Through the first few weeks of the college basketball season, no conference has been more difficult to figure out than the Pac-12 Conference.
Preseason favorite Arizona has often looked uninspired, lacking the steady guard play of recent years and the intimidating interior forces that Sean Miller’s teams have come to be associated with. The Wildcats looks, pardon me, pedestrian.
Utah and California, both picked to finish in the conference’s top three, have shown flashes of their ability–especially the Utes, with wins over both San Diego State and Temple. But each of them have suffered a shocking loss, with Utah falling to Miami in a dizzying fashion and the Bears losing to Richmond on Friday.
On the other hand, Oregon has taken down a pair of tough opponents in Baylor and Valparaiso, albeit at home. The Ducks have flashed a dose of incredible offensive balance to go along with an improved defense that has people talking like it might be Dana Altman’s group that should be favored to take home the crown.
While they shouldn’t be thought of as a true contender, the Buffaloes of Colorado have also shown a resurgence, and should factor into the conference race in some way, even if it’s talking about which of the top four they’ll knock off in Boulder late in the season.
The only thing we’re missing from the Pac-12 thus far is a team that looks like they could contend for a Final Four. If Trier at Arizona, Rabb at California, or Kuzma at Utah take the next step in their maturation, though, all three could take on that kind of expectation.
