Arizona head coach Sean Miller and assistant coach Mark Phelps give the refs an earful on Nov. 11, 2018.
If there’s anything Pac-12 teams can look forward to after their collectively miserable nonconference season, it’s that just about anyone can make a run for the conference title.
Maybe that will make it fun, at least.
“I think we’re going to have a very interesting two months,” said UCLA coach Steve Alford, whose Bruins have lost four in a row after Liberty beat them 73-58 on Saturday. “Maybe the difference from last year was that you had kind of a clear-cut team in Arizona that everyone felt would be dominant and they had one of those years.
“This year, although there’s some quality teams, there’s always going to be questions of how you sustain things over a two-and-a-half-month period and we’re in that mix as well.”
Alford says the Pac-12 appears as open as in any of the five previous seasons he’s coached at UCLA, and he could have a point.
Picked to finish second, the Bruins have six losses already, including home games against Belmont and Liberty. Meanwhile, league favorite Oregon has been plagued by injuries and role-filling issues, Washington hasn’t wowed despite returning nearly everyone from a 21-win team and being picked third, while Arizona has produced decidedly mixed results after being picked fourth.
Then there’s ASU, which put together what was by far the league’s best nonconference resume in part by beating top-ranked Kansas ... and then lost at home to Princeton on Saturday.
Everybody appears flawed.
Part of the problem, the way Washington State coach Ernie Kent sees it, is the heavy rotation transition many league teams are facing. Only USC (four) and Washington (five) returned more than three starters while Arizona brought back zero.
“I think all the teams still have work to do,” the longtime Pac-12 coach said. “Everybody’s adjusting to newness or guys who sat out last year. It’s just taken them some time but all of them are developing.”
The problem is that, if and when that development peaks, it might be too late. The Pac-12 has already locked itself into a tough position for Selection Sunday, with everyone except ASU likely needing an outstanding conference season to get an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.
And even then, there’s no guarantee. USC didn’t get a bid last season despite finishing in second at 12-6 and reaching the conference tournament final, while ASU received an at-large bid despite finishing 8-10. In both cases, nonconference schedules largely sealed their fate: USC went 9-4 against midlevel nonconference opposition, while ASU was 12-0 with wins over Kansas and Xavier.
Here’s a revised look at the league race, with teams listed in order of their NET rating.
(Rankings and statistics entering Saturday’s games; records include Saturday’s games.)
