Team-by-team preview of the Pac-12 men's basketball season

1. Oregon

Stock: Rising. Appearance in 2017 Final Four has helped Ducks recruit at a higher level.

Games vs. Arizona: Jan. 17 at McKale Center, March 2 at Eugene, Ore.

Coach: Dana Altman (210-83 in eight seasons at Oregon, 620-326 in 29 seasons overall)

Last season: 23-13 overall; 10-8 Pac-12 (tie 6th)

Who’s back: G Payton Pritchard (Jr., 14.5 ppg, 4.8 apg), F Paul White (Sr., 9.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg), F Kenny Wooten (So., 6.4 ppg, 2.6 bpg), G Victor Bailey (So., 6.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg), F Abu Kigab (So., 1.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg)

Who’s gone: F Troy Brown (13.6 ppg, early to NBA), G Elijah Brown (13.6 ppg, 2.5 apg), F Mikyle McIntosh (11.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg), F Keith Smith (1.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg), F M.J. Cage (1.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, transferred to Pepperdine).

Who’s new: SF Louis King (five-star freshman), C Bol Bol (five-star freshman), SG Ehab Amin (Texas A&M Corpus Christi grad transfer), C Francis Okoro (four-star freshman), F Miles Norris (four-star freshman), G Will Richardson (four-star freshman).

Upside: Ducks rarely play below expectations under Altman, who now has as much talent as ever to work with. There also are shades of 2017, with Wooten and Bol the sort of rim protectors that Jordan Bell and Chris Boucher were; Bol can shoot from the perimeter like Boucher, too.

Downside: Working in freshman five-stars can bruise egos and harm chemistry, while the Ducks will also have to shift away from their small-ball approach in order to maximize a bigger roster. King is out until probably December with a torn meniscus he suffered in January.

He said it: “I think the guys will handle (high expectations) all right. They were a little disappointed last year. We didn’t play very well. We’ve got some major adjustments and we’ve got to get a lot better on the defensive end to have a good team.” — Altman

2. UCLA

Stock: Steady. Talented (as always), but young.

Game vs. Arizona: Jan. 26 at Los Angeles

Coach: Steve Alford (117-57 in five seasons at UCLA; 580-292 in 27 seasons overall)

Last season: 21-12 overall; 11-7 Pac-12 (tie 3rd)

Who’s back: F Kris Wilkes (So., 13.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg), PG Jaylen Hands (So., 9.9 ppg, 2.6 apg), SF Prince Ali (Jr., 9.1 ppg), PF Cody Riley (redshirt freshman, was suspended last season), PF Jalen Hill (redshirt freshman, was suspended last season)

Who’s gone: G Aaron Holiday (20.3 ppg, 5.8 apg, early to NBA), C Thomas Welsh (12.6 ppg, 10.8 rpg), PF G.G. Goloman (7.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg).

Who’s new: C Moses Brown (five-star freshman), G David Singleton (four-star freshman), G Jules Bernard (four-star freshman).

Upside: The good news about the Bruins’ Chinese shoplifting embarrassment last season? Hill and Riley spent a year learning the UCLA system while being suspended, and LaVar Ball disappeared. Ball took son LiAngelo out of the program for good, while his youngest son, LaMelo, turned pro and forfeited his UCLA commitment. And while Holiday left as expected for the NBA, Wilkes, Riley and Hill all opted to remain in school.

Downside: Bruins lost two key freshmen before the season started: former UA commit Shareef O’Neal (heart condition), and point guard Tyger Campbell (torn ACL). That puts more pressure on Hands to handle the ball and more pressure inside on Brown, Hill and Riley to strengthen up interior defense and rebounding.

He said it: “I think both (Hands and Wilkes) are key parts to what we’re doing, obviously, but their leadership is going to be huge for us because we are tall, we’re long, I think we’re as athletic as we’ve been.” — Alford

3. Washington

Stock: Rising. Huskies have virtually everyone back from Mike Hopkins’ surprising first season.

Game vs Arizona: Feb. 7 at McKale Center.

Coach: Mike Hopkins (21-13 in one season at Washington; 21-13 overall)

Last season: 23-13 overall; 10-8 Pac-12 (tie 6th)

Who’s back: F Matisse Thybulle (Sr., 11.2 ppg, 3.0 spg), F Noah Dickerson (Sr., 15.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg), G Jaylen Nowell (So., 16.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg), G David Crisp (Sr., 11.6 rppg, 3.1 apg), G Dominic Green (Sr., 5.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg)

Who’s gone: G Carlos Johnson (3.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg, transferred to Grand Canyon)

Who’s new: C Bryan Penn-Johnson (four-star freshman), PF Nate Roberts (four-star freshman), SF Jamal Bey (four-star freshman)

Upside: Already having adapted quickly to the 2-3 zone defense Hopkins brought over from Syracuse last season, with Thybulle wreaking havoc at the top, the Huskies can stay in a game with anyone. And they should win the vast majority of them.

Downside: Opponents who may have underestimated the Huskies after a last-place finish in 2016-17 won’t anymore. Washington’s weak offensive rebounding must improve or its shots will be limited, but the new frontcourt players should help.

He said it: “Last year we were teaching them how to win; this year we’re teaching them how to handle expectations. So it’ll be a new learning curve, but the kids have worked really hard and are playing well together.” — Hopkins

4. USC

Stock: Falling (for now). Trojans replaced heavy departures with an equal amount of talent, but they will suffer from a lack of experience.

Game vs Arizona: Jan. 24 at Los Angeles.

Coach: Andy Enfield (71-73 in four seasons at USC; 111-101 in six seasons overall).

Last season: 24-12 overall; 12-6 Pac-12 (2nd), lost in NIT second round

Who’s back: F Bennie Boatwright (Sr., 13.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg), G Jordan Mathews (Jr., 9.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg), F Nick Rakocevic (Jr., 8.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg), G Shaqquan Aaron (Sr., 4.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg), G Derryck Thornton (Jr., 3.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg), G Chuck O’Bannon (So., 1.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg), F Jordan Usher (So, 4.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg)

Who’s gone: G Jordan McLaughlin (12.8 ppg, 8.3 apg), F Chimezie Metu (15.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, early to NBA draft), G Elijah Stewart (11.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg), G De’Anthony Melton (DNP because of school ruling, early to NBA draft)

Who’s new: G Elijah Weaver (four-star freshman), F Kevin Porter Jr. (four-star freshman), F J’Raan Brooks (four-star freshman)

Upside: The Trojans are loaded with guys rated with four or five stars in high school, including O’Bannon, Thornton (a Duke transfer) and Aaron (a Louisville transfer), plus Boatwright has prototypical stretch-four skills.

Downside: Boatwright’s health is uncertain after two years of foot, knee and back issues while the Trojans need a stable point guard to develop between either Thornton or Weaver. Like Arizona, the Trojans will depend on a number of players to make big jumps after playing limited roles last season.

He said it: “I think this is an exciting team because there is such a great opportunity for players that had lesser roles last year to now step up and have an opportunity to be the reason why we win games and do it as a team.” — Enfield

5. Colorado

Stock: Rising. Guard McKinley Wright leads a group of talented sophomores.

Games vs Arizona: Jan. 3 at McKale Center, Feb. 17 at Boulder.

Coach: Tad Boyle (166-110 in eight seasons at Colorado; 222-176 in 11 seasons overall)

Last season: 17-15 overall; 8-10 Pac-12 (tie 8th)

Who’s back: G McKinley Wright (So., 14.2 ppg, 5.5 apg), F Tyler Bey (So., 6.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg), G Deleon Brown (Jr., 5.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg), G Namon Wright (Sr., 9.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg), F D’Shawn Schwartz (So., 3.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg), F Lucas Siewert (Jr., 6.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg), C Dallas Walton (So., 5.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg).

Who’s gone: G George King (12.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg) F Lazar Nikolic (2.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, early pro departure to Europe), F Tory Miller-Stewart (6.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, grad transfer to Denver), G Dom Collier (7.5 ppg, 1.4 apg)

Who’s new: G Shane Gatling (juco All-American junior), F Evan Battey (redshirt freshman, sat out for academic reasons and also suffered a stroke), F Jacub Dombek (freshman from Czech Republic), G Dylan Kountz (three-star freshman), G Eli Parquet (freshman).

Upside: If the biggest jump for college players is really between the freshman and sophomore seasons, the Buffs should be considerably better. They also have a potential surprise in the skilled and physical Battey, who hasn’t played since he was a junior in high school.

Downside: The Buffs emphasize defense and rebounding heavily, but they’ll have to make a big improvement on the glass. The Pac-12 schedule doesn’t help either: CU opens and closes conference play on the road, won’t go to Oregon State, and won’t host Stanford or Cal.

He said it: “Having a point guard like McKinley is like having the quarterback in football. It’s critical to your success. There’s no doubt about it. And when you have it, it makes your job a lot easier.” — Boyle

6. Arizona

Stock: Falling. Wildcats must replace their entire starting lineup.

Coach: Sean Miller (247-72 in nine seasons at Arizona; 367-119 in 14 seasons overall).

Last season: 27-8 overall; 14-4 Pac-12 (1st), lost in NCAA first round

Who’s back: G Brandon Randolph (So., 3.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg), F Emmanuel Akot (So., 1.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg), F Ira Lee (So., 2.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg), G Alex Barcello (So., 2.4 ppg, 1.0 rpg), G Dylan Smith (Jr., 4.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg).

Who’s gone: F Deandre Ayton (20.1 ppg, 11.6 rpg, early to NBA draft), G Allonzo Trier (18.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, early to pro basketball), F Rawle Alkins (13.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, early to pro basketball), C Dusan Ristic (12.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg), G Parker Jackson-Cartwright (7.8 ppg, 4.5 apg), F Keanu Pinder (2.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg).

Who’s new: C Chase Jeter (Jr., Duke transfer), G Justin Coleman (Samford grad transfer), F Ryan Luther (Pitt grad transfer), G Brandon Williams (four-star freshman), G Devonaire Doutrive (four-star freshman)

Upside: Like USC, the Wildcats have several players who were highly rated out of high school, especially their sophomores and Duke junior transfer Chase Jeter. They now have the opportunity to live up to that billing. Not having five-star egos could help chemistry, too.

Downside: Miller has compared the current circumstances to his first season at Arizona in 2009-10, when the Wildcats went 16-15 and did not make the NCAA or NIT fields.

He said it: “We’re a team that I think can play with a healthy chip on our shoulder, trying to be better than maybe everybody else thinks we are, and figure out the way that we’re going to go about doing that.” — Miller

7. Utah

Stock: Falling. Utes lost four starters from NIT runner-up.

Games vs. Arizona: Jan. 5 at McKale Center, Feb. 14 at Salt Lake City

Coach: Larry Krystkowiak (138-97 in seven seasons at Utah; 180-117 in nine seasons overall).

Last season: 23-12 overall; 11-7 Pac-12 (tie, 3rd), lost in NIT championship game.

Who’s back: G Sedrick Barefield (Sr., 12.0 ppg, 2.5 apg), F Donnie Tillman (7.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg), C Jayce Johnson (5.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg), G Parker Van Dyke (Sr., 4.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg)

Who’s gone: G Justin Bibbins (14.8 ppg, 4.7 apg), F David Collette (12.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg), F Tyler Rawson (10.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg), G Gabe Bealer (5.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg)

Who’s new: G Charles Jones Jr. (Jr., juco player of year), F Timmy Allen (four-star freshman), F Both Gach (three-star freshman), G Vante Hendrix (redshirted in 2017-18; brother of UA’s Devonaire Doutrive), C Novak Topalovic (Idaho State grad transfer), F Riley Battin (four-star freshman), F Lahat Thioune (freshman).

Upside: Krystkowiak is one of the Pac-12’s best at making the most of what he has, and he actually has more depth and athleticism than last season. Utes have finished in the top four spots for the past four seasons, so betting against them is risky.

Downside: A difficult early schedule could hurt confidence of a newly rebuilt team. Utes will travel to play Kentucky and Minnesota, while opening Pac-12 play against ASU and Arizona.

He said it: “I’m comfortable kind of being the arrow rather than the target. We lost four seniors that played a lot and accomplished a lot. So from a roster point of view, I’d say we’re somewhere in the middle.” –Krystkowiak

8. Arizona State

Stock: Steady. Solid freshmen and transfers replace heavy perimeter losses.

Games vs. UA: Jan. 31 at Tempe, March 9 at McKale Center

Coach: Bobby Hurley (50-47 in three seasons at ASU; 92-67 in five seasons overall).

Last season: 20-12 overall; 8-10 Pac-12 (tie, 8th), lost in NCAA First Four.

Who’s back: G Remy Martin (So., 9.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg), F Romello White (So., 10.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg), F Mickey Mitchell (Jr., 5.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg), F Vitaliy Shibel (So., 1.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg), F Kimani Lawrence (So., 3.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg), F De’Quon Lake (Sr., 7.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg)

Who’s gone: G Tra Holder (18.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg), G Shannon Evans (16.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg), G Kodi Justice (12.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg).

Who’s new: G Rob Edwards (Jr., Cleveland State transfer), G Luguentz Dort (four-star freshman), F Taeshon Cherry (four-star freshman), F Zylan Cheatham (Sr., San Diego State transfer), F Elias Valtonen (four-star freshman from Finland), C Uros Plavic (freshman from Serbia)

Upside: The high-scoring Edwards and powerful Dort promise to offset Sun Devils’ losses in the backcourt, while Cherry leads a group of significant upgrades in the frontcourt to a team that struggled to defend inside last season.

Downside: After plowing through its nonconference schedule undefeated last season, “Guard U” lost 11 of its last 19. Another tough early schedule will again test Sun Devils’ ability to sustain success.

He said it: “Believe me, the fellows are hearing about it on the practice floor, just about how we need to play better in conference. I’ll use any example or every example I can to emphasize that.” — Hurley

9. Stanford

Stock: Falling. The loss of Reid Travis cannot be overstated.

Games with UA: Jan. 9 at Stanford, Feb. 24 at McKale Center

Coach: Jerod Haase (33-33 in two seasons at Stanford; 113-86 in six seasons overall).

Last season: 19-16 overall; 11-7 Pac-12 (tie, 3rd), lost in NIT second round.

Who’s back: G Daejon Davis (So., 10.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg), F KZ Okpala (So., 10.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg), G Marcus Sheffield (Jr., 6.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg), G Isaac White (So., 8.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg), C Josh Sharma (Sr., 3.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg), F Oscar da Silva (So, 6.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg)

Who’s gone: F Reid Travis (19.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg, grad transfer to Kentucky), F Michael Humphrey (10.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg), Dorian Pickens (15.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg).

Who’s new: F Jaiden Delaire (four-star freshman), G Cormac Ryan (four-star freshman), G Bryce Wills (three-star freshman), C Lukas Kisunas (three-star freshman) C Keenan Fitzmorris (three-star freshman)

Upside: Davis and Okpala are central to Stanford’s long, more athletic look, with six players having 7-foot wingspans. Da Silva is another promising sophomore while Delaire should also be able to help at forward after deciding to skip his senior season of high school.

Downside: The Cardinal turned the ball over on a fifth of their possessions, and Davis was a key culprit. Oh, and Stanford will also be missing the guy who might have been Pac-12 Player of the Year, because Travis opted to polish his résumé in John Calipari’s NBA-producing machine at Kentucky.

He said it: “Right now we have a group of individuals that are very, very versatile. We can get out there and have a team that is very, very small and athletic and quick, and we can have lineups that are extremely long and lean.” – Haase

10. Oregon State

Stock: Steady. The Beavers continue to ride the shoulders of Tres Tinkle and the Thompson brothers.

Games vs. UA: Jan. 19 at McKale Center, Feb. 28 at Corvallis

Coach: Wayne Tinkle (57-70 in four seasons at Oregon State; 215-161 in 11 seasons overall)

Last season: 16-16 overall; 7-11 Pac-12 (10th), no postseason

Who’s back: F Tres Tinkle (Jr., 17.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg), G Stephen Thompson Jr., (Sr., 15.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg), G Ethan Thompson (So., 9.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg), F Alfred Hollins (So., 5.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg), G Gligorije Rakocevic (2.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg).

Who’s gone: F Drew Eubanks (13.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, early to pro basketball), G Seth Berger (3.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg), G JaQuori McLaughlin (2.7 ppg, 3.7 apg, transfer to UC Santa Barbara), G Kendal Manuel (transfer to Montana)

Who’s new: C Jack Wilson (four-star freshman), C Kylor Kelley (Jr., juco transfer), G Antoine Vernon (three-star freshman), G Jordan Campbell (three-star freshman), F Warren Washington (three-star freshman)

Upside: The trio of Tinkle, Stevie and Ethan Thompson is among the Pac-12’s best and all of them can handle the ball, with Ethan the primary point guard, Beavers may be deeper overall than they were a year ago, too.

Downside: The Beavers took a big hit inside when Drew Eubanks declared for the NBA draft and was not selected. They also have to find out what’s lacking in close games: They lost three Pac-12 games by two points and lost to UA by 10 in overtime, plus they struggled again on the road last season.

He said it: “We feel like we’ve got a great combination of maturity, youth, depth, strength, and then we’ve got to learn from some of the issues that maybe cost us some of those close games a year ago in order to flip it and make more progress again this season.” – Wayne Tinkle

11. Washington State

Stock: Steady. Ernie Kent is plugging holes from transfers by hitting junior colleges hard.

Game vs. UA: Feb. 9 at McKale Center

Coach: Ernie Kent (47-77 in four seasons at Washington State; 372-331 in 23 seasons overall)

Last season: 12-19 overall; 4-14 Pac-12 (11th), no postseason

Who’s back: F Robert Franks (Sr., 17.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg), G Viont’e Daniels (9.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg), F Arinze Chidom (So.,3.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg), F Davante Cooper (Sr., 1.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg), G Carter Skaggs (Jr., 8.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg)

Who’s gone: G Malachi Flynn (15.8 ppg, 3.4 apg, transferred to San Diego State), F Drick Bernstine (6.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg), G Milan Acqaah (4.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg, transferred), G Kwinton Hinson (3.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, transferred).

Who’s new: G Jervae Robinson (Jr., juco transfer), G Ahmed Ali (Jr., juco transfer), F Isaiah Wade (Jr., juco transfer), F James Streeter (Jr., juco transfer), G Marvin Cannon (So., juco transfer), F Aljaz Kunc (Slovenian freshman), F C.J. Elleby (freshman)

Upside: The Cougars love shooting threes, with Franks, Daniels and Skaggs all hitting 40 percent or more of their long-range shots last season. Franks’ NBA-ready jumper helped him blow up last season but he opted to withdraw from the NBA draft pool.

Downside: JuCo transfers Robinson and Ali appear to be serviceable point guards, but Flynn was a coveted in-state point guard who projected as an all-conference player had he not left suddenly for San Diego State.

He said it: “With what’s come in our door, Robinson, Ahmed Ali, I am thoroughly impressed with this team. We will not miss a beat with this team.” — Kent

12. California

Stock: Rising, barely. Bears can’t be any worse than last season.

Games vs. UA: Jan. 12 at Berkeley, Feb. 21 at McKale Center

Coach: Wyking Jones (8-24 in one season at Cal; 8-24 overall)

Last season: 8-24 overall; 2-16 Pac-12 (12th), no postseason

Who’s back: F Justice Sueing (So., 13.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg), G Darius McNeill (So., 11.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg), G Juhwon Harris-Dyson (So., 6.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg), F Grant Anticevich (So., 1.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg), F Roman Davis (Jr., 1.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg).

Who’s gone: F Marcus Lee (11.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg), G Don Coleman (14.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, transferred to South Alabama), C Kingsley Okoroh (5.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg).

Who’s new: G Paris Austin (Jr., Boise State transfer), G Matt Bradley (four-star freshman), F Andre Kelly (three-star freshman), C Connor Vanover (three-star freshman), F Jacobi Gordon (freshman), C Matz Stockman (So., transfer from Louisville via Minnesota).

Upside: Bears have a proven point guard in Austin, which will allow McNeill to move mostly off the ball. They’re also more versatile, with their best lineup likely a small one featuring Sueing at power forward. Their sophomores (including Jones, their second-year coach) picked up some valuable experience last season, too.

Downside: Cal was a dreadful shooting team last season, hitting just 25.4 percent of 3-pointers and 43.8 percent from two during conference games, so improvement may be relative. Teams in the bottom of the Pac-12 are mostly improved, too, so it will be difficult for the Bears to get out of the cellar.

He said it: “We’re going to be a lot more guard-oriented this year, and having Paris Austin at the point automatically makes us better. … We’ve upgraded our talent 1 through 10, and we won’t have Marcus and King, big bodies, but I feel good about us being able to stretch the defense with guys that can really shoot the ball.” — Jones