It’s the dog days of summer – but it’s never too early to glance ahead to the next college basketball season. With nearly all of the recruits committed in the 2019 class, coaches are putting the finishing touches on their rosters.
With the lineups essentially set for next season, let’s take a closer look at the Pac-12 Conference and see how each program stands as we head into the 2019-20 campaign. Here are my way-too-early Pac-12 basketball power rankings:
1. ARIZONA
Who’s Gone: Brandon Randolph, Justin Coleman, Ryan Luther, Alex Barcello
Who’s Back: Brandon Williams, Chase Jeter, Dylan Smith, Ira Lee, Devonaire Doutrive
Key Additions: Josh Green, Nico Mannion, Max Hazzard (grad transfer), Zeke Nnaji, Stone Gettings (transfer), Christian Koloko
The Skinny: Nobody knows exactly what the fallout will be from the recent trials involving corruption in college basketball, but let’s just operate under the notion that Arizona will not be affected this upcoming season.
In that scenario, the Wildcats with a recruiting class that feature three five-star prospects should be the clear-cut favorite in the Pac-12 race. Aside from having the most depth of any team in the conference, they have a nice blend of veteran leadership (Chase Jeter, Dylan Smith, Max Hazzard) and dynamic young talent (Brandon Williams, Josh Green, Nico Mannion and Zeke Nnaji). This Arizona squad looks primed to make a deep run in March.
2. OREGON
Who’s Gone: Bol Bol, Louis King, Kenny Wooten, Paul White, Victor Bailey Jr., Ehab Amin, Miles Norris
Who’s Back: Payton Pritchard, Will Richardson, Francis Okoro
Key Additions: Shakur Juiston (grad transfer), Chris Duarte, CJ Walker, Anthony Mathis (grad transfer), Chandler Lawson, Lok Wur
The Skinny: Oregon will look completely different from last season, but that’s okay, Dana Altman is no stranger to roster turnover. The good news: Payton Pritchard is back to run the team, while Will Richardson and Francis Okoro also return as key role players. The Ducks added two of the best grad transfers (Shakur Juiston and Anthony Mathis), as well as the JUCO Player of the Year (Chris Duarte). Incoming freshman CJ Walker, a five-star prospect, should also make an immediate impact. It’s not a deep squad (only nine available scholarship players), but it’s the prototypical Oregon team: long, athletic, and most importantly, versatile.
3. COLORADO
Who’s Gone: Namon Wright, Deleon Brown
Who’s Back: McKinley Wright IV, Tyler Bey, Shane Gatling, D’Shawn Schwartz, Lucas Siewert, Evan Battey, Dallas Walton (injured last season), Daylen Kountz, Elijah Parquet, Alexander Strating, Jakub Dombek
Key Additions: Maddox Daniels
The Skinny: Colorado returns nearly its entire rotation—including all five starters—from a team that won 23 games and advanced to the NIT quarterfinals. The Buffs are also the only Pac-12 squad that returns a pair of all-conference players in McKinley Wright IV and Tyler Bey. Although the duo will receive a bulk of the preseason attention, make no mistake, this is a deep and talented team. After missing the NCAA Tournament the last three years, don’t be surprised to see Colorado dancing in March.
4. ARIZONA STATE
Who’s Gone: Luguentz Dort, Zylan Cheatham, De’Quon Lake, Vitaliy Shibel
Who’s Back: Remy Martin, Rob Edwards, Romello White, Kimani Lawrence, Taeshon Cherry, Elias Valtonen, Mickey Mitchell
Key Additions: Khalid Thomas, Alonzo Verge, Andre Allen, Jaelen House, Jalen Graham, Caleb Christopher
The Skinny: Arizona State returns five of its top seven scorers, including all-conference guard Remy Martin, who should be one of the Pac-12’s top players next season. The Sun Devils also boast a strong supporting cast (Rob Edwards, Romello White, and Kimani Lawrence), and will bring in a top-25 recruiting class, which is highlighted by four-star prospects Khalid Thomas and Alonzo Verge, both from the JUCO ranks. This should be enough firepower to help ASU make its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament – something the program has not accomplished since the early 1960s.
5. WASHINGTON
Who’s Gone: Jaylen Nowell, Matisse Thybulle, Noah Dickerson, David Crisp, Dominic Green
Who’s Back: Naz Carter, Hameir Wright, Sam Timmins, Jamal Bey, Elijah Hardy, Bryan Penn-Johnson, Nate Roberts
Key Additions: Isaiah Stewart, Jaden McDaniels, Quade Green (transfer), RaeQuan Battle, Marcus Tsohonis
The Skinny: Washington lost its top four scorers, including the Pac-12’s Player of the Year (Jaylen Nowell) and Defensive Player of the Year (Matisse Thybulle). The Huskies did reload, however, with a top-10 recruiting class highlighted by five-star prospects Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels. They join a solid cast of returning players, including Naz Carter, who is expected to have a breakout season in 2019-20. Quade Green, a mid-year transfer from Kentucky, should have an immediate impact once he becomes eligible in December.
6. USC
Who’s Gone: Bennie Boatwright, Kevin Porter Jr., Derryck Thornton, Shaqquan Aaron, J’Raan Brooks, Victor Uyaelunmo
Who’s Back: Nick Rakocevic, Jonah Matthews, Elijah Weaver, Charles O’Bannon Jr.,
Key Additions: Isaiah Mobley, Daniel Utomi (grad transfer), Onyeka Okongwu, Quinton Adlesh (grad transfer), Max Agbonkpolo, Kyle Sturdivant, Drake London, Ethan Anderson
The Skinny: The unexpected loss of starting point guard Derryck Thornton, who opted to play his grad year at Boston College, dropped USC a few spots in the rankings. The Trojans, however, still return two key pieces in seniors Nick Rakocevic and Jonah Matthews. The talented duo should get plenty of help from a top-5 recruiting class that features five-star recruits Onyeka Okongwu and Isaiah Mobley. USC also added a pair of grad transfers—Daniel Utomi and Quinton Adlesh—who are expected to make a significant impact this season.
7. UCLA
Who’s Gone: Kris Wilkes, Jaylen Hands, Moses Brown
Who’s Back: Prince Ali, Jules Bernard, Chris Smith, Cody Riley, David Singleton, Jalen Hill, Shareef O’Neal (redshirted last season), Tyger Campbell (redshirt), Alex Olesinski, Kenny Nwuba
Key Additions: Jamie Jaquez, Jake Kyman
The Skinny: The coaching search got off to a rocky start, but UCLA was able to save face with the hiring of Mick Cronin this offseason. The well-respected coach had a ton of success at Cincinnati, and is hoping to bring his hard-nosed style of play to the west coast. Talent won’t be an issue—the Bruins’ roster is littered with former four- and five-star recruits. Getting everyone to buy into Cronin’s philosophy, however, may take some time. If the team buys in quickly, UCLA could make some noise this season.
8. OREGON STATE
Who’s Gone: Stephen Thompson Jr., Gligorije Rakocevic, Warren Washington
Who’s Back: Tres Tinkle, Ethan Thompson, Kylor Kelley, Alfred Hollins, Zach Reichle, Antoine Vernon
Key Additions: Jarod Lucas, Payton Dastrup (transfer), Dearon Tucker, Sean Miller-Moore, Gianni Hunt, Shengzhe Li, Julien Franklin
The Skinny: The Beavers got a significant boost when Tres Tinkle decided to return to Corvallis for his senior season. The two-time all-conference selection might be the frontrunner to win Pac-12 Player of the Year next season. Additionally, Oregon State returns a solid cast of complementary players like Ethan Thompson and Kylor Kelley, who ranked second in the nation in blocked shots (3.35 per game) last season. Incoming freshman Jarod Lucas, a high-scoring point guard, should also factor prominently into the Beavers’ rotation.
9. UTAH
Who’s Gone: Sedrick Barefield, Donnie Tillman, Jayce Johnson, Parker Van Dyke, Novak Topalovic, Charles Jones Jr.
Who’s Back: Timmy Allen, Both Gach, Riley Battin, Naseem Gaskin (redshirt), Lahat Thioune (redshirt)
Key Additions: Rylan Jones, Branden Carlson, Alfonso Plummer, Jaxon Brenchley, Mikael Jantunen, Matt Van Komen, Brendan Wenzel
The Skinny: Over the last decade, no coach in the Pac-12 has consistently maximized his team’s potential like Larry Krystowiak. This year, however, could be an uphill battle for the veteran coach. With eleven of Utah’s 12 scholarship players being underclassmen—including eight (!) freshmen—growing pains should be expected. In the midst of this full-blown youth movement, Utah will rely heavily on sophomores Timmy Allen and Both Gach, who each had solid rookie campaigns last season.
10. STANFORD
Who’s Gone: Kezie Okpala, Josh Sharma, Cormac Ryan, Marcus Sheffield
Who’s Back: Daejon Davis, Oscar da Silva, Bryce Wills, Jaden Delaire, Isaac White, Lukas Kisunas, Kodye Pugh, Keenan Fitzmorris (redshirt), Trevor Stanback
Key Additions: Tyrell Terry, Spencer Jones, James Keefe
The Skinny: Stanford was poised to have a breakout season in 2019-20, but the unexpected departures of Kezie Okpala (NBA) and Cormac Ryan (transfer) threw a wrench in that plan. If the Cardinal hope to be competitive in this season’s Pac-12 race, they’ll need juniors Daejon Davis and Oscar da Silva to take a big step forward. The team’s X-factor, however, might be incoming freshman Tyrell Terry. The top-100 prospect is a pass-first point guard and his presence could allow Davis to play off the ball.
11. CALIFORNIA
Who’s Gone: Justice Sueing, Darius McNeill, Connor Vanover, Juhwan Harris-Dyson, Roman Davis
Who’s Back: Paris Austin, Matt Bradley, Andre Kelly, Grant Anticevich, Jacobi Gordon,
Key Additions: Kareem South (grad transfer), DJ Thorpe, Joel Brown, Kuany Kuany, Dimitrios Klonaras
The Skinny: It was an eventful offseason in Berkeley. After two forgettable seasons, Wyking Jones was fired and subsequently replaced with veteran coach Mark Fox. Cal also had four players—including its top two scorers Justice Sueing and Darius McNeill—transfer out of the program. With a shortage of talent on the roster, Fox will rely on returning starters Paris Austin, Matt Bradley and Andre Kelly to set the tone. Kareem South, a grad transfer from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, should also help.
12. WASHINGTON STATE
Who’s Gone: Robert Franks, Viont’e Daniels, Carter Skaggs, Isaiah Wade, Davante Cooper
Who’s Back: CJ Elleby, Marvin Cannon, Ahmed Ali, Jeff Pollard, Jervae Robinson, Jaz Kunc
Key Additions: Deion James (grad transfer), Noah Williams, Daron Henson, Isaac Bonton, Volodymyr Markovetskyy, Ryan Rapp, DJ Rodman
The Skinny: After five lackluster seasons, the Ernie Kent era is over. Enter Kyle Smith, who has the arduous task of turning around a program that has historically struggled. In fact, the Cougars have not made an NCAA tourney appearance since 2008…when Tony Bennett was still the head coach. Luckily for Smith, he has a few weapons at his disposal, most notably high-scoring forward CJ Elleby, who was a member of the Pac-12’s All-Freshmen Team last season.
