mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">For a league that has no victories
over ranked teams and might have trouble placing three teams into the NCAA
Tournament, the Pac-12 is not without competition or suspense in its first
year.
Seven teams are within two games of the league lead at the midway point of the
season, and arguably the hottest team in the league — Oregon State — is not
one of them.
A closer look at the first half:
BEST TEAM
California: The Golden Bears entered the season with the most returning
starters, a strong on-court leader in Jorge Gutierrez and one of the best
coaches in the conference in Mike Montgomery. They play well as a team, and the
addition of sophomore lead guard Justin Cobbs, a transfer from Minnesota who
sat out last season, has enabled them to push the ball up the floor more.
"They can slice you up and make you look bad, even when you are playing
good defense," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said.
Honorable mention: Washington
MOST SURPRISING TEAM
Colorado: The Buffaloes entered the Pac-12 with little fanfare, but they have
shown that a mid-level Big 12 team can compete well in this league. The
Buffaloes, picked to finish 11th in a preseason media poll, shoot the ball well
and are treacherous at home, where their boisterous crowd gives them an
advantage similar to the ones enjoyed by Arizona and Washington. Coach Tad
Boyle would like them to learn to play a more physical game, but opponents have
been impressed by their work. "They don’t beat themselves, and they are
very consistent in what they do," Arizona State assistant coach Dedrique
Taylor said.
Honorable mention: Oregon
MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM
UCLA: There's no obvious choice here, but the Bruins get the nod simply because
of what they could have been. Reeves Nelson, an all-league forward last season,
was booted off the team after behavioral issues, and big center Joshua Smith is
in no better condition that he was last season, when his immense potential was
obvious. The Bruins have regrouped, but their season may be defined by what
happens in their remaining games against Washington (two), California and
Arizona.
Honorable mention: USC (injury division).
TEAM MOST LIKELY TO IMPROVE
Washington: The Huskies already are tied for the first place, so there is
not that far to go. Their top three wings — Tony Wroten, Terrence Ross, C.J.
Wilcox — comprise the best perimeter trio in the conference, and the
shot-blocking presence of 7-foot junior Aziz N’Diaye on the inside enables them
to play pressure defensive and still not worry about giving up many easy hoops.
"I think Washington has a chance to take off and be a high, high level
team. Lorenzo has done a great job blending Wroten in with the rest of the
guys," USC coach Kevin O’Neill said
Honorable mention: Arizona
TEAM MOST LIKELY TO SLIP
Oregon: The Ducks have two of the best victories in the league, winning at
Arizona and overcoming a 13-point deficit to beat UCLA at home, but they have
not been able to sustain that level. They are eighth in shooting percentage and
ninth in turnover margin in Pac-12 games and have a tough second half, with a
home game remaining against Washington and road contests at California,
Stanford, Colorado and Oregon State, which bothered them to no end with a 1-3-1
zone defense in the second half of the Civil War at Eugene last Sunday.
"We’ve been inconsistent. There’s not one area I’m really pleased
with," coach Dana Altman said.
Honorable mention: Stanford
BEST PLAYER
Jorge Gutierrez, F, California — Gutierrez’s fingerprints are all over the
stat sheet in league games — he is eighth in scoring (14.7 points a game), 12th
in rebounding (5.7), third in assists (5.4), second in assist-to-turnover ratio
(2.7) and tied for fifth in steals (1.8). And all that does not describe the
court presence and team-first approach he brings to a game. "The leadership
that he has shown. He is getting stuff done. That has been something to
appreciate," Romar said.
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Honorable mention: Jared
Cunningham, G, Oregon State
BEST COACHING PERFORMANCE
Craig Robinson, Oregon State — That the Beavers lead the Pac-12 and are among
the nation’s best in scoring is more a function of their non-league schedule
and their four-overtime loss to Stanford earlier this season. But their tempo
forces action, and Robinson has done a nice job mixing and matching his players
to his schemes. After trying out a man-to-man defense earlier in the year, the
Beavers have produced great results with a return to their 1-3-1 zone trap that
features 6-10 sophomore Eric Moreland at the top of the zone.
Honorable mention: Altman, Oregon
BEST NEWCOMER
Tony Wroten, G, Washington — Wroten remains the best left-hander to come
out of Seattle Garfield High since Jimi Hendrix. Wroten oozes athleticism and
was electric at times, especially when he learned to let the game come to him a
little more. He had highlight-reel slam dunks against Oregon and Arizona State,
and he made the play of the game in blocking Arizona guard Josiah Turner’s
attempted game-tying lay-in with one second to play in the Huskies’ victory in
Tucson on Saturday. “The guy has no conscience. He’s unbelievable. I have great
admiration for that guy,” O’Neill said.
Honorable mention: Cobbs, G, California
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Solomon Hill, F, Arizona — Maybe it is a function of opportunity, but Hill
has stepped up in every phase this season in the absence of do-everything
forward Derrick Williams, becoming a bit of a do-everything player himself.
Hill has increased his scoring (12.6 from 8.0) and rebounding (8.3 from 4.7)
averages this year while making 55 percent of his field-goal attempts,
including 20 of 54 from 3-point range, including 10 of 20 in conference games. He
has eight double-doubles, tied for second in the league behind Colorado’s Andre
Roberson. It’s not a surprise to see Hill take the ball off the defensive glass
and lead a fast break, either. "He has stepped up," Romar said.
Honorable mention: Brock Motum, F, Washington State
GET READY TO DANCE
California and Washington, barring a second-half collapse, should make the
68-team NCAA Tournament field, despite the league being 0-12 against ranked
teams, does not have a signature non-league victory and is ranked No. 9 in the
simulated RPI rankings at the halfway point -- below the Mountain West,
Atlantic-10 and Missouri Valley conferences. The league’s best chance at three
NCAA teams is for Cal and Washington to remain hot while another team wins the Pac-12
Tournament.
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