Coming into the season, national analysts were prepared for the top of the Pac-12 to take a step back, with the likes of Arizona, UCLA, and Oregon not quite having the firepower of a year ago. What we didn’t see coming though was depth.
Sure, it was about time for USC to actually be decent with the amount of talent they had assembled. Oregon State was primed for a step forward and Cal seemed primed for a breakout. But we didn’t see this coming, so let’s recap what this actually is.
Middle of the Pac Is Hungry
Right now, Arizona looks to be one step ahead of everyone else in the conference, even though they’re not elite. UCLA has shown flashes of promise and Oregon should be right there once finally healthy. But outside of that, it’s a cluster of teams that all have yet to separate themselves from each other–in a good way.
Washington, led by Andrew Andrews’ 20.2 points per game, has shown potential with their season-opening win over Texas. Washington State has played Gonzaga and UNI tight away from home. Arizona State, under first year HC Bobby Hurley, has already knocked off a ranked Texas A&M squad and hung with Kentucky in Lexington. Colorado has wins over BYU and Auburn, while they’re two losses are close games against Iowa State and SMU.
Don’t be surprised if the conference winner has six losses.
POY Race Highlighted By Vets
We all know that the POY usually comes from one of the top three teams in the standings, which makes this season especially difficult–there’s not even the slightest clue as to what order these standings will be in come March. But here’s our list of top contenders so far:
- Jakob Poeltl: 18 points, 9.7 rebounds per game
- Josh Scott: 18.4 points, 9.4 rebounds per game
- Dillon Brooks: 16.5 points, 6.6 rebounds per game
- Gary Payton II: 16.8 points, 8.2 rebounds game, five assists per game
- Bryce Alford: 16.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds per game
