Toyminator's 2003-2004 Pac Ten Conference Preview

The Pac-10 will continue to be one of the top conferences in the country this season, but unlike most, may not have a single contender for the title. Sure, Arizona still has a shot but they won't be as dangerous as they were last season. The unexpected loss of prep star Ndudi Ebi and possibly athletic forward Chris Dunn gives Coach Olson less flexibility and leaves them extremely thin in the frontcourt. They may have a hard time holding off teams in their conference who are tired of always looking up at them. Stanford returns most of their key players from a squad some believed overachieved last season. With Josh Childress ready to explode onto the national scene, look for the Cardinal to make a serious run at the conference crown. Another interesting squad to keep an eye on is Cal. Despite the loss of some valuable seniors, the Bears may have the best group of freshmen in the country, similar to North Carolina a year ago. If they can stay healthy, they could be Arizona's toughest matchup.

The middle of the conference is a major tossup. USC may have the upperhand if they continue to play like they did at the end of last season. With newcomer Jeff McMillan providing some needed muscle underneath, they should be a bubble team at least. Arizona State & Oregon are both high-scoring clubs that lost some quality players. Thus, their newcomers will have to provide some immediate impact if they want to return to the NCAA Tournament this season. Surprisingly, the Washington schools should be a lot stronger and may actually play in this year's Pac-10 Tournament. The Huskies have as much talent as anyone in the league and just need Coach Romar to bring them together, while the Cougars welcome back the league's top PG in Marcus Moore and a new system under Dick Bennett.

Lastly, good times may soon be returning to Pauley Pavillion as new coach Ben Howland takes over the sinking program. Former coach Steve Lavin's reputation was so bad that a LA Times hit piece couldn't make it any worse, so the time was right to send him packing. Howland doesn't turn programs around right away, but the Bruins will be back in a few years after he gets some players that fit his style of play. He's already got a good jump on next year's recruitng class!

ON THE RISE: Washington
Some may refuse to admit it, but this team has accumulated some talented players which should equate to more wins this season. The backcourt is so loaded that a 2 1/2 year starter and possibly their best player will be coming off the bench! The frontcourt should be improved with a healthy Anthony Washington and the addition of Hakeem Rollins down low. Oh, and let's not forget about a pair of talented wings in Bobby Jones & Tre Simmons. Wow, if this team can start playing some defense, they should be playing somewhere this March!

IN DECLINE: Oregon State
This choice came down to the two Oregon schools, but I went with the Beavers because the Ducks actually have some young talent that just need time to develop. Other than PG Lamar Hurd, the same can't be said of Oregon State. Their frontcourt is truly one of the worst in the country, and if J.S. Nash is still the starting SG by season's end, then it could be worse than expected for this team. The goal for this season should be to develop a few of their newcomers into solid players, otherwise this program is hopeless!

1. ARIZONA

Strengths: Explosive offense! Extremely quick team. Good rebounding team. Solid team defense. Good ball handling & distribution.
Weakness: Very inexperienced team with little off the bench. Inconsistent play.
Outlook: The Wildcats have a strong starting five, along with one of the nation's top 6th men in Adams. After that, the talent level falls of quickly so injuries and foul trouble could hurt this team as the season goes along. Despite that, they are still the early favorites to win this league, even though it may not be as easy as it used to be!

2. STANFORD

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Good rebounding team. Balanced scoring. Very deep & experienced team.
Weakness: Questionable PG play. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: The theory last season was that the Cardinal were due to fall some after getting hit hard with early defections. However, they ended up being an even better team. With most everyone back, they could surpass the mighty Wildcats if they stumble just a bit!

3. CALIFORNIA

Strengths: Excellent shooting team. Good ball handling & distribution. Solid team defense.
Weakness: Very inexperienced. Must improve rebounding & inside scoring.
Outlook: Cal lost some major points when Joe Shipp & Brian Wethers graduated. However, Coach Braun may have his best recruiting class ever, with three freshmen likely in the starting lineup. This may lead to some bad losses, but look for plenty of W's, enough to get this team back into the NCAA Tournament.

4. USC

Strengths: Good rebounding team. Quick, high scoring wings. Lots of depth & experience.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Need to improve shooting, especially from outside. Unstable PG play.
Outlook: The Trojans played their best ball late last season and almost stole the automatic bid. If someone can run this team effectively at the point, look for this team to be a major sleeper and very dangerous come March.

5. WASHINGTON

Strengths: Quick, athletic backcourt with lots of quality depth. Good 3-pt shooting team. Balanced offense.
Weakness: Weak team defense. Suspect frontcourt - little inside scoring & rebounding. Too many turnovers. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: Doug Wrenn quickly morphed into an albatross for this team and his early exit was a blessing. Now, look for talented players like Nate Robinson & Brandon Roy to start taking over on the offensive end. If this team can improve defensively, they will shock many teams (and fans) this season.

6. ARIZONA ST.

Strengths: Good shooting & rebounding team. Inside power of Diogu. Limit their turnovers.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Besides Ike, an unproven frontcourt. Lost a lot of seniors.
Outlook: Ike Diogu lifted this program to the next step, but can he alone keep them there? The big guy had lots of support last season, but most of those players have graduated. This season, there's too many unknowns to expect them to make an encore appearance at the Big Show. Looks like back to the NIT they go!

7. OREGON

Strengths: Solid backcourt. Potent offense - good shooting team. Force many turnovers.
Weakness: Horrible set of big men - little scoring & rebounding from them! Commit too many turnovers.
Outlook: Other than a nice run to capture the Pac-10 Tournament title, last season was a disappointment for Duck fans. If you took your eyes off the Luke boys for a second, you'd notice this team was soft underneath and its defense too loose. Without Rid carrying this team, they may crumble this season!

8. UCLA

Strengths: Good shooting team. Solid frontcourt. Finally, a real coach.
Weakness: Inept backcourt - poor ball handling & distribution. Terrible team defense.
Outlook: New coach Ben Howland is perfect for this program, but this is not his team or his type of players. The Bruins will be improved, but they are a long way from where they need to be!

9. WASHINGTON ST.

Strengths: Potent backcourt, led by Moore. Good 3-pt shooting team.
Weakness: Poor shooting & rebounding team. Weak team defense. Commit too many turnovers.
Outlook: The arrival of slowhand himself (Dick Bennett) won't inject much vigor into this team, but may result in a few more wins.

10. OREGON ST.

Strengths: Solid team defense. Decent PG.
Weakness: Pitiful frontcourt. Limited offense. Horrible 3-pt shooting team. Very inexperienced.
Outlook: Plain and simple, this is the worst team in the conference. However, look for them to pull at least one upset at home. That may make the season bearable.

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Last updated on 10/20/03 by toyminator@prodigy.net