Pac-10 poll
Pacific-10 men's basketball media day is Thursday, and here is my preseason ballot. By the way, I think this will be a down year for the league, and picking after my top three teams was not easy.
1. UCLA
2. Arizona State
3. USC
4. Washington State
5. Arizona
6. Washington
7. Stanford
8. Oregon
9. California
10. Oregon State
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About Inside UCLA
This is Brian Dohn's sixth season covering UCLA after spending 4 1/2 years covering the Dodgers for the Daily News and other Los Angeles Newspaper Group papers. He graduated from Rutgers, where the first college football game was played in 1869. Sure, the Scarlet Knights suffered for a long time, but now RU is doing what Jerseyans always thought was possible. Winning at Rutgers also proves winning is possible everywhere else in the nation, so underachieving coaches better be careful. Now, if only men's hoops can turn it around.
Unless the Pac-10 is really weak, I think you may have USC too high.
One question Brian,
Where would you have put Arizona if Olsen didn't step down?
USC will be in the top 3. They have a solid team.
Arizona at 5?? What??? They will be lucky to finish in the top 7. Agree with the comment above, where would you have put them if Olsen didn't step down.
UNBELIEVABLE!!! UCLA is so sick it should take the #1 slot and the #2 slot as well. why does brian always shortchange us in the polls???
How the mighty have fallen:
Arizona had a long, long run of 25 or so years;
Stanford had been quite good for most of the last decade and a half;
Oregon and Cal had some good years, and Washington had some influence for a while.
Of course, basketball being only a 5-man game, if a school gets 2 or 3 studs it will be right back in the running again.
LJ
looks about right Brian, USC getting derozen is huge and it should make them a contender for the #2 spot. ASU is going to be good with harden playing.. he was a stud last year. UW with isaiah thomas (not the suicidal one) should be pretty good. look for brockman to have a big year as always!
sc with gibson and hackett - add derosan - may well have a lot better chemistry than last year's team - and Floyd will drive them to focus on defense. I like the picks but think Washington can jump past Arizona even though the true effects of lute olson's retiremnt will be seen a lot more acutely starting next year
I think washington will be better than predicted, top 4 in league. cal seems better than 9th also.
Bruins should hopefully dominate the league and be ready for a big tourney run.