Season in Review
It really says a lot about the state of the Pac-12 this season that I have more to say about the Mountain West. Pretty much all the stories revolve around disappointing seasons, with UCLA firing its coach mid-season, USC and Oregon wasting talented rosters, Arizona losing a lot of talent and failing to replace it while being investigated by the FBI and Cal somehow being worse than we thought heading into the year. Washington and Arizona State were the only two relevant teams, and they both look like they have a shot to get into the tournament. I wouldn't watch this tournament until the semifinals at the earliest.
Bracket
Contenders
Washington (24-7, 15-3)
The Huskies were one of the only good things about Pac-12 basketball this season, dominating the conference for the majority of the season. They started off 10-0 before losing to Arizona State, and they have one of the best defenses in the country for two reasons: their zone and Matisse Thybulle. With long time Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins at the helm, it should come as no surprise that the Huskies are running a 2-3 zone, and it has been very effective. They lead the Pac 12 in steals by a large margin, and they are eleventh in the nation. This is where Thybulle factors in, as the senior forward feasts at the top of the zone. He leads the nation in steals at 3.5 a game, is top 25 in blocks as well with 2.2 a game. His ridiculous wingspan and timing have made him a menace for the rest of the league. Offensively they aren't anything special, but with some timely three point shooting, they shoot the third best in the conference, they have more than enough to win games, and they are the favorite to win the tournament in Vegas.
Arizona State (21-9, 12-6)
The Sun Devils mirrored what they did last season, but less extreme. Last year, they went undefeated during non-conference play before collapsing in Pac-12 play and barely sneaking into the tournament. As for this year, they started the year strong at 9-3 with a win over Kansas but a loss to Princeton, and they then were solid, but inconsistent in conference play. With Bobby Hurley at the helm, the guard play is predictably great, with Remy Martin and Luguentz Dort powering the Sun Devils. Throw in Zylanm Cheatham as a do-it-all front court play, and you get a solid team all around, which makes them second best in this year's Pac-12. They need a big performance in the conference tournament since they currently sit on the bubble, so they will hopefully be at their best in Las Vegas and go on a deep run.
Sleeper Team
Oregon (19-12, 10-8)
The Ducks were easily the team I was most wrong about this season, as I had them as a borderline top 10 unit heading into the year. They were ravaged by injuries, stud freshman Bol Bol is out for the year, Louis King missed most of non-conference play and didn't look fully healthy until January, and multiple other players missed large chunks of the season. They also had a lot of talented players underperform, but they look like they might be peaking at the right time. They've won their last four games, including wins over Arizona State and Washington. If they are even beginning to tap into their preseason potential, then Oregon will be a very dangerous opponent for anyone.
Players to Watch
Jaylen Nowell
Stats: 16.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 50.4/42.7/76.2
The Washington guard has been an absolute stud as a sophomore, finishing seventh in points per game in the Pac-12 while improving in basically every way as a sophomore. Jon Rothstein loves the kid, and he's constantly tweeting about how good of a scorer he is, and he isn't wrong. Nowell can take over games against even the best teams, he scored 26 against Gonzaga, and the ball is always in his hands at the end of the game. He has an excellent mid range jumper that he'll often utilize to throw off defenders since they all expect him to attack the rim, which he does very well. He's also been a much more consistent three point threat this season, and he could make noise with some big postseason performances.
Tres Tinkle
Stats: 20.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 48.7/33.1/77.7
Tinkle is sort of a West Coast Ethan Happ. He's not as good overall, although he can make free throws, but he fills a very similar role to the Wisconsin All American. He finished second in the Pac- 12 in points, fifth in rebounds, and ninth in assists, which is as good of a Happ clone as you'll get. The Beavers run a lot of their offense through the big man, and he handles it well, with good vision and scoring ability. He had ten double doubles this season, and dropped 30+ three times, including a 31 point, 10 rebound game against Washington recently. He's scoring 26.3 points a game over his last four, and he had double doubles in his last two games, so he's ready to damage in March.
KZ Okpala
Stats: 17.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 47/37.6/67.1
Few players in the country improved as much as Okpala this year, as the Stanford sophomore went from potential breakout candidate to potential lottery pick. With tremendous length and athleticism, he fits the mold of an NBA wing, and he produced like on this season. He was tied for fourth in scoring in the conference, and while he is excellent around the rim, he added a three point jump shot to his game this year, and it has made him near unstoppable. He scored a career high 30 against Cal this season, and Okpala has the ability to take over games in a way that no one else in the conference has, and he could get Stanford a win or two.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Jaylen Nowell, Washington
G: Luguentz Dort, Arizona State
F: Tres Tinkle, Oregon State
F: Robert Franks, Washington State
F: Matisse Thybulle, Washington
Second Team
G: Tyler Bey, Colorado
G: Kris Wilkes, UCLA
F: KZ Okpala, Stanford
F: Bennie Boatwright, USC
F: Noah Dickerson, Washington
My Pick: Arizona State over Washington
The Sun Devils erase all doubt about their NCAA Tournament chances by winning the auto bid. Honestly, I don't think any team other than these two has a shot, but I also kind of feel like every team has a shot. The Sun Devils beat the Huskies in their lone matchup during the regular season, and I think the repeat that the second time around thanks to Luguentz Dort playing great defense on Jaylen Nowell and holding the Huskies' star to single digits. There's a bold prediction I made up on the spot because honestly, who cares about this conference tournament.
It really says a lot about the state of the Pac-12 this season that I have more to say about the Mountain West. Pretty much all the stories revolve around disappointing seasons, with UCLA firing its coach mid-season, USC and Oregon wasting talented rosters, Arizona losing a lot of talent and failing to replace it while being investigated by the FBI and Cal somehow being worse than we thought heading into the year. Washington and Arizona State were the only two relevant teams, and they both look like they have a shot to get into the tournament. I wouldn't watch this tournament until the semifinals at the earliest.
Bracket
Contenders
Washington (24-7, 15-3)
The Huskies were one of the only good things about Pac-12 basketball this season, dominating the conference for the majority of the season. They started off 10-0 before losing to Arizona State, and they have one of the best defenses in the country for two reasons: their zone and Matisse Thybulle. With long time Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins at the helm, it should come as no surprise that the Huskies are running a 2-3 zone, and it has been very effective. They lead the Pac 12 in steals by a large margin, and they are eleventh in the nation. This is where Thybulle factors in, as the senior forward feasts at the top of the zone. He leads the nation in steals at 3.5 a game, is top 25 in blocks as well with 2.2 a game. His ridiculous wingspan and timing have made him a menace for the rest of the league. Offensively they aren't anything special, but with some timely three point shooting, they shoot the third best in the conference, they have more than enough to win games, and they are the favorite to win the tournament in Vegas.
Arizona State (21-9, 12-6)
The Sun Devils mirrored what they did last season, but less extreme. Last year, they went undefeated during non-conference play before collapsing in Pac-12 play and barely sneaking into the tournament. As for this year, they started the year strong at 9-3 with a win over Kansas but a loss to Princeton, and they then were solid, but inconsistent in conference play. With Bobby Hurley at the helm, the guard play is predictably great, with Remy Martin and Luguentz Dort powering the Sun Devils. Throw in Zylanm Cheatham as a do-it-all front court play, and you get a solid team all around, which makes them second best in this year's Pac-12. They need a big performance in the conference tournament since they currently sit on the bubble, so they will hopefully be at their best in Las Vegas and go on a deep run.
Sleeper Team
Oregon (19-12, 10-8)
The Ducks were easily the team I was most wrong about this season, as I had them as a borderline top 10 unit heading into the year. They were ravaged by injuries, stud freshman Bol Bol is out for the year, Louis King missed most of non-conference play and didn't look fully healthy until January, and multiple other players missed large chunks of the season. They also had a lot of talented players underperform, but they look like they might be peaking at the right time. They've won their last four games, including wins over Arizona State and Washington. If they are even beginning to tap into their preseason potential, then Oregon will be a very dangerous opponent for anyone.
Players to Watch
Jaylen Nowell
Stats: 16.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 50.4/42.7/76.2
The Washington guard has been an absolute stud as a sophomore, finishing seventh in points per game in the Pac-12 while improving in basically every way as a sophomore. Jon Rothstein loves the kid, and he's constantly tweeting about how good of a scorer he is, and he isn't wrong. Nowell can take over games against even the best teams, he scored 26 against Gonzaga, and the ball is always in his hands at the end of the game. He has an excellent mid range jumper that he'll often utilize to throw off defenders since they all expect him to attack the rim, which he does very well. He's also been a much more consistent three point threat this season, and he could make noise with some big postseason performances.
Tres Tinkle
Stats: 20.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 48.7/33.1/77.7
Tinkle is sort of a West Coast Ethan Happ. He's not as good overall, although he can make free throws, but he fills a very similar role to the Wisconsin All American. He finished second in the Pac- 12 in points, fifth in rebounds, and ninth in assists, which is as good of a Happ clone as you'll get. The Beavers run a lot of their offense through the big man, and he handles it well, with good vision and scoring ability. He had ten double doubles this season, and dropped 30+ three times, including a 31 point, 10 rebound game against Washington recently. He's scoring 26.3 points a game over his last four, and he had double doubles in his last two games, so he's ready to damage in March.
Stats: 17.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 47/37.6/67.1
Few players in the country improved as much as Okpala this year, as the Stanford sophomore went from potential breakout candidate to potential lottery pick. With tremendous length and athleticism, he fits the mold of an NBA wing, and he produced like on this season. He was tied for fourth in scoring in the conference, and while he is excellent around the rim, he added a three point jump shot to his game this year, and it has made him near unstoppable. He scored a career high 30 against Cal this season, and Okpala has the ability to take over games in a way that no one else in the conference has, and he could get Stanford a win or two.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Jaylen Nowell, Washington
G: Luguentz Dort, Arizona State
F: Tres Tinkle, Oregon State
F: Robert Franks, Washington State
F: Matisse Thybulle, Washington
Second Team
G: Tyler Bey, Colorado
G: Kris Wilkes, UCLA
F: KZ Okpala, Stanford
F: Bennie Boatwright, USC
F: Noah Dickerson, Washington
My Pick: Arizona State over Washington
The Sun Devils erase all doubt about their NCAA Tournament chances by winning the auto bid. Honestly, I don't think any team other than these two has a shot, but I also kind of feel like every team has a shot. The Sun Devils beat the Huskies in their lone matchup during the regular season, and I think the repeat that the second time around thanks to Luguentz Dort playing great defense on Jaylen Nowell and holding the Huskies' star to single digits. There's a bold prediction I made up on the spot because honestly, who cares about this conference tournament.
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