2008-2009 Pac 10 Basketball Preview

Conference Title Contenders

UCLA - The theme this year in the Pac 10 is "rebuilding" but as the saying goes, programs like UCLA don't rebuild they reload. Gone are first-round draft picks Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love, but there is plenty of talent in Westwood to keep the Bruins on top of the Pac 10. Like UCLA teams in the recent past, the Bruins will rely on tough defense led by PG Darren Collison and balanced scoring with Collison, Josh Shipp and Jrue Holliday likely to average double digits.

Arizona State - The Sun Devils are the one team in the Pac 10 that didn't lose significant contributors from last year, as they return their top seven scorers, led by James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph. Harden was their "go-to" guy last year as a freshman and expect him to have a big year this year before bolting to the NBA. Last year's team would have made the NCAA tournament last year if not for their struggles on the road; a problem that shouldn't affect a more experienced team this year.

NCAA Bids
Four or five. UCLA and ASU seem to be safe bets to secure at-large bids. There are question marks for every other team in the conference but look for USC, Washington State, Arizona, and perhaps Stanford to also be in contention for bids come March.

Potential Surprises
Washington State - Most expect a big dropoff from the Cougars after the loss of three starters from last year's team, most notably Derrick Lowe. But Washington State is a well-coached team that wins with defense and execution. Look for freshman Klay Thomas to fill the shoes of Lowe and for the Cougars to be in position to earn an at-large bid in March.

Potential Disappointments
California - Excitement at Cal revolves around the arrival of new head coach Mike Montgomery and while I have no doubt that Montgomery will make the Bears a better team in the future, there's not enough talent or experience in Berkeley for that to happen this year. This is a team that failed to make the NCAA tournament with two NBA draft picks (Ryan Anderson and Devon Hardin) on the roster last year.

USC - The OJ Mayo era is over as quickly as it started and also gone is the Trojans' second leading scorer Davon Jefferson. There's plenty of hype around incoming freshman DeMar DeRozan, but he is not at the same level as Mayo was last year. Expect the Trojans to be on the bubble in March; the result of a very inconsistent year.

New Faces
With so many teams losing stars to the NBA, there are plenty of new faces that should make an impact in the Pac-10. I've already mention DeMar DeRozan and Klay Thomas, Jrue Holliday (and rest of UCLA's class of incoming freshman are incredible as well) but there are also some very good freshman that will be playing on teams in the bottom of the conference. Oregon brought in a solid recruiting class headlined by Michael Dunigan, as did Washington, with the addition of class led by point guard Isaiah Thomas.