Arizona State Basketball

The UCLA Bruins return as the favorites to once again win the Pac-10 conference.  The three time defending champions finished with 37 out of 38 first place votes and a total of 379 votes.  Arizona State was picked second with the final top place vote.  USC, Arizona and Washington round out the top five in the preseason media poll.

Washington State, Oregon, California, Stanford and Oregon State finish out the bottom half of the preseason rankings.  Here are the total results.

Yesterday the guards were on display, but today it's time to recognize the best wings in the country. Without the wing or swingman, the guard wouldn't have a dangerous shooter to pass to or a slasher that forces defenses to collapse, leaving the guard open for three.

Most players on the list typically play the three or small forward position on the floor, but a few play the two and some can fill in at power forward if necessary.

1. 6'4'' Arizona State Sophomore,  James Harden

A massive drain of Pac-10 talent means James Harden is the best player in the conference. He's also the best small forward in the country. Harden will easily be a top ten pick in next year's NBA draft should he declare himself eligible.

Few wings can match the Sun Devil's ability to score from wherever on the court. Harden is the best slasher to the basket, but the sophomore can also step outside to drill the three pointer. Harden hit an astounding 108 three-pointers as a freshman and nailed over 40 percent of the threes he took.

Harden's 17.8 scoring average should jump to close 20 points per game in 2009. Harden is also a stout defender, picking up over two steals per game. The front runner for Pac-10 Player of the Year will lead Arizona State into the NCAA Tournament.

2. 6'7'' Tennessee Junior, Tyler Smith

Like James Harden, Tyler Smith is the best player in his conference. The junior spent his first two seasons in the shadows of stars Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith, but 2009 will be the breakout campaign for Tyler Smith. He's an all-around solid player who led the Volunteers in rebounding and assists.

But Smith can also score. As Tennessee's third option last year, Smith still tallied 13.6 ppg after averaging 14.9 ppg his freshman year. The Tenessee small forward did increase both his field goal percentage and three-point shooting by almost ten percent.

In 2009, Coach Bruce Pearl will look to Tyler Smith for everything: scoring, rebounding, distributing the ball, defense, and most importantly, leadership.

3. 6'6'' Pittsburgh Senior, Sam Young

Preseason Big East Player of the Year, Luke Harangody, is going to have some competition for the postseason player of the year award from Pitt's Sam Young. The senior will provide the Panthers with loads of scoring and priceless senior leadership.

Young has the best face to the basket mid-range game in the country. His ball fakes keep defenders off balance, allowing Young to fire eight to ten foot jumpers at will. Young returns as the Big East's second leading scorer at 18.1 ppg.

4. 6'6'' Temple Senior, Dionte Christmas

Insert holiday joke here. Now that we're past that, Dionte Christmas will be the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year as the league's leading returning scorer and ninth best returning rebounder. Christmas is naturally a two-guard, but could see significant time as a wing with his solid size and Temple's depth at guard.

Christmas is an electric scorer who can put the ball in the basket from anywhere on the court. His three-point percentage dropped by a few percentage points last season and tighter defenses as well as a deeper three-point line could hurt Christmas' production.

Even if his range is slightly limited in 2009, the Owl will be on pace to win the league's scoring crown for the third consecutive season.

5. 6'10'' Gonzaga Sophomore Austin Daye

The nation's most improved player will be one of the tallest wings in the entire country. In a lineup that features a 6'8'' two guard (Micah Downs), a 6'10'' small forward doesn't sound too crazy. Austin Daye saw limited playing time in 2008, stepping on the court for less than 20 minutes per game.

The Bulldog still produced a slick 10.5 ppg and blocked 1.6 shots per game. Daye is also an efficient shooter, connecting on over 40 percent of his threes and almost 90 percent of his free throws. Assuming Daye plays 25-30 minutes per game, the super sophomore should score between 17 and 20 points per game.

6. 6'5'' UTEP Senior Stefon Jackson

One the nation's best unknowns, Stefon Jackson will help the Miners challenge Memphis as Conference USA champs. Jackson's a slasher who can play either the two or the three, but no matter what position Jackson is holding down, the UTEP wing will score at will.

Jackson returns as the conference's leading returning scorer at 23.6 ppg. He's not known for having a great shooting range; Jackson can hit a three, but mainly relies on putting the ball on the floor and using his athleticism to change the scoreboard.

7. 6'7'' BYU Senior , Lee Cummard

Few players have steadily improved over the past three years as much as BYU's Lee Cummard. The Cougar has significantly improved in almost every statistical category during each of his three years in Provo.

Cummard does all the little things, but can also really shoot. He's connects at a rate of 57 percent from the floor, 86 percent from the line and 47 percent from three. The senior will lead the Cougar's challenge to take down UNLV as conference kings.

8. 6'7'' Arizona Junior, Chase Budinger

There's not a lot of money or fame in volleyball so Chase Budinger chose to play basketball in college. It's a good thing he did because the Wildcat has elevated his game enough to be an NBA draft prospect. After flirting with the NBA draft during his first seasons in Tuscon, Budinger is back for a third season.

A tremendous leaper and all-around player, the Arizona wing with firey curly hair will look to improve his shot selection in order to increase his 17 ppg scoring average.

9. 6'6'' Louisville Senior, Terrence Williams

Athleticism should be Terrence Williams' middle name. Few players can run and jump as well as Williams, but also be as agile as the Cardinal small forward. Williams has thrown down some very memorable game changing dunks.

Rick Pitino has a stud that's never supplied the gaudy numbers, but Willams is the ideal glue guy. He can slide up and down the lineup guarding a variety of opposing players.

10. 6'5'' Clemson Senior, K.C. Rivers

Few teams have underperformed the past two seasons as much as Clemson has, but the Tiger's struggles haven't been because of senior wing K.C. Rivers. He's a dangerous shooter who can also crash the glass.

Rivers spends the majority of his time away from the basket; a Rivers' drive is almost as rare as a Clemson NCAA Tournament win. The senior didn't shoot a free throw in 17 games last year which is probably a good thing since the Tiger is only a 67.7 percent free throw shooter.

11. 6'6'' USC Freshman, DeMar DeRozan

The first freshman to make the list is so talented, the Trojans needed to recruit two star guard Lil' Romeo to get potential superstar DeMar DeRozan to commit to USC. DeRozan and Romeo Miller came as a packaged deal in order to get DeRozan to dawn a Trojan uniform.

The talented freshman is a multi-faceted scorer who isn't afraid to take a punishment in the paint or show off his impressive range.

12. 6'8'' Georgetown Junior, DeJuan Summers

If the Hoyas want to come close to the level success they've enjoyed the past two years, DeJuan Summers has to become an elite small forward in the Big East. After seeing modest success as GU's third option last year, Summers is poised to be the Hoyas' leading offensive force.

His numbers are deceiving (11.1 ppg and 5.4 rbp), but Georgetown plays a very slow, methodical brand of basketball that doesn't produce a lot of eye-popping statistics.

13. 6'4'' Syracuse Junior, Paul Harris

Few players have benefited from the NBA's age limit as much as Syracuse's Paul Harris. The 'Cuse small forward seemed destined for the NBA, but came to the school and found out he had a lot of work to do. Harris is a physical specimen and the best 6'4'' rebounder in the country, but has struggled with his jump shot.

An extremely talented defender and finisher, Harris is limited by his height and is typically forced out to the perimeter where his jumper is slowly improving. A consistent jump shot which SU fans saw glimpses of is the only thing that keeps Harris from scoring 16-19 ppg.

14. 6'4'' Duke Junior Gerald Henderson

Several players fall into the same category of superior slashers as James Harden and Stefon Jackson. Duke's Gerald Henderson is one of them. A slightly below average three-pointer shooter, Henderson gets to the basket with ease in the halfcourt set, but is also a scary good finisher in transition.

Like many of the top wings in the country, a consistent jump shot is the only thing preventing Henderson from being an absolute superstar.

15. 6'8'' Purdue Sophomore Robbie Hummel

Purdue is young and very talented. The player who leads the youthful group of Boilermakers is sophomore Robbie Hummel. He can handle the ball as well as most point guards as well as jack a three with the best of them, but at 6'8'', Coach Matt Painter uses Hummel as a wing.

The Boilermaker will be an integeral part of a team poised to reach the Final Four.

16. 6'7'' Texas A&M Senior Josh Carter

It's not too often a 50 percent three-point shooter regresses by 12 percent in a single season, but Josh Carter saw a tremendous drop in his long range accuracy in 2008. Once Acie Law graduated, Carter faced opposing team's best defenders which definitely hurt his shot.

If coach Mark Turgeon can work with Carter to get him open looks, he could be looking at an All-Conference performer.

17. 6'6'' Virginia Tech Senior A.D. Vassallo

Few players launch threes as often as A.D. Vassallo, but with his long distance capabilities, Vassallo has all the right to put up each one of the 215 three-pointers he attempted in 2008. The senior's propensity to shoot translates into a smooth 16.9 ppg scoring average.

After an NCAA Tournament snub in 2008, Vassallo will shoot the Hokies into the NCAA Tournament.

18. 6'6'' Oklahoma State Sophomore James Anderson

In a conference filled with outstanding freshmen last year, James Anderson didn't always stand out. But a lack of Big 12 big names means it's time for the sophomore to stand out.

The Sooner led his team in scoring as a freshman and returns as the conference's fifth best scorer.

19. 6'7'' Tennessee Freshman Scotty Hopson

Bruce Pearl has a problem, albeit a great problem to have, but a problem nonetheless. What is he to do with a senior who's the best winger in the country and a freshman who enters Knoxville as a tremendous talent, but also a wing?

The solution? Put senior Tyler Smith at the two and newcomer Scotty Hopson at the three. Hopson is a prolific scorer who by the end of the year will probably be flirting with the top five.

20. 6'6'' Siena Junior Edwin Ubiles

The MAAC gets some love finally with Edwin Ubiles. One of two conference Player of the Year candidates for the Saints, Ubiles emerged as a solid scorer his sophomore season.

The junior put up 17 ppg while shooting 52 percent from the field and 42 percent from three. Ubiles dramatically improved his three point shooting from his freshman to sophomore season by 15 percent.

The Arizona State Sun Devils have a bright future ahead of them. The reason being?

SG/SF James Harden.

Here is a recap of how James Harden took control of the Pac-10 last season:

The captain of his high school basketball team, the 6-4 guard led Artesia High to consecutive State Titles and was invited to play in the 2007 McDonald's All American Game.

James was also only 17 years old when he comitted to play for Herb Sendek at Arizona State. His maturity has since skyrocketed since he came out of Artesia.

James averaged 17.8 PPG, 3.2 APG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.1 SPG during the 2007-08 season. The rookie sensation also had 16 games in which he scored 20+ points.

His desire to win has gone unquestioned, improving the a team that lost 15 straight games a season ago finishing 8-21, to a 21-13 record and barely missing the NCAA Tournament.

In essence, Harden illustrated a 22 game turnaround during his freshman season at Arizona State.

The Sun Devil star also shot 40.7% 3pt shooting and a torrid 52.7 % from the field last year.

Harden was the only player in his conference to average at least 17 PPG, 3 APG, 5 RPG, 2 SPG, and shoot at 75% at the foul line. Simply another notion, why Harden the most complete player in the Pac-10.

Another advantage he has on competition is that he is left-handed, making him one of College Basketball's Most Deadliest Southpaws.

A clutch performer, the Artesia Alum averaged 24.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 3.3 SPG in four overtime games last season, winning 75% of the contests.

One of the three victories was an upset win over the Lopez Brothers and Stanford who were ranked #7 in the country at the time.

On offense, #13 is a savvy slasher with breathtaking ball handling, stunning even the most menacing of defenders. He is also a smart offensive player using his wits to create contact, rather than shy away from it.

Also, on several occasions Harden was inserted at point guard for the Sun Devils and did an outstanding job. A good decision maker, Harden thrived on his height advantage over smaller point guards and excelled at delivering the ball to his fellow teammates and creating shots for them.

On defense, he has an incredible nose for the ball and an admirable wingspan making him a tough defender to score upon. Because of those factors, he became only the 5th freshman in Pac-10 history to lead the conference in steals.

After the season, James earned First Team All Pac-10 honors along with fellow freshmen Kevin Love, O.J. Mayo, and Jerryd Bayless.

Against Bayless and Mayo, Harden went a combined 3-2 last season (2-0 vs Arizona and 1-2 vs USC).

Of course out of the bunch, Harden is the only player coming back for his sophmore season, with others deciding to pursue illustrious NBA careers. His choice alone speaks volume of his maturation.

Then he lead the Sun Devils into the NIT Tournament in hopes of winning the grand consolation prize. James Harden averaged 23 PPG, 4.3 APG, 8.3 RPG, and 1.6 SPG in three games, but unfortunately ASU was knocked off by the defending National Champions, the Florida Gators.

Harden is the 4th best shooting guard and the 3rd best small forward in the country.

In another equally tough Pac-10 season with incoming freshman talent Demar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday, Drew Gordon, and Mike Dunigan in store for Harden and the Sun Devils, this will be absolutely no cakewalk.

Now that the deadline for declaring for the NBA Draft has come and gone, its time to revisit the changing face of the Pac-10. I'll break down each team, looking at who declared, who's likely to return, the projected starting lineup (with key bench players), and finish with a revised rankings*. With that said, let's get started:

Arizona

Who Declared Early?: Jerryd Bayless, Chase Budinger

Who do I think is Coming Back?: Nobody 

Projected Lineup:

Position	Player	Bench
PG	Nic Wise	-
PG/SG	Brandon Jennings	Brandon Lavender
SF	Jamelle Horn	Fendi Onubon
PF	Jordan Hill	Emmanuel Negedu
C	Jeff Withey	-

What more can be said about Arizona than the above Projected Lineup? Although the Wildcats will have the benefit of returning proven players Nic Wise and Jordan Hill, they will need excellent play from Jennings along with a solid contribution from Withey to be contenders in the Pac-10, let alone the NCAA tournament. Again it looks like Lute Olson is going to face depth issues once again as neither Onubon, Negedu, or Lavender are proven commodities. Finally, I think Lute might be going a little crazy as some of his comments lately have been strange to say the least. It may be a long season for UA fans if Jennings doesn't live up to the hype.

ASU

Who Declared Early?: Nobody

Who do I think is Coming Back?: N/A

Projected Lineup:

Position	Player	Bench
PG	Ty Abbott	Derek Glasser
SG/SF	Rihards Kuksiks	Jamelle Mcmillan
SG/SF	James Harden	Jerren Shipp
PF	Jeff Pendergraph	?
C	Eric Boateng	-

Don't worry, the question marks are there for a reason as ASU has some young talent waiting in the wings. If either Kraidon Woods or the incoming Taylor Rohde can develop into go to role players then ASU will have depth to go along with the talent of their starters. Throw Herb Sendek into the mix and the Sun Devils field arguably the best team in the Pac-10 next year. They better make next season count though, Harden is a sure fire lottery pick and Pendergraph is out of eligibility after next season.

California

Who Declared Early?: Ryan Anderson

Who do I think is Coming Back?: Nobody

Projected Lineup:

Position	Player	Bench
PG	Jerome Randle	-
SG	D.J. Seeley	Knezevic, Nikola
SG/SF	Patrick Christopher	-
SF/PF	Jamal Boykin	Harper Kamp
C	Jordan Wilkes	Max Zhang

There's a chance that Ryan Anderson comes back, but its a slim one at this point. Anderson is most likely a first round pick and its hard to say no to guaranteed money. That being said, the cupboard is hardly bare over at Berkeley. Randle, Christopher, and Boykin should all be reliable starters and may all develop into high quality players before the season starts. Mike Montgomery will have his work cut out for him, however, as Anderson's departure coupled with Hardin's loss of eligibility severely depletes the front court. Right now Cal is at the bottom or middle of thepack, it Wilkes or Zhang develops then they may find themselves at the top.

Oregon

Who Declared Early?: Nobody

Who do I think is Coming Back?: N/A

Projected Lineup:

Position	Player	Bench
PG/SG	Tajuan Porter	Kamyron Brown
SG	LeKendric Longmire	Matthew Humphrey
SF	Joevon Catron	-
SF	Churchill Odia	Drew Viney
C	Michael Dunigan	-

I wonder if any gambling websites will put out a line on how many months into the season it will take until Ernie Kent has a for sale sign put out in front of his house? As I mentioned before, Kent faced losing his job at the end of last season, but a late season sweep of the Arizona schools at home managed to just barely get them into the tournament. Its strange to think that a coach just a season removed from an elite 8 appearance could be on the hot seat, but such is the nature of competitive college sports. Old Ernie is going to have to do a lot with a little (seriously, this team is very lacking in size) and he will need Tajuan Porter to step up his game big time for there to be any hope of success this season. Also, don't let the fact that nobody left for the draft fool you.  Oregon lost three very talented seniors, and the departure of Malik Hairston and Maarty Leunen will be especially painful.

OSU

Who Declared Early?: Nobody

Who do I think is Coming Back?: N/A

Projected Lineup:

Position	Player	Bench
PG	Josh Tarver	Ricky Claitt
SG	Omari Johnson	Lathen Wallace
SG/SF	Seth Tarver	Eshaunte Jones
PF	Sean Carter	-
C	Roeland Schaftenaar	Calvin Hampton

I suppose Oregon state has some semblance of depth as all of the above players (save for the incoming Eshaunte Jones) saw some playing time last year, but its not worth much when more or less all of your players are bad or even awful. Maybe in another with another year or so the Beavers will become a decent team, but it is just not happening next season. On the plus side, if Obama gets elected then maybe the president will make the trip to Corvallis to catch a couple of games. Although, I have heard that worshipping pagan gods and sacrificing animals can really boost a teams record... (just kidding)

Stanford

Who Declared Early?: Brook and Robin Lopez

Who do I think is Coming Back?: Nobody

Projected Lineup:

Position	Player	Bench
PG	Mitch Johnson	Drew Shiller
SG	Anthony Goods	Kenny Brown
SG/SF	Landry Fields	-
PF	Lawrence Hill	Josh Owens
PF	Miles Plumlee	Will Paul

Things were looking tough for Stanford next year. The team was looking at switching over to a guard oriented playing style as the Lopez twins both declared for the draft, and surprise surprise! Trent Johnson decided he was tired of being taken for granted and bolted for greener pastures at LSU. Luckily, things are not all doom and gloom on the farm as Stanford hired former Duke assistant Johnny Dawkins, who has just a teensy bit of experience in running a guard oriented attack. Lots of questions still remain though, and it looks like Stanford will not be challenging anyone for the Pac-10 title next season.

UCLA

Who Declared Early?: Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Luc-Richard Mbah A Moute, Josh Shipp

Who do I think is Coming Back?: Luc-Richard Mbah A Moute, Josh Shipp

Projected Lineup:

Position	Player	Bench
PG/SG	Darren Collison	Malcolm Lee
PG/SG	Jrue Holiday	Michael Roll
SG/SF	Josh Shipp	Chace Stanback
PF	LRMAM	Drew Gordon
PF/C	Alfred Aboya	Keefe/Dragovic

Talent and depth has been the story of Ben Howland's career at UCLA, and next year won't be any different. In all fairness, next year's edition won't be quite as good as last year's team.  The difference may end up being quite marginal. Kevin Love's post presence will be missed, and there is no athletic finisher like Russell Westbrook in this group, but there is no doubt that this is an excellent group of players. Bruin fans should see little to no drop off in defensive efficiency.  It is really up to Howland to get his offense (which is still very efficient) over the hump so to speak. Next year could be a disappointing year in Westwood, obviously a slight lack of athleticism hurt UCLA in the end, but I sincerely doubt it. Short of Hell freezing over, UCLA will be in the race for the Pac-10 title all season long.

USC 

Who Declared Early?: O.J. Mayo, Davon Jefferson

Who do I think is Coming Back?: Nobody

Projected Lineup:

Position	Player	Bench
PG	Angelo Johnson	Donte Smith
SG	Daniel Hackett	Dwight Lewis
SF	Demar Derozan	Leonard Washington
PF	Taj Gibson	Kasey Cunningham
C	Mamadou Diarra	Keith Wilkinson

Mayo was a one and doner from the start, but why did Jefferson have to be such a tease? At first Davon says he's coming back, but then suddenly he's declared and likely already signed with an agent. Oh well, I guess that ship has sailed. Luckily USC still returns stellar core players and adds enough talent to once again be near the top of the Pac-10. Hackett and Lewis are quality wings, and Taj Gibson should be able to play at his natural position next season. Add in the #1 SG recruit in Derozan, a former 5 star in Washington, top cali Juco PG Donte Smith, and both Cunningham and Diarra coming back from injuries, USC has qualiy talent and depth. That's a first for Coach Tim Floyd's tenure. But the real question is, can the team put it together on offense?

Washington

Who Declared Early?: Nobody

Who do I think is Coming Back?: N/A

Projected Lineup:

Position	Player	Bench
PG	Justin Dentmon	Venoy Overton
SG	Joel Smith	Scott Suggs
PF	Quincy Pondexter	Tyreese Breshers
PF	Jon Brockman	Artem Wallace
C	John Wolfinger	Matthew Bryan-Amaning

Next season could really be the season that Washington finally puts it all together. Getting quality minutes from Venoy Overton was a pleasant surprise, and although the loss of sharpshooter Ryan Appleby is a big blow the team will bring a fair amount of experience and talent to the table.  The Huskies are headed by bruising forward Jon Brockman. Its clear that Washington is falling just short of being a good team. They did beat UCLA at home last season. If they can get some quality production from their highly rated class last year (along with some solid playing time from another quality class this year) then Lorenzo Romar may be able to put the past two seasons behind him. Washington may be facing a lot of uncertainty going into the offseason.  At the very least its not a certainty that they will be bad.

WSU

Who Declared Early?: Nobody

Who do I think is Coming Back?: N/A

Projected Lineup:

Position	Player	Bench
PG	Taylor Rochestie	-
SG	Klay Thompson	-
SF	Daven Harmeling	Nikola Koprivica
PF	Caleb Forrest	-
C	Aron Baynes	-

The more I look closely at Washington St., the more I like what I see. Although they lose Cowgill, Weaver, and Low, the core returnees of Rochestie, Harmeling, and Baynes are all good (and in some aspects great) players already. Forrest has seen time throughout the year and played well on the court.  Incoming recruit Klay Thompson should help to shore up some of the offensive output lost with the graduation of Low.  The key issue facing the Cougars is a potential lack of depth. Bennett will be hard pressed to get at least one or two recruits ready for game time out of the incoming class. This will be no small feat.  It took 3 years to put together the WSU team of the last two years. However, if they can establish an eight man rotation the Cougars should field another solid team.

Summary**

As of right now it seems like UCLA, ASU, and USC will be the class of the Pac-10, but I wouldn't be so certain. Arizona, Cal, Washington, and Washington St. are all poised to make a run at the top should the right pieces fall into place. In fact, just a couple of seasons ago two teams picked to finish near the bottom of the Pac-10 ended up finishing #2 and #3 so anything can happen. But in all fairness it would be a near miracle if Oregon, Oregon St., or Stanford finished in the top 4 as each of those programs face major obstacles.

Revised Pac-10 Preseason Rankings
1.)	Arizona St.	6.)	California
2.)	UCLA	7.)	Washington
3.)	USC	8.)	Oregon
4.)	Washington St.	9.)	Stanford
5.)	Arizona	10.)	Oregon St.

Notes

- As of right now the Pac-10 is probably only sending four teams to the NCAA tournament, and it will be a battle between Washington St. and Arizona for that last spot.

- Like I said before, no team will go winless and no team will go undefeated in conference. There is no one team that will survive ASU/UCLA/USC/WSU, and there is no one team that will lose to Oregon/Stanford/OSU.

- Perhaps purely by team strength the LA road trip is the toughest, but Washington St. and a resurgent UW will make the Washington road trip the true test for a teams ability to win on the road.

-I doubt anyone will argue that the Pac-10 is the best or second best conference in the nation next year. 

* Projected rosters were assembled based on a number of dimensions; quality of the player, need to fill certain positions, playing time last year, among others. Once again my thanks to kenpom.com and si.cnn.com.

** You can read my original thoughts here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/16879-UCLA-vs-USC-for-Best-in-the-West-Pac-10-2008-09-Basketball-Preview-080408

This past season was a great year for college basketball in the Pac-10. Some will dispute that overall the best conference in the country was the Pac-10. There's no question that top to bottom, it was a banner year out west.

So what does the future hold?

In the coming days, we'll run down the prospects for the upcoming Pac-10 basketball season. As great as this past year was, there are going to be plenty of question marks to address before hoops crank up again in the fall.

Let's look at Pac-10 schools in alphabetical order.

Arizona

Though the Wildcats made it to the NCAA Tourney, fans were disappointed by the record of a team that had plenty of talent. What happened? Will things change for the better next season?

Kevin O'Neill took over the reins for the elder statesman of the conference, Lute Olson, last year. Olsen needed time off and O'Neill was thought to be the heir apparent.

It shouldn't have been much more than the media getting used to referring to the Wildcat head man as Coach O'Neill, but it turned out to be much more than that.

Gone was the "run 'em off the floor" style under Coach Olson. Was that an experiment? If so, it sure didn't work out to the satisfaction of Wildcat Nation.

Coach Olson will be back and this time around, Coach O'Neill is the odd man out. O'Neill is no longer welcome along the 'Cat sidelines.

Jerryd Bayless had a phenomenal season, arguably the top freshman in the Pac-10. Well, no surprise here. Bayless is gone, making himself eligible for the NBA draft, where he'll likely be a lottery pick.

Chase Budinger had another great season for Arizona. Will he be back? Not likely. Though he has yet to declare himself available for the NBA draft, odds are that's what will be the case.

Losing both Bayless and Budinger will be significant. They are ideal players for the wide-open style of game Coach Olson loves. However, new recruits will bolster a pretty fine roster.

Wildcat Nation can relax about the departure of Bayless. Incoming freshman Brandon Jennings has the tools to run their offense. Jennings is terrific on defense and is considered one of the top players coming out of high school this year.

If Jennings doesn't pick things up right away, Nic Wise is a tough competitor with loads of talent and is familiar with Pac-10 play. When Wise was out with injury, the 'Cats were in trouble. With Nic on the floor, they were dangerous at either end of the court.

Though there's been plenty of rumors flying around that Jordan Hill might leave for the NBA, it's likely he'll be back for his junior season. Another year of maturing will go a long way to making him into a better player.

Granted, he's a darn good player that really was the heart and soul of the success Arizona did enjoy this past season. Another year of seasoning would improves his chances for a career in the NBA. When Hill got off to a good start, the 'Cats picked up a win.

If incoming freshman Jeff Withey can put some beef on his 6-11 frame, he could free Hill up to play along the baseline freely. Hill is such an athletic player, the 'Cats counted on him to defend the paint last year. Without bulking up from the lean 215 pounds Withey played at in high school, he'll have trouble playing inside next year.

It doesn't take much courage to project Arizona, under Coach Olson, as one of the top three teams battling for another Pac-10 title next year.

Arizona State

This past season was solid for the Arizona State Sun Devils under the leadership of Coach Herb Sendek. There's no question that ASU was the most improved team in the conference last year. That said, Sun Devil fans have plenty of reason to believe there will be even more improvement next year.

Unfortunately for the rest of the Pac-10, James Harden will be back for his sophomore season. Harden is the complete player. On top of that, he is an outstanding leader on the floor. He is a solid All Pac-10 selection.

It doesn't stop with Harden for ASU. They have one of the best frontline players in senior Jeff Pendergraph. He's a force to be reckoned with at both ends of the court.

Toward the end of the season, Eric Boateng began to come on strong. Boateng has the potential to be a special player given the combination of his physical size and athletic talent.

Coach Sendek will have plenty of firepower in the backcourt to compliment the skills of Harden. Both Jerren Shipp and Ty Abbott can light it up.

Last year, Arizona State got off to an outstanding start and then faded toward the end of the season, missing out on a trip to the Big Dance. They accepted an invitation to the NIT where the were sent packing in the semifinal round by Florida.

It's not likely that ASU will be missing the NCAA Tourney next year. They have a tremendous upside given the experience gained by the five freshman who will return with a year of valuable PT under their belts.

Coach Sendek loves a deliberate style of play, something that has been working into the Pac-10 by ASU, UCLA and WSU. His Sun Devils will certainly be one of the top four teams in the conference. If things go their way, a Pac-10 isn't out of the question and wouldn't surprise anyone.

In Part 2, Cal and Oregon will in our cross-hairs.

Pre-NBA draft declaration deadline edition* 

First, a look at the year that was**:

Overall Record: 207-133 (60.9%)  Against D1: 95-24 (79.8%)        

Tournament Breakdown
Round	64	32	16	8	4
# of Teams	6	3	3	1	1

Conference Rankings:   RPI (2)   Pomeroy Rank (2)   Sagarin Rank (1) 

08-09 Preview for all Ten Teams:

Arizona [07-08: 7th, 18-14 (8-10)]

Key Returners: Jordan Hill (62.0% eFG%, 7.9 RPG, .8 APG), Nic Wise (55.7 eFG%, 2.3 RG, 4.4 APG)

Key Losses:  Jerryd Bayless (53.6% eFG%, 2.7 RPG, 4.0 APG), Chase Budinger (52.6 eFG%, 5.4 RPG, 2.5 APG), Jawann McClellan (49.8 eFG%, 3.6 RPG, 2.7 APG).

Key Additions: Brandon Jennings (Rivals: 5/5, #3 PG, #8 overall), Jeff Withey (Rivals: 4/5, #9 Center, #39 overall)

Arizona's biggest challenge will be replacing Jerryd Bayless, who recently announced his intention to enter the draft. Bayless led all scorers with 19.7 PPG and was able to routinely create opportunities for scoring on the perimeter, especially for Budinger, by collapsing defenses through drives into the paint. I's difficult to see who will replace Bayless at the 2 as there is not a proven player on UA's roster who fits that position. Heralded recruit Brandon Jennings has shown he can be a big time scorer, but at 6 ft 170 lbs he simply lacks the size to play shooting guard at the college level. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how the battle for point between Wise and Jennings shakes out. 

Of key importance for Arizona's success will be whether or not Chase Budinger stays and continues to develop.  Should Budinger stay he will be expected to be Arizona's key playmaker. If he can consistently shoot the three and get inside for offensive rebounds, and assuming Jordan Hill continues to play at a high level, then Arizona's offense will be very difficult to stop.

After a tough season the Wildcats have a lot to look forward to. Fans should welcome the return of Lute Olson and his up tempo offense from O'neil's set plays, and although Jennings can't replace Bayless, any team benefits from depth at the point guard position. As things stand Arizona should field an elite team next season, and should definitely make an improvement over this year's seventh place finish. 

Arizona State [07-08: T-5th, 21-13 (9-9)] 

Key Returners: James Harden (58.6 eFG%, 5.2 RPG, 3.2 APG), Jeff Pendergraph (59.3 eFG%, 6.4 RPG, .9 APG), Ty Abbott (52.4 eFG%, 3.6 RPG, 1.5 APG)

Key Losses: None, especially since Harden is not expected to declare for the draft.

Key Additions: Hard to say. I don't think anyone expected Abbott or Kuksiks to come out and contribute so quickly, so who knows how Sendek's next batch of recruits will pan out.

After a difficult 06-07 campaign in which the Sun Devils finished last in conference, Herb Sendek engineered an incredible turnaround to make ASU a serious threat in the loaded Pac 10. Much of the credit has to go to James Harden, perhaps the most overlooked member of this year's freshman class. Harden led all players at 17.8 PPG and did so with excellent efficiency. Harden also contributed significantly to rebounding and has a highly developed game. With Abbott, Kuksiks, and Glasser backing him up, Arizona St. is very well rounded in the back court.

The front court, however, is another issue. While Pendergraph is a solid (if unspectacular) PF/C, Eric Boateng must become a better overall player if ASU expects to compete on a high level. But even if Boateng becomes a significantly better player, Sendek still faces the issue of overall lack of depth at the position. Two incoming recruits(at 6'7'' and 6'8'') may be able to contribute, however, the team may have to resort to playing two small forwards (such as Harden and Kuksiks) and hope to get better production out of Kuksiks on the boards. This may be unreasonable to expect, but only the future can tell.

If Pendergraph and Boateng can endure heavy minutes and avoid foul trouble then the front court issue may be moot, but more likely than not, the lack of size will prove fatal in at least a couple of games. Expectations are high in Tempe for a team that should return every player that counts, but it still may be too soon to expect a Pac 10 title. Regardless, ASU will definitely be a contender.

California [07-08: 9th, 17-16 (6-12)]

Key Returners: Patrick Christopher (51.1 eFG%, 3.6 RPG, 2.0 APG), Jamal Boykin (52.8 eFG%, 3.8 RPG, 1.2 APG).

Key Losses: Ryan Anderson (55.9 eFG%, 9.9 RPG, 1.4 APG), Devon Hardin (55.4 eFG%, 7.4 RPG, .7 APG). 

Key Additions: D.J. Seeley (Rivals: 4/5, #10 SG, #53 overall)

Save for one good season in 05-06, Berkley fans have had to endure one mediocre season after another over the last 5 years under Ben Braun. New head coach Mike Montgomery, who led Stanford to the NCAA tournament 12 times in his 18 year career, should be able to turn the program around, but how quickly depends on star player Ryan Anderson. Should Anderson return Montgomery may have Cal back in the NCAA tournament by the end of next season. Should the sophomore choose the draft, however, Montgomery will have a difficult project ahead of him. 

California returns a solid back court with a lot of potential. Patrick Christopher and Jerome Randle should have no trouble handling the point, while Jamal Boykin and Harper Kamp will play swing. However, like ASU, Cal must deal with a number of question marks in their front court. With senior Devon Hardin out the door, and Anderson declaring for the draft, someone on the roster will need to step up. Seven footer Jordan Wilkes saw limited playing time last year and did little to justify more time on the court, his best game was a 6 point, 6 rebound outing against the super power Nevada. Freshman import "Max" Zhang, coming in at a towering 7'2'', saw no playing time at all. Getting those two even up to role player status will do Cal a world of good.

Without Ryan Anderson Cal loses its entire front court, and it will have to look to a pair of unproven bench warmers to fill in the gaps. With Anderson the Golden Bears may be able to build a solid game in the post and will likely have another top tier offensive attack. Without him, Cal has many more obstacles to overcome. Only time can really tell what the near future holds for Berkeley Basketball, but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Oregon [07-08: T-5th, 18-14 (9-9)]

Key Returners: Tajuan Porter (49.2 eFG%, 2.3 RPG, 2.4 APG), Joevan Catron (52.8 eFG%, 5.7 RPG, 2.2 APG).

Key Losses: Maarty Leunen (66.4 eFG%, 9.2 RPG, 2.8 APG), Malik Hairston (60.9% eFG%, 4.8 RPG, 2.1 APG), Bryce Taylor (54.6 eFG%, 3.8 RPG, 1.4 APG)

Key Additions: Michael Dunigan (Rivals: 4/5, #8 C, #32 overall)

Ernie Kent was on the short list to be fired, after Ben Braun and Jay John, before Oregon pulled off a bit of a late season surge to fight their way into the NCAA tournament. Its obvious why Kent may have been sent packing; after returning four of five starters from a squad that advanced to the elite eight Oregon failed to make a significant impact in the Pac-10. Ernie may be safe for now, but he better enjoy his summer break as he'll enter next year on the hot seat again.

As can be seen from the stat line above, Maarty Leunen may be the best player no one has ever heard of. He was the team's most efficient scorer with an impressive 66.4 effective field goal percentage, and somehow led the team in both rebounds and steals. Leunen also clocked in at second in points per game and assists. Oregon will also have to replace the athletic Malik Hairston, the teams leading scorer. Oregon must also find an answer for the loss of PG Aaron Brooks, the only player who didn't return from that elite 8 squad. For Oregon to be successful Tajuan Porter must step and fill that point guard role, along with improving his mediocre 49.2 eFG%. Joevan Catron in turn will be expected to anchor Oregon's interior, despite coming in at only 6'6''.

Throughout the season I heard many comments with regard to Oregon's offense, that they were missing shots they made last year, that they weren't as explosive, blah blah blah. In truth Oregon had an offense comparable to those of the best teams in the country, ranking #6 in Division 1 according to stats guru Ken Pomeroy. It was their defense that stunk. If Ernie Kent can somehow equal that offensive output next year and improve their D, Oregon would be an elite team. However, if Kent couldn't do it with last year's experienced lineup then its doubtful he will be able to do it with an almost entirely new starting 5. Oregon is looking at a tough year ahead, and probably looking at a new coach after next season.

Oregon St. [07-08: 10th, 6-25 (0-18)] 

Key Returners: Roeland Schaftenaar (48.4 eFG%, 4.1 RPG, .6 APG)

Key Losses: I would say Marcel Jones, but he was pretty bad. I would also say CJ Giles, but he was dismissed earlier in the year. 

Key Additions: Eshaunte Jones (Rivals: 3/5, #31 SG, #121 Overall) has a legitimate shot at becoming OSU's best palyer.

The future is bleak for Oregon St. fans. After a season in which the team saw its head coach get fired, had one of its better players dismissed (C.J. Giles), and experienced the worst Pac 10 record in history there is still not much to look forward to.  New Coach Craig Robinson was able to engineer a turnaround at Brown in his two years there, but the Pac 10 is about as far removed as you can get from the Ivy League.

OSU suffers from an overall lack of talent. In fact, no Beaver ranks in the top 500 players in the country in eFG%. The 6'11'' Roeland Schaftenaar, who averaged about 19.2 minutes per game, actually leads all players in effective shooting percentage. No immediate solutions are incoming either, as 3 star Eshaunte Jones is the best in the two man class. It will be very difficult to effectively execute even Robinson's preferred Princeton offense with the current crop of players.

Who knows, maybe Oregon St. will be this year's Washington St., but I honestly doubt it. It is still probable that even moderate success is at least two years away, but at least OSU has begun the process of rebuilding. Besides, the Beavers cannot possibly be any worse than they were this year.

Stanford [07-08: 2nd, 28-8 (13-5)]

Key Returners: Mitch Johnson (50.8 eFG%, 4.3 RPG, 5.2 APG), Lawrence Hill (47.1 eFG%, 4.8 RPG, 1.1 APG).

Key Losses: Brook Lopez (46.8 eFG%, 8.2 RPG, 1.4 APG), Robin Lopez (53.6 eFG%, 5.7 RPG, .6 APG), Taj Finger (55.9 eFG%, 4.4 RPG, .5 APG).

Key Additions: Jeremy Green (Rivals: 4/5, #17 SG, #75 overall)

Believe it or not, if Stanford wants to win games next year they will need to rely on their guards. Mitch Johnson, Anthony Goods, and Kenny Brown will all have to step up in a big way as the Cardinal's front court will be severely depleted with the loss of the Lopez twins to the draft and senior Taj Finger to graduation. In other words, Stanford may be in for a long season.

Lawrence Hill will in all likelihood be their best player in the post next year and will need to be more aggressive in rebounding and scoring to make up for the loss of Stanford's star players. In addition, 6'7'' Landry Fields may have to make the transition to forward as 6'8'' freshman Josh Owens saw few minutes while 6'9'' sophomore Will Paul saw no playing time whatsoever. Even if coach Trent Johnson sees significant improvement in Lawrence Hill's game its clear that post play will be a downgrade over this past season. On the bright side, if Mitch Johnson can continue to dish the ball into the post with the same effectiveness he had last year, then at least play in the paint won't be a weakness.

There are few elite programs that are able to avoid the dreaded rebuilding year, and Stanford just is not one of them. Trent Johnson has done an admirable job of continuing the program's success after the departure of former coach Mike Montgomery, but there is no dancing around the fact that the 08-09 Stanford team just is not as talented as recent Cardinal teams. Barring a major surprise, the farm will field an average to good team that will fight it out in the middle of the Pac 10. For the sake of Trent Johnson, let us hope that Montgomery doesn't have to much success in his first year at Berkeley. 

UCLA [07-08: 1st, 35-4 (16-2)]

Key Returners so far: Kevin Love (60.1 eFG%, 10.6 RPG, 1.9 APG), Darren Collison (57.2 eFG%, 2.6 RPG, 3.8 APG), Russell Westbrook (49.5 eFG%, 3.9 RPG, 4.3 APG)

Key Losses: Lorenzo Mata-Real (49.5 eFG%, 3.5 RPG, .2 APG)

Key Additions: Jrue Holiday (Rivals: 5/5, #1 PG, #3 Overall), Drew Gordon (Rivals 4/5, #16 PF, #49 Overall)

What more can be said about UCLA? The Bruins are arguably the most successful basketball program of all time and are beginning to glimpse the glory days of John Wooden under the direction of coach Ben Howland. It is fair to say that no other program, except perhaps Florida, has experienced the same amount of success year in and year out as UCLA over the last 3 years.  But with the draft looming large it is hard to say if the team will continue to achieve at the same level going into 2008-09.

There is no doubt that UCLA will field the deepest and most talented team in the conference should everyone return, but what if Love, Collison, and Westbrook declare for the draft as expected? Luckily for fans of the true blue and gold, the team has quality players waiting in the wings. There is no question that UCLA will not be able to completely replace Love's production, but a rotation of  Mbah-a-Moute, Aboya, Keefe, Dragovic, and the incoming Drew Gordon will go a long way in wearing down opposing post players. In addition, Jrue Holiday should be able to replace Collison or Westbrook without too much drop off in athleticism or talent. The team will also welcome the return of guard Michael Roll, who has sat out most of the season due to injury.

At least until April 26, UCLA is the best team in the Pac 10. Realistically, however, they face losing their three best players to the draft and will have a tough battle to fight in conference. Regardless of how much talent UCLA loses, expect them to be favorites for the Pac 10 title next year through sheer depth and quality coaching.

USC [07-08: T-3rd, 21-12 (11-7)]

Key Returners so far: O.J. Mayo (52.4 eFG%, 4.5 RPG, 3.3 APG), Davon Jefferson (58.3 eFG%, 6.3 RPG, .8 APG), Taj Gibson (58.0 eFG%, 7.8 RPG, 1.3 APG).

Key Losses: None, USC does not have a single senior or player who has declared... yet

Key Additions: Demar Derozan (Rivals: 5/5, #1 SG, #2 Overall), Leonard Washington (Rivals: 3/5, SF)

If, and that's a huge IF, USC returns all of their players, they have the makings of a legitimate national championship contender. O.J. Mayo would be leading a squad that would start 5 players as talented and athletic as any other team in the country. But in order to win, USC's players (especially Jefferson) must develop the skillset to take full advantage of that raw talent.

The Trojans were wildly inconsistent all year. Just three games after holding both Kansas and Memphis to their season lows in regulation play, USC fell to conference foe California 92-82 . Moreover, USC had an excellent defense but could never put plays together consistently on offense. The guards often struggled to get the ball to Gibson in the post and were too hesitant to drive inside and kick it out. Hopefully incoming recruit Demar Derozan can help flesh out this area of SC's game. Also, keep an eye on whether Floyd succeeds or not in developing Leonard Washington. The former 5-star forward has experienced a rapid fall from grace thanks to academic and discipline problems, but Tim Floyd has developed other former delinquent players, including current star Davon Jefferson and the troubled Loderick Stewart.

USC heads into next season just like they came into last season, with a great deal of uncertainty. As long as two of the big three return the Trojans will be a legitimate player in the Pac 10, but if all three go Tim Floyd could be facing a tough season in the shadow of the omnipresent football program. 

Washington [07-08: 8th, 16-17 (7-11)]

Key Returners: Jon Brockman (53.6 eFG%, 11.6 RPG, 1.1 APG), Quincy Pondexter (48.1 eFG%, 4.8 RPG, 1.9 APG).

Key Losses: Ryan Appleby (54.9 eFG%, 1.2 RPG, 1.4 APG)

Key Additions: Tyreese Breshers (Rivals: 4/5, #21 PF, #66 Overall), Isaiah Thomas (Rivals: 4/5, #15 PG, #89 Overall)

It has been a strange couple of years for Washington. Just two years ago the Huskies were competing with UCLA for the Pac 10 championship. That same year Washington advanced to the Sweet 16 (falling in overtime to UConn), and brought in a heralded recruiting class headed by top center Spencer Hawes. Despite this, Washington finished 19-13 with an 8-10 mark in conference.

Things only got worse in 2008 even though Lorenzo Romar brought in another quality recruiting class. I know next to nothing about recruiting high school prospects, but it makes one wonder about the ability of the Huskies' staff to correctly scout talent. Perhaps it is still premature to completely judge these classes, if all this potential talent comes together next season then Washington will be a force to be reckoned with. However, one thing is certain, someone will have to step up and take over Appleby's role as a perimeter shooter, otherwise the team is looking at the bottom of the Pac 10 once again.

Having Tyreese Breshers or Isaiah Thomas come in and produce as freshmen would go along way in validating Romar's recruiting abilities. Washington will wtill get quality play out of big man Jon Brockman, but someone else on the roster needs to show they are a star player. If Washington fails to put together a quality season soon, then recruiting will be the least of the Huskies' problems.

Washington St. [07-08: T-3rd, 26-9 (11-7)]

Key Returners: Taylor Rochestie (56.8 eFG%, 3.2 RPG, 4.7 APG), Aron Baynes (60.0 eFG%, 6.0 RPG, .3 APG), Daven Harmeling (55.0 eFG%, 2.2 RPG, .8 APG).

Key Losses: Kyle Weaver (50.3 eFG%, 5.3 RPG, 4.3 APG), Derrick Low (55.2 eFG%, 1.8 RPG, 1.6 APG), Robbie Cowgill (54.1 eFG%, 5.1 RPG, .7 APG).

Key Additions: Michael Harthun (Rivals: 3/5, #29 SG, #115 Overall)

Washington St. is a bizarre team to say the least. Somehow they developed into a top-ten team without a single heralded recruit or even a particularly well known coach. No offense to Dick Bennett, he did lead 8 seed Wisconsin to the final four in 2000 after all, but nobody could have expected what has happened in WSU Basketball over the last two years.

But can this trend possibly continue? Current coach Tony Bennett returns a solid core of starters; Taylor Rochestie is a deceptively athletic guard who can shoot from the perimeter and create his own shot. In addition, Aron Baynes uses his body to create space in the post better than just about every other center in college basketball. Rounding out the veteran trio is sharpshooting forward Daven Harmeling.  Still, coach Bennett faces the sizeable challenge of replacing the lost offensive production from Weaver, Low, and Cowgill in a system that emphasizes defense and slow tempo. There is no real telling who will replace these players, but then again, there was no real telling that the Cougars were going to be this good in the first place.

Next year will be a pivotal year for Washington St. If Bennett can continue to win with under-recruited talent he will certainly go down as one of the best at developing players in the NCAA despite his young age. Additionally Bennett could establish WSU as a long-term Pac-10 power. However, if they return to mediocrity then the past two seasons will likely be viewed as a statistical anomaly, and Bennett will not have the the number of high quality coaching job offers available. Here's to hoping that he doesn't become a victim of his own success.

Pre-Declaration Pre-Season Pre-dictions (Get it?): 

1.)	UCLA	6.)	Oregon
2.)	Arizona St.	7.)	Washington
3.)	USC	8.)	California
4.)	Arizona	9.)	Stanford
5.)	Washington St.	10.)	Oregon St.

 
Final Thoughts***

- Simply put, the Pac-10 will not be as good top to bottom next season as they were last season 

- The Pac-10 will send no more than five teams to next year's NCAA tournament

- No team will finish conference play undefeated, no team will finish without a win in conference 

* No attempt at predicting who may or may not enter the draft were made. All players who have declared, whether they signed with an agent or not, are assumed to be gone from school.

** All statistics taken from kenpom.com and sportsillustrated.cnn.com

*** I will do a short update after the NBA draft declaration deadline 

 

When it comes to making tournament bracket predictions a few weeks out, glad that this blogger doesn't seem to have a clue.  Sure, did manage to predict Oregon State would finish 10th. 

Oh, here's a grand prognostication.  My picks of UCLA to finish first and Stanford to come in second turned out to be correct as well. That's it folks. The way the rest completed conference play came as a surprise. Or did it?

Wait a minute.  The prediction garbage is over.  Now it's time to look at the real deal.

If you're a Coug, you have to be pleased with the way the brackets worked out for the Pac-10 Tournament.  Washington State won't face UCLA unless they reach the finals.

First up for the Cougars are those Fightin' Ducks from Eugene. 

Oregon came on strong at the end of the season because of some very nice sharpshooting from outside.  WSU knows how to beat this Oregon team because they have already accomplished that feat twice this year. 

Sorry, but this blogger doesn't buy into all the history of Oregon and Coach Ernie Kent dominating WSU in recent years.  That was then, we're trying to take a look at the reality of today.  If ever there was a team ripe to knock off the Cougs because of losing a couple in a row to them, it's the Huskies. 

After the double overtime win last Saturday, WSU has a streak of seven in a row over the Dawgs.  This Cougar team will be coached to perfection by Coach Tony Bennett.  Will they execute his game plan?  You bet.  Cougs will make it three in a row over Oregon.

Looking at the bracket Washington State is in, the first game is an early Christmas present for Arizona.  The 'Cats get to beat up on the Beavers one more time, mercifully ending the nightmare for Oregon State called the "2007-2008 season."

The reward for Arizona?  No, it's not settling the impending controversy raised by the return of Coach Lute Olson next season. 

The 'Cats get another crack at Stanford.  The Cardinal have managed two nail-biting wins over Arizona during conference play.  Can they do it again?  Will the Lopez towers dominate?  Nope.  No sir.  Stanford can be beaten by teams that can drain threes.  Arizona both can and will do that very thing. 

Arizona-WSU for the third time this season.

As match-ups go, Coach Bennett and his team wouldn't mind getting another crack at the Wildcats.  WSU lost both games to Arizona during the regular season.  In fact, Arizona blew the Cougs away in Tucson.  Coach Bennett has yet to come up with a way to slow down Chase Budinger.  Then again, very few coaches have figured that one out.  If the WSU defense can keep the combination of Budinger and Jerryd Bayless under 30 combined points, they have a chance of winning. 

Will the third time be the charm for Washington State?  You bet!  They advance to the finals where anything can happen.

On the other side of the tournament bracket, Cal should be able to handle the Huskies.  Losing Jon Brockman is a serious blow to the UW. 

Cal will then be taken seriously by UCLA this time around and sent packing. 

The other game on this side of the bracket matches USC and ASU. 

USC has been playing up to their potential at season end.  Given the athletic talent of their club, that's saying something.  Trojans will defeat Arizona State to set up another Pac-10 classic. 

UCLA-USC. 

If the Trojans can stay out of foul trouble, this has the potential to be the best game of the tournament.  UCLA is much deeper than USC.  Coach Ben Howland will have his troops do their best to frustrate Coach Tim Floyd and company. 

This time of the year, defense usually wins.  UCLA has arguably the best defense in the Pac-10.  This one should be another Bruin victory any way you look at it.

There you have it.  Final game UCLA-WSU.  Prediction?

Are you kidding me?

GO COUGS!!!

With their season on the brink, ASU will have some good home cooking tonight as they square off with the UCLA Bruins. 

This home-cooking, however, might not taste as good as they would like it to.

After suffering a 33 point defeat on January 5th when these two teams hooked up at Pauley, the Devils were left reeling and slipped into a five-game losing streak.

Herb Sendeck has these young Devils back on track and riding high after a win on the road at Washington, and there's nothing better than a late season home game against a top ranked team.

With the possibility of UCLA being No. 1 in the rankings this means the opportunity is there for Arizona State to solidify their tournament resume and basically cement themselves in the postseason. 

How will this be done?  Let's take a look.

The matchup to watch is obviously Jeff Pendergraph trying to defend the versatile Kevin Love. Pendergraph will have to guard Love all over the court, as he loves to move around to find his shot.  Also Pendergraph will have to force Kevin Love to guard him in the post because Pendergraph has the size and the experience advantage in the post game.

On the white board before the game, Herb Sendeck should write three names: Collison, Westbrook, Shipp.  This three pronged attack that the Bruins have combined with Love as a 4th guard poses a threat for the young Sun Devil guards Harden, Abbott and Glasser. For ASU to have a chance these guards will have to handle their slashing ability as well as accuracy from downtown.

The bottom line is that UCLA is a very explosive team. They can slash from every angle and can go 10 deep  which gives them an advantage.

What they do not have on their side however will be 10,000 people packed into Wells Fargo Arena. The fans will need to warm up those vocal cords as ASU boasts one of the most hostile college basketball environments.

Prediction

ASU plays a tough 35 minutes, but the depth of UCLA takes over in the final minutes to prevail 63-59

2007-8 PAC-10 Freshman of the Year 

When considering that honor you think of highly touted PAC-10 rookies Jerryd Bayless, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love. Well, I'm here to tell you none of the above are the PAC-10's Rookie of the Year. The conference Rookie of the Year is..... drum roll please…….. James Harden.

Consider these facts: 

               FG %      3PT %   FT%    RPG    APG       PPG      SPG      T.O.

Harden     52.6       41.3      74.4     5.2     2.8      18.0      1.9        2.5

Bayless    47.8       43.3      83.3     4.4     2.9        21       1           3.2

Love        58.3       36.6      74        11      1.8        17        .7         2

Mayo       44.1       38.4      78.6     4.5      2.9      20.1      1.5        3.8

No disrespect to Jerryd, Kevin, and O.J., but the Artesia grad is putting the ASU program back on the mainstream radar and possibly in NCAA tournament contention.

Not since Ike Diogu’s time as a Sun Devil, has ASU been this close to a berth.

Harden has helped them to rebound from a terrible season last year, in which Arizona State lost a school record 15 straight. Harden’s 25 points in an Overtime win against then ranked #7 Stanford recently has to boost his cause.

The left hander is averaging 18.0 PPG, 1.9 SPG, and 5.2 RPG. Plus, the kid is only a astonishing 18 years old and not eligible for the NBA Draft which requires the participant to be at least 19 years of age.

That means he will have to continue to put in work for ASU and make the Pac-10 a better conference than what it already is for years to come.

Snowed in. That’s just fine.

–No. 6 UCLA 84, Oregon State 49. Ladies and gentlemen, the worst team in all of major divisional college basketball. I still would put UCLA as a 2 seed if it all started today.

–No. 10 Xavier 75, Duquesne 48. Stanley Burrell had a season-high 12 assists helping in the rout. Muskies get to really land a blow to Dayton’s March chances on Sunday in Dayton.

–No. 17 Washington State 59, Arizona State 47. ASU had plenty of chances, but they couldn’t hit the house if they were standing in the driveway. Herb Sendek looked like a defeated man by the end of this one.

–No. 21 Notre Dame 82, Pittsburgh 70. Notre Dame is clearly the better team. Pitt had the halftime lead, but they totally took their foot off of the gas in the second half, allowing the Irish to take advantage. For those of you keeping score, Pitt has now lost four of its last seven games. ‘Gody goes for 23 and 12 (man, we are just getting used to those kinds of double-doubles in CBB these days) and the Irish, to me, are one of the biggest sustained surprises of this season.

Notable:

Massachusetts 98, Rhode Island 91. Back-and-forth nature of this game, with it being so high scoring, was exactly what you would have expected. Kaheim Seawright of URI committed an intentional foul (iffy call, but probably the right one) that really allowed UMass to get some separation at the end of the second half. M’Men now have the edge for the at-large and Rhode Island faces a must-win situation against St. Joe’s on Sunday. URI’s Will Daniels is a stud.

La Salle81, Dayton 78. WHAT has gotten into 12-13 La Salle? Dayton takes a huge blow to their at-large chances with this loss. The Flyers are now 5-7 in the A-10 and have created a fantastic bubble conundrum. They hafta beat Xavier at home on Sunday.

South Alabama 69, Western Kentucky 64. I actually caught this game! Yeah, for whatever reason my cable package gets all of the Fox Sports Net affiliates, and FSN South was broadcasting this game, much to my delight. USA looked pretty poised on the road. If they win out, then lose to WKU in the conference title game, I’d have a hard time leaving them out. (Though they probably would be omitted by the committee.)

Southern California 81, Oregon 75. The Ducks have more bad losses than quality wins at this point and I can’t seem them playing their way into The Tournament. What a game for Mayo, who went for 32.  Most of them came during USC’s run to get the lead (they trailed by double-digits for a large portion of the first half). If there was any doubt about Mayo going on to the NBA after this year, this game nullified it.

Washington 75, Arizona 66. The Pac-10 continues to chew out its own stomach. WTF? Although, it is true that Bank of America Arena (sounds intimidating, I know) is one of the harder venues to come out with a win at. If Arizona somehow plays their way into a 5 seed, you’d have to consider the trendy upset they’re paired with.