Here are my picks for the Pac 12 hoops race. This was no easy task, but I managed to finish before 2012 bit me!
1. California
2. Stanford
3. Arizona
4. Washington
5. UCLA
6. Oregon State
7. Oregon
8. Washington State
9. Colorado
10. Arizona State
11. USC
12. Utah
There appeared to be a pretty clear top four before the season started (Cal, Washington, Arizona and UCLA) but now it appears that UCLA is slumping and Stanford and Oregon State are stepping up. I now consider the top four to be Cal, Washington, Arizona and UCLA.
Who knows if Stanford or OSU will have the stamina to push forward, but this is what I'm heading into 2012 with!
UCLA is undoubtedly going to have a harder year this year than in the past. If Josh Smith steps up his game and freshman guard Normal Powell keeps improving, the year could be eased. However, if you look at the Bruins' roster, it looks alarmingly light on anything good.
The Huskies have the potential for a quick start because of an easy schedule early on. Plus, Washington is known for their history of turning around struggles. Though Washington is slightly weak on the inside game, I think they will pull out some magic this season.
My reasoning for ranking Arizona #3 in my hoops race article:
It looks to me as though Johnny Dawkins has something good going on in Palo Alto. The Cardinals have a big rebounding margin and, if they get Dwight Powell playing well, they should be a handful for any opponent.
In my last post I ranked where I thought the Pac 12 basketball teams would finish in the hoops race. I had ranked the Cal Bears at the top. Here's why: