Pac-12 Preseason MBB Power Rankings: Dana Altman’s Ducks on the rise
The 2022-23 college basketball season is officially here, and the Pac-12 conference will once again have multiple contenders for deep runs in the NCAA Tournament.
Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks had a disappointing 2021-22 campaign, but they return senior guard Will Richardson and add key contributors around him, including freshman center Kel’el Ware and transfer guards Keeshawn Barthelemy and Jermaine Couisnard.
Meanwhile, both Arizona and UCLA lost significant contributors from last year’s squad, but both are still going to be dangerous after making key additions in the offseason.
Outside of the top three the Pac-12 is a bit of a crapshoot. Perhaps Stanford will step up under sophomore Harrison Ingram and push for a tournament berth? Or maybe Mike Hopkins finally put together the winning formula in Seattle for the Huskies? Heck, Arizona State might be a surprise contender after adding multiple big-time contributors via the transfer portal.
Here is a first look at the Pac-12 men’s basketball power rankings before the first official games of the 2022-23 season:
Oregon State Beavers
Mandatory Credit: Alex Gould – The Republic
Wayne Tinkle’s squad went an abysmal 1-19 in conference play last season, following up their surprise run to an Elite 8 with an epic stinker.
The Beavs now head into 22-23 having lost Jarod Lucas and Dashawn Davis, while newcomer Christian Wright is injured to begin the campaign.
Another surprise run in Corvallis seems unlikely, but a breakout season from freshman Jordan Pope or USF transfer forward Dzmitry Ryuny could open the door.
California Golden Bears
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Cal went 5-15 in Pac-12 play last season, another disappointing year in the Mark Fox era.
The Golden Bears lose their two leading scorers, Jordan Shepherd and Andre Kelly, to the transfer portal – but they did add Kentucky turned Texas turned Cal transfer point guard Devin Askew, as well as Hartford transfer DeJuan Clayton who averaged 15 per game last year.
Utah Utes
Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Utah really struggled in conference play last year, winning just four games under coach Craig Smith. They’ll hope newcomers Gavin Baxter (BYU) and Ben Carlson (Wisconsin) will shore up the depth in the frontcourt, while veteran guard Marco Anthony will help lead the team in the backcourt.
Washington State Cougars
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After a solid, but unspectacular season in Pullman last year, the Washington State Cougars had a rough go of things this offseason.
Gone are Michael Flowers (14.2 points) Tyrell Roberts (11.4) Noah Williams (9.5) and Efe Abogidi (8.1). The team will rely heavily on Tennessee transfer guard Justin Powell, as well as returning forward Mouhamed Gueye, if they want to stay relevant in the conference this season.
Colorado Buffaloes
Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Colorado will have to replace a bevy of talented players from last year’s roster. Jabari Walker is in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers. Evan Battey is playing professionally as well, while third leading scorer Keeshawn Barthelemy is in Eugene with Dana Altman’s Ducks.
For Colorado to finish in the top half of the Pac, they’ll need a big season from returners Tristan da Silva and KJ Simpson. High level shooting from Princeton transfer Ethan Wright wouldn’t hurt either.
Stanford Cardinal
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Stanford got a surprise return from freshman Harrison Ingram, who is poised to be one of the conference’s best breakout stars.
The talent around him remains questionable, however, especially after the team lost double-digit scorer Jaiden Delaire, who transferred to San Diego.
A big year from forward Spencer Jones and Davidson transfer guard Michael Jones is critical for Jerrod Haase’s club as they look to break out of the Pac-12 cellar.
Arizona State Sun Devils
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The Sun Devils have a brand new squad heading into 2022-23, and team cohesion and role acceptance will be a big story for Bobby Hurley’s team.
Desmond and Devan Cambridge from Nevada and Auburn, respectively, will each have big roles on this team, while fellow Nevada transfer Warren Washington should step into a starting role as well.
Will Marcus Bagley finally become the breakout player he was supposed to be? If so, this team could really turn some heads this season.
Washington Huskies
Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Hopkins got busy this offseason, adding four impact transfers to a roster needing to replace the scoring left by Terrell Brown (21.7 ppg) and Emmitt Matthews (11.7).
They did so by picking off two key Pac-12 performers in Noah Williams (WSU) and Franck Kepnang (Oregon) while also adding a big time performer in wing Keion Brooks from Kentucky.
Hopkins has a big, defensive-minded, experienced team. Can he put it all together and challenge for a top three spot in the Pac-12?
USC Trojans
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Enfield’s team did not hit the transfer portal this offseason, despite it being a big part of the team’s recent success. They’ll rely on a pair of former transfers – Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson – to lead this team to yet another NCAA Tournament berth this season.
Growth from two incoming freshmen, Vince Iwuchukwu and Kijani Wright, will be the telling point for how far this team can go this season.
Oregon Ducks
Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon shuffled the roster around quite a bit this offseason, but at the end of the day their success this upcoming season still depends on Will Richardson.
Richardson will be joined in the backcourt by Colorado transfer Keeshawn Barthelemy and South Carolina transfer Jermain Couisnard, while the frontcourt will be anchored by freshman big man Kel’el Ware.
It could be a special year in Eugene if everything comes together.
Arizona Wildcats
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Tommy Lloyd’s Arizona team lost three NBA players from last year’s roster in Benn Mathurin, Dalen Terry, and Christian Koloko.
It’s fair to wonder if that kind of roster churn will result in a down year for the Wildcats, but the return of Kerr Kriisa and Azuolas Tubelis, as well as the expected role increase for Pelle Larsson and Oumar Ballo, should lead to another great year of hoops in Tucson.
UCLA Bruins
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UCLA lost a ton of talent from last year’s squad. Johnny Juzang and Jules Bernard were two of the most well-rounded players in the entire conference last season, and losing big men Cody Riley and Myles Johnson, as well as talented but raw freshman Peyton Watson, is a lot to overcome for Mick Cronin.
Fortunately for the Bruins, Jaime Jaquez is back and poised to challenge for a spot on the All-American team, while Tyger Campbell is going to be one of the nation’s top point guards.
If true freshman Amari Bailey is as advertised, this team will be back in the mix for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament come March.
