As the 2022-23 men's assemblage hoops play draws closer, ESPN.com's sheet of experts is predicting the bid of decorativeness for the nation's apical conferences. Having already looked astatine the mid-majors and the American, the absorption present shifts to the Pac-12.
There is uncertainty up for this league. With some UCLA and USC acceptable to bolt for the Big Ten successful 2024 and reports that others schools wrong the league could besides beryllium looking to move, it's unclear what the Pac-12 volition look similar successful the coming years, oregon if it tin prolong its lasting among the powerfulness conferences.
This play successful men's basketball, however, it faces a acquainted situation successful the nationalist landscape: This is simply a top-heavy league with a mates of teams that look susceptible of second-weekend potential. The past clip that happened -- 2020-2021 -- 2 Pac-12 (Oregon State, USC) teams reached the Elite Eight, and UCLA lone missed its accidental to play successful the rubric crippled due to the fact that of a 30-foot buzzer beater from Gonzaga successful the Final Four.
This league mightiness deficiency past year's prima power, but the returning veterans should lend to the corporate postseason imaginable of the full league.
Find much preseason investigation here.
Pac-12 2022-23 superlatives
Player of the Year
Medcalf: Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA
Borzello: Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA
Gasaway: Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA
Lunardi: Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA
Newcomer of the Year
Medcalf: Amari Bailey, UCLA
Borzello: Amari Bailey, UCLA
Gasaway: Amari Bailey, UCLA
Lunardi: Amari Bailey, UCLA
Pac-12 2022-23 roundtable
In his archetypal play arsenic a caput coach, Tommy Lloyd won the Pac-12 title and earned Arizona a No. 1 effect successful the NCAA tournament. How tin this season's squad repetition that success?
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Lunardi: Not lone did Arizona triumph the Pac-12 unexpectedly, not lone did the Wildcats drawback an NCAA determination No. 1 seed, they were the second wide seed -- trailing lone Gonzaga, wherever Lloyd spent the erstwhile 2 decades riding shotgun to Mark Few. One could reason Lloyd is the archetypal antheral to ever assemble the nation's apical 2 teams successful the aforesaid season.
The 2022-23 Wildcats volition not beryllium arsenic individually talented arsenic past season's, but a fractional twelve guys who played 20-plus minutes return. That's a batch of acquisition from a 33-win team, truthful it's not unreasonable to erstwhile again scope the 2nd weekend. This time, though, they'll beryllium the huntsman alternatively of the hunted apical seed. And that benignant of vengeance would beryllium precise saccharine indeed.
Gasaway: Lloyd brought a spot of Gonzaga southbound past twelvemonth successful the signifier of incredibly close team-wide 2-point shooting: Arizona connected connected 58% of its tries wrong the arc successful Pac-12 play. That stat volition instrumentality a deed with Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry and Christian Koloko gone, but not excessively much. Azuolas Tubelis is inactive around, arsenic are Oumar Ballo and Pelle Larsson. In addition, Texas transportation Courtney Ramey volition proviso assistance from the perimeter. Arizona and UCLA are the co-favorites for the league.
Medcalf: Based connected Mathurin's item reel plays from the Indiana Pacers' NBA preseason games, the Wildcats volition decidedly miss his bounce and sheer talent. Overall, 45.1 PPG (Mathurin, Koloko, Terry and Justin Kier) from past play is gone. You can't recoup that. But I deliberation Ramey, who finished with a 13.1% turnover complaint successful Big 12 enactment past season, tin beryllium a susceptible shot handler for the Pac-12 rubric contenders. Still, a squad with Kerr Kriisa (9.7 PPG) and Ramey successful the backcourt, and Tubelis (13.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG), Larsson (Pac-12 sixth antheral of the year) and Ballo, is stacked capable to gain a beardown effect connected Selection Sunday -- assuming Arizona tin support its antiaircraft occurrence (21st successful adjusted antiaircraft ratio connected KenPom past season).
Borzello: Arizona was genuinely elite offensively astir of past season, with Lloyd bringing successful a faster-paced strategy predicated connected sharing the shot and scoring astatine volition astir the rim. Of course, helium had 3 top-35 NBA draught picks to help. So immoderate of past year's complementary pieces volition request to instrumentality connected bigger roles. Those astir the programme expect a breakout run from Larsson, and Ballo continues to amended down low. Whether Arizona tin propulsion UCLA for a league rubric volition apt travel down to the young additions: freshmen Dylan Anderson and Henri Veesaar, and seldom-used returnee Adama Bal.
UCLA had precocious hopes entering past season, but couldn't rather conscionable them, acknowledgment to a myriad of reasons, including injuries and COVID pauses. Can the Bruins bounce backmost this season, and what bash they request to bash to spell far?
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Tyger Campbell in-bounds a dime to Jaime Jaquez Jr. for 2
Gasaway: How fickle is this happening called assemblage basketball? The Bruins were up 3 connected North Carolina successful the Sweet 16, with a small much than 2 minutes remaining. So possibly UCLA was person than we really think, successful reaching back-to-back Final Fours. In immoderate event, Jaquez, Tyger Campbell and chap returnee Jaylen Clark volition accidental hullo to nationalist top-20 recruits Amari Bailey and Adem Bona. With Campbell handling the ball, the Bruins whitethorn crush the remainder of the Pac-12 successful changeable measurement erstwhile again successful 2023.
Medcalf: Mick Cronin volition beryllium surviving bully nary substance what happens aft UCLA's Final Four (2021) and Sweet Sixteen (2022) runs. But a steadfast Jaquez (13.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.3 APG) -- who battled ankle injuries passim 2021-22 -- gives UCLA 1 of assemblage basketball's astir implicit players. UCLA committed turnovers connected conscionable 11.5% of its possessions with Campbell connected the level past season, per hooplens.com. Bona and Bailey are projected first-round picks. I deliberation the concealed astir UCLA this twelvemonth is that Cronin mightiness person his champion Bruins team. If that's true, well, we each cognize he's done much with less.
Borzello: I agree. The Bruins should beryllium capable to make momentum much consistently, adjacent without Johnny Juzang and Jules Bernard. Jaquez is simply a preseason All-American, Campbell is 1 of the champion constituent guards successful the country, Clark averaged 14.8 points and 6.4 rebounds during a five-game February agelong arsenic a starter. If Bailey and Bona are so the game-changers they're expected to be, UCLA is the wide Pac-12 favorite.
Lunardi: UCLA struggled to conscionable expectations past twelvemonth successful portion due to the fact that said expectations were unreasonable, based much upon its 5 2021 NCAA tourney wins than what had been a mostly mediocre regular season. The information figured to autumn determination successful the middle, which is precisely what happened past season. It is apt amended positioned for a Final Four tally successful 2023. The 2 champion players are backmost on with much than capable emerging endowment to support the bully times going. With Arizona losing the constituent of surprise, I similar UCLA to regain its Pac-12 crown and marque a precise heavy NCAA tally this March.
A bully fig of coaches successful the Pac-12 volition beryllium nether scrutiny this season: Mike Hopkins (Washington), Jerod Haase (Stanford), Bobby Hurley (Arizona), to sanction a few. Who's successful the astir trouble, and however tin they prevention their seat?
Borzello: Washington had a amazingly coagulated 2021-22 campaign, finishing 17-15 wide and 11-9 successful the league, but person inactive lone been to 1 NCAA tourney successful Hopkins' 5 seasons astatine the helm. There is immoderate optimism surrounding its incoming transfers.
Arizona State won 7 of its last 8 regular-season games, and diversion manager Ray Anderson gave Hurley a ballot of assurance for different year. This is different squad counting connected an influx of newcomers -- and a steadfast Marcus Bagley, who has lone played 15 games successful 2 seasons owed to injury.
Lunardi: Including the canceled 2020 tournament, Hurley has 3 NCAA tourney appearances (no wins), Hopkins 1 and Haase nary successful 18 aggregate seasons. Only Hopkins has won an NCAA crippled (2019), aft besides capturing the league crown. Because his "high" was the highest and his autumn the furthest, his spot is astir apt the hottest. Among the three, helium besides has the worst squad this season, meaning his accidental to yet win Jim Boeheim astatine Syracuse has apt travel and gone.
Haase has the champion squad of the trio, and figures to thrust the NCAA bubble each season. Hurley has different NIT-level team, which whitethorn oregon whitethorn not enactment for the powers-that-be successful Tempe (who already fired their big-name shot manager this year).
Medcalf: Hopkins was Boeheim's successor, which lone added value to his accomplishment successful Seattle. Now helium has a 45-49 league grounds and a azygous NCAA tourney appearance. He is also, similar galore different caput coaches, battling intensified expectations from boosters, who tin present play a much captious (and legal) relation successful recruiting done name, representation and likeness (NIL) opportunities. And the transportation portal has created the anticipation that immoderate manager tin manufacture a just-add-water squad with second-weekend potential. All this successful a Seattle portion that conscionable produced the No. 1 prime (Paolo Banchero) and different apical NBA endowment specified arsenic Dejounte Murray, and it's casual to spot however different rocky play for Hopkins could pb the program's apical brass to presume idiosyncratic other could beryllium better.
Gasaway: It's imaginable Stanford, Arizona State and Washington volition each beryllium amended than they were past year. Conversely, could Oregon State look not overmuch antithetic than successful 2021-22? Getting backmost to Haase: In 10 seasons arsenic a caput manager (with six coming astatine a major-conference program), he's reached 1 NCAA tournament. On the different hand, helium did person his champion KenPom squad successful 2020. No luck.
Who oregon what are we not talking astir capable astir crossed the Pac-12?
Medcalf: Dana Altman has won astatine slightest 1 crippled successful the NCAA tourney 7 times since 2012-13: He's reached the Sweet 16 3 times, the Elite Eight erstwhile and the Final Four erstwhile during that stretch. His 2022-23 Oregon Ducks squad -- led by seasoned Will Richardson and McDonald's All-American Kel'el Ware -- has a accidental to adhd to that stat. Altman's consistency successful a turbulent collegiate scenery implicit the past decade, which 4 Pac-12 titles, has besides been overlooked.
Gasaway: Andy Enfield has taken USC to much NCAA tournaments than immoderate manager successful programme history. The Trojans could get determination again successful 2023 with Drew Peterson, Boogie Ellis and promising newcomers Vincent Iwuchukwu and Tre White. Plus, the hoops gods beryllium USC a favor. Last twelvemonth a league that changeable 33% connected its 3s drained 39% of its tries against the Trojans.
Borzello: It feels similar we've been down this roadworthy before, but Stanford appears to beryllium a statement preseason top-five squad successful the Pac-12 this play -- which could perchance effect successful the Cardinal's archetypal travel to the NCAA tourney since Jerod Haase took implicit successful 2016. He's recruited efficaciously implicit the past fewer years, but hasn't been capable to consistently enactment it unneurotic connected the floor. But Spencer Jones and Michael Jones are elite shooters, and Harrison Ingram is simply a erstwhile five-star enlistee and imaginable NBA player. Can the Cardinal get businesslike constituent defender play from Michael O'Connell oregon Isa Silva? It could find their March fate.
Lunardi: I'm inactive having a hard clip getting utilized to the thought of nary Pac-12 practice successful L.A. -- whether it's 2 years from present oregon 2 decades.
That said, it's precocious clip the league gets disconnected its you-know-what and does thing astir San Diego State. The Aztecs would beryllium nary worse than the 3rd champion squad successful the league this year. They whitethorn not beryllium successful L.A., but they're the closest (only?) large programme available. Instead of dithering, the Pac-12 needs to beryllium arsenic assertive arsenic possible. I would adhd SDSU yesterday and past marque immoderate arrangements are indispensable to swipe Gonzaga arsenic a peculiar basketball-only member.
It's not going to happen, but if different conferences tin deliberation and enactment extracurricular the box, wherefore not the Pac-12?
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