Major conference preview: 1 reason to watch each Pac-12 team

After an unbelievable tournament run in 2021's March Madness, the Pac-12 crashed back to earth last season. While UCLA was as good as advertised and Arizona took the nation by storm, most of the conference didn't play up to expectations.

This year, the country's perception of the Pac-12 isn't particularly positive. While UCLA and Arizona lead the way again, few other programs look like they'll make noise in the postseason.

That said, much is up for grabs in a conference that's largely wide-open beyond its top teams, so we're highlighting one reason to watch each squad throughout the season.

Arizona (33-4): NBA-style scheme

If you like the NBA but want to dive deeper into college basketball, watching Arizona may be the best way to see a similar product. Tommy Lloyd and Co. possess NBA size across the roster, trot out lots of athleticism, and play offense at one of the fastest paces in the country.

Perhaps the Wildcats' scheme was too convincing a professional lookalike last year, as the program lost three of its best players to the NBA draft. That leaves the team with a good but slightly unspectacular roster that may have trouble recapturing last season's No. 1 seed.

Still, Arizona is bound to excite viewers with an elite transition attack. Plus, the Wildcats' likely battle with UCLA for the Pac-12 crown will add extra intrigue.

UCLA (27-8): Impeccable decision-making

Only two teams in the nation coughed up fewer turnovers per game last season than UCLA, and with potential All-American point guard Tyger Campbell back to run the show, not much should change this go-round in Westwood.

The Bruins bring back steady veterans Jaime Jaquez Jr. and David Singleton and are still helmed by a disciplined head coach in Mick Cronin. He's known for playing at a slower pace, making it easier for the veterans to make the right plays.

The program will also feature two highly rated freshman recruits in Amari Bailey and Adem Bona, which might undermine the team's pristine ball-handling ability. On the flip side, the pair's talent and athleticism may be what UCLA needs to get over the hump this season.

USC (26-8): Big lineups

Although five-star, 7-foot-1 freshman Vince Iwuchukwu's scary heart ailment may keep him sidelined to begin the season, USC still possesses one of the biggest rosters of any team in the country. That's no surprise - the Trojans have ranked in the top 30 in KenPom's height metric in all nine seasons since Andy Enfield took control.

Outside of Iwuchukwu, USC still has another highly touted freshman big man, the 6-foot-9 Kijani Wright, to go with three reserve forwards standing at least 6-10 or taller. That's without mentioning the team's lengthy wings or starting point guard Drew Peterson, who defies positional stereotypes at 6-foot-9 himself.

Watching the Trojans means witnessing offensive and defensive dominance near the hoop and on the boards. While the program may not inspire quite as much terror without the Mobley brothers around, this is still a team that will use its superior size to its advantage.

Colorado (21-12): Tristan Da Silva

Colorado loses four of its five starters from last season and brings in no high major transfers or coveted recruits. It's safe to say the Buffaloes' lone returning starter - Tristan da Silva - will be mighty important this year.

More than that, Da Silva should be fun to watch. The brother of former Stanford star Oscar da Silva, Tristan combines athleticism and a strong shooting stroke, and he should get tons of scoring opportunities on an unproven roster.

If the Buffaloes have a good season, it will be largely because of their German big man. And if fans tune in, it will probably be for the same reason.

Washington State (22-15): Analytics

Between his years at the helm of Columbia, San Francisco, and now Washington State, head coach Kyle Smith is known for his analytics-based approach to basketball. His teams emphasize 3-pointers and layups on offense and take away the long ball and the rim on defense.

This year's squad doesn't feature any prime-time scorers, but it is loaded with size and shooters, giving Smith the personnel to play the style he knows best. Point guard Justin Powell seems primed for a breakout, and he's a career 40.6% shooter from long distance.

This year, a good version of the Cougars would drill 3-pointers, defend the rim, and play within themselves. That wouldn't make Washington State the most exciting Pac-12 team to watch, but it should still get them into the top half of the conference standings.

Oregon (20-15): A bounce-back season

Last season was head coach Dana Altman's worst year with Oregon since he took over in 2011. While a 20-15 record (11-9 in conference) and a final KenPom ranking of 82 may be decent for some schools, it's a failure in Eugene.

This roster isn't as loaded as some Ducks teams of the past, but there's more than enough talent to get Oregon into the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in Altman's tenure. Senior point guard Will Richardson and prized freshman Kel'el Ware lead the way.

Tuning into an Oregon game means watching one of the most consistent programs in the country try to get back on track after a season it would rather forget.

Washington (17-15): Ultra-aggressive defense

Washington's offense has been a disaster in the Mike Hopkins era. It hasn't reached the top 100 of KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency in any of the five seasons since he's taken the helm. While the Huskies are bringing in some scoring reinforcements, this team's calling card should once again be its defense.

Hopkins prefers to run a zone defense, which he learned from legendary coach Jim Boeheim as an assistant at Syracuse. The scheme works to force turnovers, and the Huskies ranked 25th nationally in defensive turnover rate last season.

On paper, Washington has a long, athletic team that should lend itself well to a zone. If that proves to be the case, watching a Huskies game should entail seeing tons of takeaways and transition scoring opportunities.

Arizona State (14-17): Loaded transfer class

Without any NCAA Tournament appearances since 2019, slumping Arizona State turned to the transfer portal in hopes of injecting some talent.

The Sun Devils added Michigan guard Frankie Collins, Auburn wing Devan Cambridge, and Nevada starters Warren Washington and Desmond Cambridge Jr. to complement Marcus Bagley on the roster. This core, offering a mix of production and potential, should have Arizona State fans excited.

The main draw of watching the Sun Devils this season is evaluating how this assortment of talented players fits together. As with any team that's integrating new pieces, there's a huge range of possible outcomes - things could go quite well, or just as poorly.

Stanford (16-16): Haase on the hot seat

In former Kansas guard Jerod Haase's six seasons at Stanford, the team has never made the NCAA Tournament and has finished outside of KenPom's top 100 in three separate campaigns. Haase's job may be in jeopardy if things don't improve quickly.

Luckily for him, this may be the best Cardinal roster he's coached since moving to Palo Alto. Five-star recruit Harrison Ingram is coming back for his sophomore season, and the duo of sharpshooter Michael Jones and wing Spencer Jones (no relation) should furnish the team with a talented core.

Given Stanford's recent history, there's no reason to believe things will change much despite having more talent. However, in what's potentially a do-or-die season for Haase, it's worth finding out if the Cardinal can buck the trend.

California (12-20): Can Devin Askew get on track?

Devin Askew has not had the college basketball career he likely envisioned when ESPN ranked him the 26th-best prospect in the 2020 class. The five-star recruit started as a freshman point guard at Kentucky that season, but he averaged just 6.5 points on 34.5% shooting for one of the worst Wildcats teams in recent memory.

He spent last year at Texas but only played 15 minutes per game, with his average points per game dropping to 2.1. Now Askew is looking for a fresh start at his third power-conference school in three seasons, joining a struggling California program that hasn't made an NCAA Tournament since 2016 and has finished in the bottom three of the Pac-12 five times in a row.

To be frank, these Golden Bears aren't loaded with talent, but Askew's pedigree can change that if he's able to match his production to his potential. If California surprises folks this season, it will be because of its starting point guard.

Utah (11-20): Season 2 of the Smith era

Craig Smith joined Utah last season with the reputation of being a program-changing coach. He led South Dakota to its best finish in Division I history and took Utah State to three 20-plus-win seasons after the team hadn't reached that level in the previous five years.

However, it takes time to integrate a college basketball system, and that was evident in Smith's debut season for the Utes. They stumbled to an 11-20 record and 4-16 in the conference, both the worst marks of his head coaching career.

Utah isn't projected to take a massive leap in the standings this season, but it's worth monitoring whether Smith can start to turn the tides in his second year in Salt Lake City.

Oregon State (3-28): How low can it go?

Oregon State's 2021-22 season was an utter disaster. Coming off a shocking run to the Elite Eight the year prior, the Beavers stumbled to an awful 3-28 record that included losses to mid-majors Tulsa, Samford, Princeton, and UC Davis. Their 1-19 Pac-12 mark was the conference's worst output in over 20 years.

And this upcoming season may somehow be worse. The Beavers don't bring back any of their top five scorers from last year, they aren't adding any top-100 recruits, and their only power conference transfer - Georgia's Christian Wright - is out indefinitely with a knee injury.

While fans should hope for the best, it will be very challenging for Oregon State to do better than last place in the Pac-12. The Beavers' main attraction may be their potentially winless conference record.