Toyminator's 2000-2001 Pac Ten Conference Preview

This could be the Pac-Ten's season! Arizona & Stanford should be Top 5 material all season long, with at least one heading to the Final Four. In fact, Arizona is so talented, I would be surprised if they did not win the Championship! Need proof...how about a future NBA draft pick at all five starting positions, including the best center (if not player) in the country in Loren Woods. Add in a deep, quality bench and even some minor injuries shouldn't stop this team! As for the Cardinal, they could be the better "team" and should provide the Cats with their greatest challenge. Mike Montgomery is probably the nation's most underrated coach, and has created an almost "elite" program at Stanford. Also, look for sophomores Casey Jacobsen & Jason Collins to continue their improvement towards a big NBA payoff someday. When these two teams meet, be sure to watch it!

The rest of the conference is pretty solid. Look for USC to have its best season in years, thanks to a talented & experienced starting 5. If they can get help off the bench, then the Big Dance awaits them! UCLA will be good, but slightly down from last season, unless underachieving center Dan Gadzuric finally plays to his potential. Cal, Oregon St & Oregon will also be in the postseason picture this year as well. And while other conferences lost some top players to the NBA, there remains a boatload of talent in the Pac Ten that should be on the highlight reels all season long!

ON THE RISE: USC
Henry Bibby's not the greatest coach in the world, but he won't have to do too much work with the talent on the floor this season for the Trojans. An incredibly quick & athletic backcourt would be tough to stop alone, but when you have the all around game of Brian Scalabrine down low, it's even worse to defend. Add in a healthy Sam Clancy to bang people around, and something that resembles a bench, and it could be quite an exciting year in LA!

IN DECLINE: Washington
Second year in a row for Bender's Boys! Last season was just the beginning of their fall down the conference. This season, they should hit rock bottom...even blowing by pitiful Washington St! The transfer of their only decent player, Senque Carey, was the final shot through the heart! It won't be pretty in the Northwest for hoops fans this season!

1. ARIZONA

Strengths: Talent galore! Big, deep frontcourt. Aggressive on both offense & defense. Good team quickness. Good FT shooting team
Weakness: Poor 3-pt shooting team. Can be sloppy with the ball!
Outlook: Wow! The country's best starting five now has a solid bench, thanks to the return of Edgerson & Frazier. This team will be a joy to watch, unless you're playing them! They'll sure be Jumpin' Jumpin' in Tuscon this season!

2. STANFORD

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Great teamwork. Big, deep frontcourt that loves to rebound. Good ball handling & shooting team.
Weakness: Inexperienced bench. Staying healthy.
Outlook: Injuries killed their shot at a title last season, so if everyone stays healthy, they have a good chance this season. If not, their bench isn't deep enough to prevent the same thing from occurring. Palo Alto will be keeping their fingers crossed.

3. USC

Strengths: Quick, athletic team. Good shooting team. Solid PG who distributes the ball well.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. A little loose on defense. Thin bench.
Outlook: The Trojans were looking good last season until Clancy got injured. He's back, along with the very experienced Jarvis Turner (how long has he been playing?), so they may not get pounded on the glass as often. Too talented not to make the Big Dance.

4. UCLA

Strengths: Excellent shooting team. Good team quickness. Plenty of experience.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Questionable ball-handling. Horrible FT shooting team.
Outlook: Loss of Moiso & Rush leaves only Gadzuric down low, so they could have trouble against bigger teams. But with Kapono draining 3's from everywhere, they could be dangerous as well. NCAA is probable.

5. OREGON ST.

Strengths: Solid, experienced backcourt. Good outside shooting team. Balanced scoring. Good size.
Weakness: Team defense declined dramatically! Poor rebounding team. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: Very disappointing last season, but could make up for it this season. Good talent here to challenge for the league's upper echelon, but mostly they'll just give the others fits. A definite bubble team.

6. CALIFORNIA

Strengths: Decent shooting team. Good rebounding team. Young talent.
Weakness: Iffy defense, especially on the perimeter. Questionable backcourt, who turn the ball over too much.
Outlook: Last season, the Bears improved greatly and "rebuilt" quickly. With more experience, the Bears should be even tougher and another trip to the postseason is probable.

7. OREGON

Strengths: Well disciplined team, who handles the ball well & takes good shots. Good FT shooting team. Very experienced.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Poor 3-pt shooting team. Weak perimeter defense.
Outlook: Still a solid team, but it's hard to replace the talented senior trio from last season. NIT is within reach.

8. ARIZONA ST.

Strengths: Good rebounding team. Balanced scoring offense. Good FT shooting team. Good depth.
Weakness: Lost their offense...I mean Eddie House! Poor 3-pt shooting team. Weak team defense.
Outlook: House carried this team last season, so it's time for these talented youngsters to step up or it will be a long season.

9. WASHINGTON ST.

Strengths: Decent frontcourt. Good 3-pt shooting team.
Weakness: Backcourt's a mess! Horrible team defense. Little inside scoring. Poor rebounding team.
Outlook: Despite their horrible backcourt, they may not end up in last place like always! No, that's not a misprint either!

10. WASHINGTON

Strengths: Deep, experienced frontcourt.
Weakness: Defense sucks! Offense is even worse! Poor rebounding team. Poor ball handling & distribution. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: Bad, bad, bad! Hey, at least there's no place to go but up!

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Last updated on 9/29/00 by toyminator@prodigy.net