Pac-12: Analyzing ESPN’s Poll Of Pac-12 Coaches
By Bryce Olin
The Pac-12 Coaches Poll has been released on ESPN. Here some initial thoughts and reactions.
Last week for ESPN, all 12 Pac-12 coaches predicted the final conference standings for the 2014-15 season (insider required). Here are the results of the coaches poll:
1. Arizona (12 first-place votes)
2. Utah
3. UCLA
3. Colorado
5. Stanford
6. Washington
7. Oregon
8. California
9. Arizona State
10. USC
11. Washington State
12. Oregon State
Biggest Takeaways
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Arizona is, by far, the best team in the conference
We knew that before the coaches poll, but to see the respect all 12 coaches are giving the Wildcats lets you know how good the Wildcats are.
It’s nice to see Utah get some respect
The Utes have one of the most complete lineups in the country with Delon Wright, Jordan Loveridge, and Brandon Taylor leading the team. They could give Arizona a run for the Pac-12 title, but it’s going to be tough.
The bottom of the Pac-12 is very, very bad
The Pac-12 will likely get at least five teams in NCAA tournament, but the bottom seven teams could be terrible, especially the bottom four of ASU, USC, WSU, and OSU.
Most underrated: California Bears
Cal’s chances depth took a huge hit when they lost center Kameron Rooks to a torn ACL this summer. Throw that in with the uncertainty around new head coach Cuonzo Martin, and it makes sense why Cal is ranked outside of the top six. But …
Cal has three super-talented players with NBA potential. Power forward/center David Kravish and wings Tyrone Wallace and Jabari Bird are good as any “Big 3” in the conference. Jordan Mathews is also a really good player. With three versatile wings, the Bears could give teams matchup problems.
With Martin’s success last season at Tennessee, there’s plenty of reason to believe the Bears can be one of the top six teams in the Pac-12 and should finish above an unproven Washington and inexperienced Oregon.
Most Overrated: UCLA Bruins
In my preseason rankings, I ranked the Bruins third, but as the season creeps closer and closer, I’m starting to regret that decision. The Bruins lost freshman Jonah Bolden for the season due to eligibility issues. The lack of depth is the biggest reason I’m starting to get off the Bruins’ bandwagon.
Right now, the Bruins are basically six deep with, virtually, three freshmen in the lineup. Only Bryce Alford, Norman Powell, and Tony Parker have played big minutes for Bruins in their career. Isaac Hamilton, technically a sophomore, missed last season because of eligibility issues, and Kevon Looney and Thomas Welsh are both true freshman. Hamilton, Looney, and Welsh are awesome players, but the Bruins’ inexperience could be the reason they finish outside the top-three.
Biggest Wild Card: Colorado Buffaloes
The Buffaloes struggled last season after their star, Spencer Dinwiddie, tore his ACL and missed the rest of the season. Dinwiddie left for the NBA after the season, but the rest of the Buffaloes are back.
Colorado has a solid three-prong attack with Askia Booker, Xavier Johnson, and Josh Scott, the best low-post player in the conference. Booker and Johnson have struggled, at times, to shoot a good field goal percentage. If they can become more efficient this season and play within the offense, they could challenge Arizona for the Pac-12 title and be a high seed in the NCAA tournament.