have plenty of substance behind them, too.
Last season, the Pac-12 men posted the best collective record by any conference in the NCAA Tournament (13-5), while tying conference records for putting four teams in the Sweet 16 and three in the Elite Eight.
This season, UCLA has nearly everybody back and Oregon reloaded through the transfer portal, as always, with the two expected to land on top of the race.
After that, itβs largely unclear, and Arizona is in the middle of all that uncertainty. With a new coach in former Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd, without all-league point guard James Akinjo but with a strong core of sophomores, the Wildcats have already been picked anywhere from third (Lindyβs) to eighth (Athlon).
Before the menβs media day on Wednesday, the Pac-12 will release its official media poll and preseason all-conference teams, voted on by media members who regularly cover the league.
Here was our ballot:
Predicted order of finish:
1. UCLA. If this is the transfer portal era, you wouldnβt know it at UCLA. The Bruins return virtually the entire rotation of the team that made an improbable run from the First Four to the Final Four last season despite losing forwards Chris Smith (knee) and Jalen Hill (quit). That includes matchup nightmares Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez plus dogged point guard Tyger Campbell and increasingly efficient center Cody Riley.
As if that isnβt enough, the Bruins pulled in versatile five-star wing Payton Watson and Rutgers transfer Myles Johnson, whose 7-foot-7 wingspan helped make him one of the countryβs best rim protectors last season.
2. Oregon. So sharpshooter Chris Duarte and versatile hybrid forwards Eugene Omoruyi and LJ Figueroa are gone? It was just another offseason for coach Dana Altman, who had the transfer portal wired even before that was a thing.
The Ducks pulled in a trio of transfers who all could become worthy of conference newcomer of the year honors β guard Jacob Young (Rutgers), forward Quincy Guerrier (Syracuse) and guard DeβVion Harmon (Oklahoma) β while five-star center Nate Bittle stuck with the Ducks despite being a target of Arizona and others.
3. USC. Did Evan Mobley vault the Trojans into the Elite Eight all by himself or have the Trojans hit another level under coach Andy Enfield? Mobleyβs loss will answer the question.
The Trojans return enough talent and experience to compete for the league title if they can sort out how to collectively make up for the loss of Mobleyβs impact on both ends of the court. His older brother, Isaiah, is expected to move into a more featured offensive role, while the Trojans add speedy Memphis transfer guard Boogie Ellis to a big and versatile perimeter.
4. Washington State. The Cougarsβ talent level keeps rising under third-year coach Kyle Smith, whose analytical bent can maximize it.
WSU lost prolific scorer Isaac Bonton but will replace him with well-regarded guard South Alabama transfer Michael Flowers while freshman forward Mouhamed Gueye is one of the Cougarsβ highest-ever rated recruits. Guard Noah Williams is a potential breakout star while forward Efe Abogidi is a lot to deal with inside.
5. ASU. βGuard Uβ is breaking up and maybe thatβs not a bad thing.
The Sun Devils suffered from COVID-19 issues, undersized big men, and having a lot of guys with similar games (and possibly agendas) on the perimeter last season. But Josh Christopher headed off to the NBA, Remy Martin went to Kansas and Alonzo Verge transferred to Nebraska.
Now, dynamic Toledo transfer Marreon Jackson is expected to bring Martin-type energy to the reworked backcourt, while juco transfer Alonzo Gaffney and Canadian freshman Enoch Boakye are expected to vastly improve the Sun Devilsβ woeful rebounding and interior defense of last season.
6. Arizona. Questions are everywhere. How will Tommy Lloyd handle being a head coach for the first time in his life? Will the NCAA finally wrap up UAβs ages-old infractions case? Will Lloydβs more laid-back approach and uptempo offense bring out the best in the Wildcatsβ strong core of sophomores, including forward Azuolas Tubelis, wings Bennedict Mathurin and Dalen Terry, plus guards Kerr Kriisa and Pelle Larsson?
Thereβs both a high ceiling and a low floor for the Wildcats.
7. Oregon State. The Beavers celebrated their run to the NCAA Elite Eight despite being picked 12th in the Pac-12, but the fact is that they finished in a tie for sixth in the conference and lost leading scorer Ethan Thompson.
But returning forwards Warith Alatishe and Maurice Calloo, plus 7-footer Roman Silva and guard Jerod Lucas improved as last season went on, suggesting the Beavers will at least remain a factor in the Pac-12.
8. Colorado. The Buffsβ veteran roster threatened to overflow when the NCAA allowed an extra year for those playing in 2020-21 but McKinley Wright went pro, DβShawn Schwartz transferred to George Mason, forward Jeriah Horne transferred to Tulsa and center Dallas Walton headed for Wake Forest.
That left big man Evan Battey, up-and-coming forward Jabari Walker and defensive whiz Eli Parquet to lead a group that added 7-foot freshman Lawson Lovering and former four-star guard K.J. Simpson, an Arizona signee who received a release from his letter of intent when former UA coach Sean Miller was fired.
9. Utah. New coach Craig Smith found success at South Dakota and Utah State, but it probably wonβt happen right away in Salt Lake City.
Mesa forward Timmy Allen (Texas) led the charge out of town, while guard Alfonso Plummer headed to Illinois and Larsson went to Arizona after starting for the Utes late last season. Point guard Rylan Jones, meanwhile, traded places with Smith by heading to Utah State.
But two guards followed Smith from Utah State, Marco Anthony and Rollie Worster, while UNLV transfer David Jenkins also brings experience to the backcourt. Plus, Both Gach boomeranged back from Minnesota, after leaving the Utes a year earlier to play one season for the Gophers. The Utes also have two dependable returnees in big man Branden Carlson and stretch-four Riley Battin.
10. Stanford. Five-star wing Ziaire Williams ultimately didnβt change Stanfordβs fortunes last season, so thereβs no guarantee the highly regarded freshman Harrison Ingram and Isa Silva will either. Plus, speedy combo guard Daejon Davis opted to spend a grad transfer year at Washington, where he originally committed before coach Lorenzo Romar was fired in 2017.
But the Cardinal still have a core of returning talent, including forward Jaiden Delaire and guard Michael OβConnell, to suggest they still could make a move at a time when coach Jerod Haaseβs seat is getting hotter.
11. Washington. The Huskies lost six players to transfer and, well, maybe thatβs a good thing. After winning two coach of the year awards in his first two seasons, coach Mike Hopkins has struggled to keep the Huskies out of the league cellar. But the Huskies are now going back to their local roots, pulling in three prominent Seattle-bred transfers, including former Arizona guard Terrell Brown.
12. Cal. The Golden Bears made some initial strides in coach Mark Foxβs first season of 2019-20 but stagnated last season amid strict Bay Area COVID-19 restrictions, and there isnβt enough talent on hand to make much of a push now. Even Matt Bradley, the Bearsβ most productive player last season, transferred to San Diego State.
Preseason all-conference picks:
Will Richardson, Oregon
Noah Williams, Washington State
Johnny Juzang, UCLA
Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona
Isaiah Mobley, USC
Tyger Campbell, UCLA
Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA
Evan Battey, Colorado
Efe Abogidi, Washington State
Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona
Quincy Guerrier, Oregon
Marreon Jackson, Arizona State
Jarod Lucas, Oregon State
Eli Parquet, Colorado
Marcus Bagley, Arizona State
