UCLA freshman T.J. Leaf leads the team in scoring as they open Pac-12 play Wednesday. (AP Photo/John Locher)

The UCLA men’s basketball team has 13 straight wins and a No. 2 ranking, but doesn’t want to stake claim to the title of “Pac-12 favorite.”

Before UCLA’s Pac-12 opener in Eugene, Ore., head coach Steve Alford called the defending Pac-12 champion Ducks, UCLA’s opponent Wednesday night (6 p.m., ESPN2), the favorite to win the conference again.

With the New York Times and Sports Illustrated calling, Alford is trying to deflect as much attention from his dynamic team as possible. But when your team is currently on pace to set a conference scoring record, there’s only so much a coach can do.

Through 13 nonconference games, the Bruins are second in the country in scoring with 95.8 points per game. The conference mark for scoring is 92.3, set by UCLA in 1967-68.

Oregon was the media’s preseason pick to win the conference but lost two of its first four games. The Ducks bounced back with a nine-game winning streak heading into Wednesday’s game.