College Basketball: Lloyd's Wildcats, Enfield's Trojans should pace Pac-12 men's race

Teams are listed in the order they were voted in the Pac-12's official preseason media poll.

1. ARIZONA WILDCATS

Pac-12 schedule: 20 games but skips at Washington and against OSU at McKale Center

Coach: Tommy Lloyd (61-11 in two seasons at Arizona and overall)

Last season: 28-7 overall; 14-6 Pac-12 (tie-2nd), lost to Princeton in NCAA Tournament first round

Go-to guys: C Oumar Ballo (Sr., 14.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg), G Caleb Love (Sr., North Carolina transfer)

Other returnees: G Pelle Larsson (Sr., 9.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg), G Kylan Boswell (So., 4.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.6 apg), F Filip Borovicanin (So., 1.3 ppg, 0.9 rpg), C Henri Veesaar (2.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg), C Dylan Anderson (1.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg)

Other newcomers: G Jaden Bradley (So., Alabama transfer), F Keshad Johnson (Sr., San Diego State transfer), G KJ Lewis (four-star freshman), C Motiejus Krivas (four-star freshman), F Paulius Murauskas (four-star freshman), G Conrad Martinez (three-star freshman)

Who's gone: F Azuolas Tubelis (19.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg), G Courtney Ramey (10.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg), G Cedric Henderson (8.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg), G Kerr Kriisa (9.9 ppg, 5.1 apg, transferred to West Virginia), G Adama Bal (2.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg, transferred to Santa Clara), F Tautvilas Tubelis (0.0 ppg, 0.2 rpg)

Upside: Lloyd probably has his best top-to-bottom roster at Arizona, allowing him to go much deeper than the seven-man rotation that wore down late last season and ultimately crashed and burned against Princeton. He also has the flexibility to go really big (a frontcourt of Ballo, Veesaar and Johnson or Murauskas) or smaller with a deep core of proven wing players. If Ballo returns to the form he had in the first half of last season and Arizona wins the conference, he'll be the Pac-12 Player of the Year.

Downside: Not only does Lloyd need to integrate three high-level transfers who could bring their own agendas — especially Love, a volume shooter who was inefficient last season at North Carolina — but he also needs to develop the toughness and resiliency needed to go deeper into the NCAA Tournament. In that sense, tournament veterans Love and Johnson may help.

He said it: "The first thing I thought after that Princeton game is I need to increase our margin for error, and to me, toughness is a way that you do that. If you want to be competitive in these games, sometimes you've got to be able to physically dominate your opponent. We're going to strive for that." — Lloyd

2. USC TROJANS

Games vs. UA: Jan. 17 at McKale Center; March 9 at the Galen Center, Los Angeles

Coach: Andy Enfield (205-129 in 10 seasons at USC, 246-157 in 12 seasons overall)

Last season: 22-11 overall, 14-6 Pac-12 (tie-2nd), lost to Michigan State in NCAA Tournament first round

Go-to guy: G Boogie Ellis (Sr., 17.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg)

Other returnees: F Kobe Johnson (Jr., 9.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg), C Joshua Morgan (7.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.2 bpg), C Vincent Iwuchukwu (So., 5.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg), F Kijani Wright (So., 1.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg), F Harrison Hornery (Jr., 1.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg), G Oziyah Sellers (1.1 ppg, 0.3 rpg).

Newcomers: G Isaiah Collier (five-star freshman), F DJ Rodman (Sr., Washington State transfer), G Bronny James (four-star freshman), F Arrinton Page (four-star freshman), F Brandon Gardner (three-star freshman)

Who's gone: G Drew Peterson (13.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg), G Tre White (9.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, transferred to Louisville), G Reese Dixon-Waters (9.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, transferred to San Diego State), G Malik Thomas (2.4 ppg, 1.0 rpg, transferred to San Francisco), C Iaroslav Niagu (0.4 ppg, 0.8 rpg, transferred to Charlotte)

Upside: The return of Ellis and what 247 ranks as the No. 3 recruiting class in the country, led by Collier at point guard, may be enough to give the Trojans their first (and last) Pac-12 title under Enfield. The Trojans are arguably his deepest and most versatile team.

Downside: Cardiac arrests of two high-level incoming freshmen (Iwuchukwu in July 2022) and James in July 2023) have given the Trojans a scare before the past two seasons, though Enfield said Iwuchukwu will play a full season, and LeBron James said his son intends to play this season. A perennially pesky defensive team that ranked No. 2 in two-point defensive percentage (42.7) last season, USC still needs to improve on a steal percentage of 10.0, which ranked 107th nationally.

He said it: "We recruit size and length and shot blocking, and our wings are big, and we're athletic. So I think we can play multiple defenses. … Our philosophy offensively we change every year based on our personnel. We have really fast guards. We have a lot of shooting. We have creativity in our backcourt. So we'll probably use that dynamic playmaking to our strengths hopefully." — Enfield

3. UCLA BRUINS

Games vs. UA: Jan. 20 at McKale Center; March 7 at Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles

Coach: Mick Cronin, (99-36 in four seasons at UCLA, 464-207 in 20 seasons overall)

Last season: 31-6 overall; 18-2 Pac-12 (1st), lost to Gonzaga in NCAA Sweet 16

Go-to guys: C Adem Bona (So., 7.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg)

Other returnees: G Dylan Andrews (So., 3.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg), G Will McClendon (So., 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg), C Kenneth Nwuba (Sr, 1.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg)

Newcomers: C Aday Mara (five-star freshman), F Berke Buyuktuncel (four-star freshman), F Lazar Stefanovic (Jr., Utah transfer), G Ilane Fibleuil (four-star freshman), G Jan Vide (four-star freshman), F Devin Williams (four-star freshman), G Sebastian Mack (four-star freshman), F Brandon Williams (four-star freshman)

Who's gone: F Jaime Jaquez (17.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg), G Tyger Campbell (13.4 ppg, 5.0 apg), G Jaylen Clark (13.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg), G David Singleton (9.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg), G Amari Bailey (11.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg)

Upside: Having made a deeper commitment to international recruiting in recent seasons, Cronin pulled in four highly touted freshmen from outside the United States to make up the bulk of a loaded recruiting class. Big man Adem Bona, with roots in Nigeria and Turkey, returned from testing the NBA Draft to take a bigger role if health allows.

Downside: The two most veteran Pac-12 players on the roster are Bona, who hurt his left shoulder against Oregon in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. and Lazar Stefanovic, a 6-7 shooter who started 15 of 27 games last season for Utah. It'll take at least a month or two for all this newness to come together, or maybe all season.

He said it: "Tyger and Jaime and David aren't walking through that door. So it's time to turn the page. But we've got talent. We got depth. We're just young, and I know we're an unknown to a lot of people. So it's going to be interesting." — Cronin

4. OREGON DUCKS

Games vs UA: Jan. 27 at Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, Ore.; March 2 at McKale Center

Coach: Dana Altman (321-140 in 13 seasons at Oregon, 731-383 in 34 seasons overall)

Last season: 21-15 overall; 12-8 Pac-12 (4th), lost to Wisconsin in NIT quarterfinals

Go-to guys: G Jermaine Couisnard (Sr., 12.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg), C N'Faly Dante (Sr., 13.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg)

Other returnees: C Nate Bittle (Jr., 7.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg), G Brennan Rigsby (Jr., 4.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg), G Keeshawn Barthlemy (Jr., 9.3 ppg, 2.4 apg)

Newcomers: F Kwame Evans (five-star freshman), F Mookie Cook (five-star freshman), G Jackson Shelstad (four-star freshman), G Kario Oquendo (Sr., Georgia transfer), C Mahamadou Diawara (Stetson transfer), G Jesse Zarzuela (Jr., Central Michigan transfer), G Jadrian Tracey (Jr., juco transfer)

Who's gone: G Will Richardson (12.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg), F Quincy Guerrier (9.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg), G Rivaldo Soares (7.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, transferred to Oklahoma), Kel'el Ware (6.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, transferred to Indiana).

Upside: Couisnard, who poured in 27 points on Arizona last season at Eugene, and Dante lead a solid returning core that will welcome well-hyped recruits Evans and Cooks. The Ducks have the depth, versatility and size to fuel the sort of mismatches Altman prefers to deploy.

Downside: Traditionally a strong bet to challenge for the Pac-12 title under Altman almost no matter what the roster looks like, the Ducks have missed the past two NCAA Tournaments. They can blame a lot of the problem on injuries, starting 11 different players last season.

He said it: "Last year was really problematic. We as a staff talked about it a bunch. Maybe we need to go to a little load management or something, I don't know. We haven't changed that much. I think our weight lifting, conditioning program is really good. I think it was just one of those years that things kind of caught up with us. We've been fortunate in previous years not to have injuries." — Altman

5. COLORADO BUFFALOES

Games vs. UA: Jan. 4 at McKale Center; Feb. 10 at CU Events Center, Boulder, Colo.

Coach: Tad Boyle (272-172 in 13 years at Colorado, 324-214 in 16 years overall)

Last season: 18-17 overall; 8-12 Pac-12 (tie 8th), lost to Utah Valley in second round of NIT

Go-to guys: F Tristan da Silva (Sr., 15.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg), G KJ Simpson (Jr., 15.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg)

Other returnees: G Julian Hammond (Jr., 6.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg), F Luke O'Brien (Sr., 6.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg), F J'Vonne Hadley (Sr., 8.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg), G Javon Ruffin (So., 6.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg), F Joe Hurlburt (Fr., redshirted in 2022-23), F R.J. Smith (Fr., redshirted in 2022-23), C Greg Gerhardt (Fr., redshirted in 2022-23)

Newcomers: C Eddie Lampkin (Sr., TCU transfer), G Cody Williams (five-star freshman), F Assane Diop (freshman), F Bangot Dak (freshman), G Courtney Anderson (freshman)

Who's gone: C Lawson Lovering (4.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, transferred to Utah), G Nique Clifford (5.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, transferred to Colorado State), F Ethan Wright (4.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg), G Jalen Gabbidon (4.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg), F Quincy Allen (1.6 ppg, 0.5 rpg, transferred to James Madison).

Upside: The Buffs thrive on continuity, maybe no more so than they will this season, returning veteran standouts da Silva and Simpson, along with two other proven players, Hammond and O'Brien. Colorado even brings guys back from redshirt seasons. Two key newcomers should help them compete for the league title: Lampkin, who bullied UA in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, and Williams, a former UA recruiting target from Gilbert Perry.

Downside: Lampkin has missed the preseason with a back injury, preventing the Buffs from figuring out how best to work his powerful post game in. Buffs can go four out without Lampkin but may be most effective with four perimeter players around him.

He said it: "I like getting to know guys. I like developing guys. To see K.J. Simpson and where he is today relative to where he was as a freshman is really gratifying to me as a coach. We're going to keep doing what we're doing." — Boyle

6. ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS

Games vs. UA: Feb. 17 at McKale Center; Feb. 28 at Desert Financial Arena, Tempe

Coach: Bobby Hurley (141-113 in eight seasons at ASU, 183-133 in 10 seasons overall)

Last season: 23-13 overall; 11-9 Pac-12 (tie-5th), lost to TCU in NCAA Tournament first round

Go-to guys: G Adam Miller (Jr., LSU transfer*), G Frankie Collins (Jr., 9.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.3 apg)

Other returnees: F Jamiya Neal (Jr., 4.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg), C Alonzo Gaffney (3.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg)

Newcomers: F Kamari Lands (So., Louisville transfer), C Shawn Phillips (So, LSU transfer), F Zane Meeks (Sr. San Francisco transfer), F Bryant Selebanque (Jr., Tulsa transfer), G Brycen Long (Sr., Houston Christian transfer), F Akil Watson (four-star freshman) G Malachi Davis (Jr., juco transfer), G Braelon Green (three-star freshman)

Who's gone: G Desmond Cambridge (13.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg), G DJ Horne (12.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, transferred to N.C. State), F Devan Cambridge (9.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, transferred to Texas Tech), C Warren Washington (9.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg, transferred to Texas Tech), G Austin Nunez (4.5 ppg, 1.1 rpg, transferred to Mississippi), G Luther Muhammed (3.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg), C Duke Brennan (2.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, transferred to GCU), G Malcolm Flagg (DNP, transferred to GCU), C Enoch Boakye (0.7 ppg, 0.7 rpg, transferred to Fresno State)

Upside: Assuming Miller gets a waiver to play immediately after his second transfer — the former UA recruiting target began his college career at Illinois — the Sun Devils could challenge for a fourth NCAA tournament appearance under Hurley, who has proven he can cobble together hard-playing, tight-knit teams from disparate parts (ASU also would have likely made the 2020 NCAA Tournament if COVID did not hit).

Downside: The Sun Devils suffered the kind of wholesale offseason turnover that usually only happens after a disastrous season or coaching change. That suggests NIL competition may be taking a toll on ASU and that future retention could also be a challenge in today's marketplace.

He said it: "From a resource standpoint, we can't just say, `I think we'll take this guy and this guy and this guy.' We have to be very strategic about what we're doing, and it may not be ideally the group that you envision that you want to put out on the floor. But we're doing the best we can to get the players in the program that have something to prove." — Hurley

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7. UTAH UTES

Games vs. UA: Jan. 6 at McKale Center; Feb. 8 at Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City

Coach: Craig Smith (28-30 in two seasons at Utah, 181-214 in nine seasons overall)

Last season: 17-15 overall; 10-10 Pac-12 (tie-7th), no postseason

Go-to guy: C Branden Carlson (Sr., 16.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg)

Other returnees: G Rollie Worster (Sr., 8.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 5.0 apg), G Gabe Madsen (Sr., 11.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg), F Ben Carlson (4.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg), F Keba Keita (So., 3.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg), G Wilgens Exacte, Jr. (So., 3.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg), F Luka Tarlac (0.9 ppg, 0.7 rpg),

Newcomers: C Lawson Lovering (Jr., Colorado transfer), F Jake Wahlin (three-star reshman), F Cole Bajema (Sr., Washington transfer), F Karaham Efeoglu (freshman), G Deivon Smith (Sr., Georgia Tech transfer*), G Hunter Erickson (Sr., juco transfer), F Ayomide Bamisile (freshman)

Who's gone: F Lazar Stefanovic (10.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, transferred to UCLA), G Marco Anthony (9.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg), G Mike Saunders (4.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg, transferred to McNeese State), F Bostyn Holt (2.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg, transferred to South Dakota), G Eli Ballstaedt (1.5 ppg, 0.7 rpg), F Jaxon Brenchley (1.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg, transferred to Denver)

Upside: Branden Carlson returned for a fifth season — amazingly, also to the only college he has ever played for — and he has a better cast around him. Three high-major transfers will join Madson and Worster for a perimeter group that should be able to balance out the Utes' offense, even without Stefanovic.

Downside: With a 15-point win over Arizona early last season, Utah carried a 17-9 overall record into mid-February to near the NCAA Tournament bubble but fell apart against a tougher backloaded schedule and lost its last six games. The Utes could stagnate this season unless their offense can become more efficient after shooting just 33.3% from 3 and 48.4% from two-point range.

He said it: "We're going to look a lot different. The guys have figured some things out. I like our camaraderie. We're just a lot bigger. We're a lot deeper. We're more athletic. And we can actually make some 3s. So that's a nice bonus as well." — Smith

8. STANFORD CARDINAL

Games vs. UA: Dec. 31 at Maples Pavilion, Stanford, California; Feb. 4 at McKale Center

Coach: Jerod Haase (112-109 in seven seasons at Stanford, 192-162 in 11 seasons overall)

Last season: 14-19 overall, 7-13 in Pac-12 (10th), no postseason

Go-to guy: F Spencer Jones (14.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg)

Other returnees: G Michael Jones (Sr., 9.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg), F Maxime Raynaud (So., 8.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg), F Brandon Angel (Sr., 9.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg), F Max Murrell (Sr., 4.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg), F James Keefe (Sr., 4.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg), F Ryan Agarwal (So., 3.5 ppg, 0.6 rpg), F Jaylen Thompson (Fr, redshirted in 2022-23)

Newcomers: G Jared Bynum (Sr., Providence transfer), F Andrej Stojakovic (four-star freshman), G Kanaan Carlyle (four-star freshman), G Benny Gealer (1.1 ppg, 0.5 rpg), C Aidan Cammann (three-star freshman)

Who's gone: F Harrison Ingram (10.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, transferred to North Carolina), G Michael O'Connell (5.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.1 apg, transferred to N.C. State), F Neal Begovich (0.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg, transferred to Duke), G Isa Silva (3.2 ppg, 1.2 apg, transferred to Long Beach State), G Jarvis Moss (1.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg, transferred to Davidson)

Upside: Still with plenty of continuity despite an unusually high outflow of transfers, Stanford could have its best team under Haase if it can mesh in high-profile newcomers in Bynum and Stojakovic, who is the son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic. Jones didn't even take a serious dip in the NBA Draft waters, giving Cardinal opponents instant mismatch nightmares.

Downside: Stanford has elevated its recruiting under Haase, yet never reached the NCAA Tournament in his seven seasons (though it was on the bubble when COVID concerns canceled the 2020 event). The Cardinal must improve a defensive efficiency ranked 157th to get there this time.

He said it: "We also have an older team, which I haven't normally had at Stanford, and that's been great. I'm excited. We have talent, depth, and a group that is hungry. — Haase

9. WASHINGTON HUSKIES

Game vs. UA: Feb. 24 at McKale Center

Coach: Mike Hopkins (101-91 in seven seasons at Washington and overall)

Last season: 16-16 overall, 8-12 in Pac-12 (tie-8th), no postseason

Go-to guy: F Keion Brooks (Sr., 17.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg)

Other returnees: C Braxton Meah (Sr., 8.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg), C Franck Kepnang (9.0 ppg, 26.3 rpg), G Koren Johnson (So., 6.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.8 apg), F Samuel Ariyibi (Jr., redshirted in 2022-23)

Newcomers: G Sahvir Wheeler (Sr., Kentucky transfer), F Paul Mulcahy (Sr., Rutgers transfer), G Nate Calmese (So., Lamar transfer), G Wesley Yates (four-star freshman), G Anthony Holland (Sr., Fresno State transfer), F Wilhelm Breidenbach (Nebraska transfer), F Moses Wood (Sr., Portland transfer), F Christian King (three-star freshman)

Who's gone: G Jamal Bey (9.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg), G Keyon Menifield (10.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.1 apg, transferred to Arkansas), F Cole Bajema (8.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, transferred to Utah), G PJ Fuller (6.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, transferred to Detroit), G Noah Williams (8.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg), F Jackson Grant (0.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, transferred to Utah State), F Langston Wilson (1.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, transferred to Utah State)

Upside: The Huskies had a lot of turnover but managed to hang on to an all-league player in Brooks and an all-defensive player in the rim-protecting Meah. They added Wheeler to take over at the point, plus a number of other potential rotation players, including former Gilbert Mesquite guard Nate Calmese.

Downside: Hopkins says a planned move from his Syracuse-style 2-3 zone to a man-to-man is in part because of Wheeler's ability to pressure ballhandlers. But it was also clear that the zone just really wasn't helping that much while the Huskies languished over the past three seasons.

He said it: "We've got great rim protection. We've got good size on the wings. So I think style (necessitated the defensive change). We just wanted to play a little bit more uptempo. When you play the zone, a lot of teams can try to take away the clock. It still can be a good off-speed pitch because we've got some personnel to do it, but we want to be great at one thing." — Hopkins

10. WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS

Games vs UA: Jan. 13 at Beasley Coliseum, Pullman, Wash.; Feb. 22 at McKale Center

Coach: Kyle Smith (69-61 in four seasons at WSU, 233-183 in 13 seasons overall)

Last season: 17-17 overall, 11-9 Pac-12 (tie-5th), lost to Eastern Washington in NIT first round

Go-to guy: F Andrej Jakimovski (Sr., 7.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg)

Other returnees: G Jabe Mullins (Sr., 8.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg), G Myles Rice (Fr., redshirted in 2022-23), G Dylan Darling (So., 1.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg), F Kymany Houinsou (So., 3.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg)

Newcomers: G Joseph Yesufu (Sr., Kansas transfer), F Isaac Jones (Sr., Idaho transfer), C Oscar Cluff (Jr, juco transfer), F Jaylen Wells (Jr., Division II transfer), C Rueben Chinyelu (four-star freshman), G Isaiah Watts (three-star freshman), F Spencer Mahoney (three-star freshman), G Parker Gerrits (freshman)

Who's gone: F Mohamed Gueye (14.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg), G Justin Powell (10.4 ppg, 2.8 apg), G T.J. Bamba (15.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, transferred to Villanova), F DJ Rodman (9.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, transferred to USC), C Adrame Diongue (1.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, transferred to San Jose State), C Dishon Jackson (redshirted in 2022-23, transferred to Charlotte)

Upside: While Tommy Lloyd and now Mick Cronin are well-known for international recruiting successes, Smith keeps quietly bringing in African-rooted talent. A Chicago-area native with Nigerian roots, Yesufu was a standout at Drake who played a limited role at Kansas. Among others, WSU landed a traditional low-post anchor in Cluff from Cochise College. They also have a feel-good story in Rice, who sat out last season with Hodgkin's Lymphoma but has been declared cancer-free.

Downside: Smith just can't keep all that international talent around long enough to get the Cougars into the NCAA Tournament. Efe Abogidi and Bamba left after two seasons, while Gueye took off after last season, becoming the No. 39 pick in the NBA Draft. As a result, the Cougars' improvement under Smith could step back a bit this season.

He said it: "We've built something, and we've been good inside. I think our good, big talents — whether Efe, Mouhamed, Dishon (Jackson) — attract others. We have a good core front group. So we'll continue down that path. We've just got to pick and choose where they come from a little bit. Just got to be nimble." — Smith

11. CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS

Games vs UA: Dec. 29 at Haas Pavilion, Berkeley; Feb. 1 at McKale Center

Coach: Mark Madsen (first year at California, 70-51 overall)

Last season: 3-29 overall; 2-18 Pac-12 (12th), no postseason

Go-to guys: G Devin Askew (Sr., 15.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg), F Fardaws Aimaq (Sr., Texas Tech transfer)

Other returnees: F Grant Newell (So., 8.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg), C ND Okafor (So., 3.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg), F Jalen Celestine (Jr, redshirted in 2022-23), F Monty Bowser (Jr., 3.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg)

Other newcomers: G Jalen Cone (Sr., NAU transfer), G Keonte Kennedy (Sr., Memphis transfer), F Jaylon Tyson (Jr., Texas Tech transfer), G Vladimir Pavlovic (freshman), F Devin Curtis (three-star freshman), G Rodney Brown (three-star freshman), G Wrenn Robinson (Jr, juco transfer)

Who's gone: F Kuany Kuany (9.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, transferred to VCU), F Sam Alajiki (6.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, transferred to Rice), G Joel Brown (6.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, transferred to Iona), C Lars Thiemann (9.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, transferred to LMU), G Jarred Hyder (redshirted in 2022-23, transferred to Cal Poly), G Marsalis Roberson (1.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg, transferred to UC Davis), G DeJuan Clayton (9.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.9 apg)

Upside: Known as the "Mad Dog" for his spirit during his playing days at Stanford and in the NBA, Madsen has already breathed life into a moribund program. The East Bay native also brought in Aimaq, who was the WAC Player of the Year in 2020-21 while playing for him at Utah Valley before stopping over at Texas Tech last season, and should have Askew at full health after a hernia surgery sidelined the former five-star UA recruiting target last season.

Downside: After winning just three games last season, the Bears could lead the country in win percentage improvement. But there's not enough quality depth yet to lift the ceiling that much higher overall, at least not this season.

He said it: "You look at our personnel, I think we're the team that a lot of people don't want to play this coming year. Other coaches can see what we've done, they can see the personnel. We're going to play hard, we're going to play with great energy, we're going to be sound in terms of our coverages and in terms of how we attack teams." — Madsen

12. OREGON STATE BEAVERS

Games vs. UA: Jan. 25 at Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Ore.

Coach: Wayne Tinkle (126-158 in nine seasons at OSU; 285-249 in 17 seasons overall)

Last season: 11-21 overall; 5-15 Pac-12 (11th), no postseason

Go-to guy: G Jordan Pope (So., 12.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg)

Other returnees: G Dexter Akanno (Sr., 7.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg), F Tyler Bilodeau (So., 7.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg), F Michael Rataj (So., 6.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg), C KC Ibekwe (So., 2.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg), C Chol Marial (Sr., 2.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg), F Jayden Stephens (So., 1.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg), G Justin Rochelin (So., 2.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg), G Christian Wright (Jr., 2.2 ppg, 0.9 rpg)

Newcomers: C Gavin Marrs (three-star freshman), F Thomas Ndong (freshman), G DaJohn Craig (freshman), G Nate Meithof (Jr, juco transfer, out in 2023-24 due to injury)

Who's gone: F Glenn Taylor (11.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, transferred to St. John's), G Nick Krass (1.7 ppg, 0.4 rpg, transferred to Southern Mississippi), Dzmitry Ryuny (4.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg)

Upside: Pope leads a returning sophomore core that spurred an initial turnaround after a three-win disaster in 2021-22, while Akanno made strides in his second season after transferring from Marquette. Potential contributors Wright and Rochelin are back from injuries, too.

Downside: Even with their modest improvement last season, the Beavers were difficult to watch, running one of the country's slowest tempos while shooting just 45.7% from two-point range (ranking 333rd overall) and 31.9% from 3-point range (31.9). Taylor leaves behind a void in scoring and rebounding from the wing.

He said it: "We're normally a very good scoring around the rim team. Last year we were one of the worst in the country, could not finish around the basket. We had some young guys … now we've got a group that has gotten bigger and stronger. We've got guys healthy. And we've seen it as a staff. … I think it's going to free some things up on the perimeter. We weren't a great shooting team." — Tinkle