SB Nation - Anthony Goods

BtB 2009-10 Pac-10 Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:57:08 -0000

Last year, the Pac-10 was sneaky good on the national stage, sending 90 percent of its membership to the postseason with little preseason fanfare. However, the postseason ended up being a bit of a downer for the six teams who made the NCAAs, as only Arizona, who was probably the last team in the field of 65, made the second weekend. The College Basketball Invitational was a bigger success, as Oregon State and Stanford met in a semifinal. The Beavers won that matchup and ended up as champions--after they defeated UTEP in a three-game series. Oddly enough, Oregon State had to win the CBI to get to .500 for the year, which is a major accomplishment considering where the Beavers were before Craig Robinson's arrival.

All of that success came at a price for last year's contenders. Six Pac-10 players were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft: Pac-10 Player of the Year James Harden (Arizona State), All-Pac 10 first teamer Jordan Hill (Arizona), all-freshman selection DeMar DeRozan (USC), Jrue Holliday (UCLA), first team selection Darren Collison (also UCLA), and second teamer Taj Gibson (USC). Three more players, first-teamers Jeff Pendergraph (ASU), John Brockman (Washington), and Chase Budinger (also U of A), were selected in the second round. Of those nine, five were underclassmen.

That means the conference will have to try to replicate its success with only two all-Pac-10 first-teamers back (Patrick Christopher and Jerome Randle of California) and just two second-teamers, including Freshman of the Year Isaiah Thomas (UW), returning. That means those two teams, who unarguably lost the least, start out as the favorites. UCLA should fit in right behind, though they'll be young. Arizona should also be able to contend, though. much like the Bruins much depends on newcomers, and late signings at that. Oregon State, who should be even better in their second season in Robinson's system, could surprise more than West Coasters this time around, especially as most of their roster is intact. Among the remaining five teams, things are muddled. That mess may become clearer during the non-conference season.

The league also turned over 30 percent of its coaches during the offseason. I'll discuss those changes in each team's individual write up after the jump.

First, here's a look at the final 2008-09 Pac-10 standings.

Pacific-10 Conference Standings

(updated 4.4.2009 at 12:56 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Washington Huskies	14	4	26	9
UCLA Bruins	13	5	26	9
Arizona St. Sun Devils	11	7	25	10
California Golden Bears	11	7	22	11
USC Trojans	9	9	22	13
Arizona Wildcats	9	9	21	14
Washington St. Cougars	8	10	17	16
Oregon St. Beavers	7	11	18	18
Stanford Cardinal	6	12	20	14
Oregon Ducks	2	16	8	23

Now here are my picks for the 2009-10 season, presented in reverse order. If a team's name is a link, click it to go to that school's SBN site, where you'll find in-depth, team-specific analysis during the season.

Stanford (last NCAA: 2008) Johnny Dawkins' task wasn't going to be easy this season, as he had to replace his two leading scorers (Anthony Goods and Lawrence Hill) and his starting backcourt (Goods and Mitch Johnson). His task was made more difficult when start recruit Andy Brown was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Today, Dawkins indefinitely suspended guard Jeremy Green (6.4 ppg, 45.6% from 3, 2.1 rpg) for violating team rules further reducing the Cardinal roster. The best news for Dawkins is that senior forward Landry Fields (12.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) is still around. He and 6-9 center Josh Owens (6.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg) will anchor the frontcourt, but inexperience in the backcourt could lead to Stanford spending a second straight year near the bottom of the league. The Cardinal will play in Cancun over Thanksgiving, where they'll face Virginia, then either Cleveland State or Kentucky.

USC (last NCAA: 2009) Tim Floyd left not long after he interviewed for the opportunity to be Lute Olson's replacement at Arizona. Replacing Floyd is...Kevin O'Neill, who was the coach-in-waiting in Tucson during the 2007-08 season. He faces a serious rebuilding project, as the Trojans second, third, and fourth leading scorers--Gibson, DeRozan, and Daniel Hackett of a year ago are all gone. Leading scorer Dwight Lewis (14.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg) is back, however, to anchor a frontcourt that should be respectable, as 6-9 UNC transfer Alex Stephenson is newly-eligible and 6-6 Marcus Johnson will be back from a shoulder injury. They'll join returnees Leonard Washington (6.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Nikola Vucevic (2.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg). The backcourt is a major question mark though, as junior Donte Smith and freshman Percy Miller (aka Lil' Romeo) will compete with Charlotte transfer Mike Gerrity for the point guard spot that was supposed to be filled by Lamont Jones. The Trojans will spend Christmas in Hawai'i, which should be a winnable tournament, even in a down year.

Arizona State (last NCAA: 2009) The Sun Devils return three starters, most notably senior point guard Derek Glasser (8.8 ppg, 4.8 apg). However, the two starters who left are big pieces to replace, Harden and Pendergraph. Herb Sendek will have to rely on several returnees who saw little playing time last season and a boatload of newcomers, led by 7-2 Russian center Ruslan Pateev and 6-2 local product Demetrius Walker, to replace all of that production. Sendek's team should once again be one of the best in the country defensively (if the newbies buy into his system), but the big question will be can he get enough scoring. The Sun Devils host the West regional of the NIT, where Cal State-Northridge and TCU appear to be their biggest obstacles to getting to New York.

Washington State (last NCAA: 2008) Like the rest of the teams in what I'm projecting as the Pac-10's second division for this year, the Cougars lost significant scoring punch at the end of last season. In this case, their top two scorers are gone, Taylor Rochestie (13.2 ppg, 4.5 apg) and Aron Bynes (12.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.3 bpg). As you can see, the Cougs' former point guard and center brought more to the table than just points. So the challenge for former Portland State head coach Ken Bone in his first year as Tony Bennett's replacement is to find players who can fill those gaps, all while complementing 6-6 sophomore G Klay Thompson (12.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg), one of the best shooters in the conference. 6-8 sophomore and 6-9 Australian freshman Brock Motum will be called on to fill Bynes' spot, while Thompson will be supported by a couple of youngsters in the backcourt--Reggie Moore and Xavier Thomas. The Cougars head north for Thanksgiving. They'll compete in a Great Alaska Shootout group that includes hosts Alaska-Anchorage and Nicholls State. If they win both of those, they'll probably face Oklahoma in the final.

Oregon (last NCAA: 2008) Despite all the rumors to the contrary, Ernie Kent is still the head man in Eugene. Sure the Ducks only won 8 games during all of last year, including only two in the league, but that was with a team that featured eight freshmen. This year's Oregon outfit should be a bit more experienced, and may be even better next year, as leading scorer Tajuan Porter (15.4 ppg) and Joevan Catron (7.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) are the only seniors on the roster. There's also only one junior, 6-5 swingman LeKendrick Longmire (9.9 ppg. 3.7 rpg). Kent really needs to get someone to play at the point, however, with JC transfer Malcolm Armstead the best hope. One of his teammates at Chipola CC, 6-7 F Jeremy Jacob is also expected to be a major contributor to the frontcourt alongside Catron, Longmire, and 6-10 C Michael Durnigan (8.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg). The Ducks will host a four-team round-robin very early in the season, where Colorado State should be their main competition for the title.

Arizona (last NCAA: 2009) Sean Miller left Xavier to replace Russ Pennell who replaced Kevin O'Neill who filled in for Lute Olson. His first couple of tasks in Tucson have to be considered major successes, as he kept 5-10 guard Nic Wise (15.7 ppg, 4.6 apg) from joining Hill and Budinger in the NBA. Then, he snagged a late recruiting class that should help keep the Wildcats competitive in the Pac-10. 6-6 Solomon Hill and 6-10, 255 pound C Kyryl Natyazhko will provide support to Jamelle Horne (6.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg) in the frontcourt. Two New Yorkers 5-11 Lamont Jones and 6-6 swingman Kevin Parrom could bring a whole new dimension to the Cats' game. The new look Wildcats get their first real test in Maui, where they open with Wisconsin and could face old tournament rival Gonzaga in their second game.

Oregon State (last NCAA: 1990) The Beavers edged toward respectability last year, claiming the CBI crown, beating Stanford in 3 or 4 meetings (the one loss was arguably the most crucial, in the Pac-10 tourney), and sweeping Cal (though they did provide the Ducks one of their two league triumphs). When I saw them play in their first game of last season, I thought it would be a very long season for Craig Robinson's squad. But they grew throughout the year and now they'll try to take the next step nationally. Point guard Rickey Claitt (7.4 ppg, 2.5 apg) is gone, but point center Roeland Schaftenaar (10.5 ppg. 4 rpg, 3.3 apg) is back. So is leading scorer Calvin Haynes (13 ppg, 3 rpg) and the Tarver brothers, starting PG Josh (3.9 ppg. 1.5 apg) and Seth (8 ppg, 5.4 rpg). The newcomers are a promising group as well. They include two Aussie forwards, Angus Brandt and Rhys Murphy, 6-7 forward Joe Burton, and guards Jared Cunningham and Roberto Nelson. Richmond transfer Chris Richard is also eligible this season, and he'll help bolster the backcourt. The Beavers will open their regular season in Lubbock as part of a four-team tournament. They'll challenge host Texas Tech for the title.

UCLA (last NCAA: 2009) A team that lost four of its top five leading scorers probably shouldn't be rated third in this league, but considering the roster changes and inexperience that hound teams four through 10, the Bruins sit here for the moment. Of course, Ben Howland's team could start slowly, as they've turned into the walking wounded during preseason practices. Forward Nikola Dragovic (9.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and G/F Michael Roll (6.7 ppg) are the Bruins two leading returning scorers, and Drew Gordon (3.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg) will undoubtedly get better with more time on the court. This season, Howland's freshmen, led by 6-9 swingman Tyler Honeycutt, 6-8 F Reeves Nelson, and 6-8 Mike Moser, are going to have to carry a lot of the load. The Bruins will anchor the 76 Classic, where they'll open with WCC contender Portland before facing a tough second opponent, Butler or Minnesota.

California (last NCAA: 2009) Mike Montgomery started to earn the trust of Cal fans last season, but if he can bring a Pac-10 crown to Berkeley, Golden Bear fans maybe, just maybe, able to stop seeing him as a Stanford guy. In a league decimated by player departures, Cal only lost only center Jordan Wilkes (4.7 ppg, 4 rpg). Their four leading scorers are back: Randle (18.3 ppg, 5 apg), Christopher (14.3 ppg, 2.1 apg), 6-6 F Theo Robertson (13.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.5 apg), and 6-8 F Jamal Boykin (9.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg). Montgomery's biggest challenge is getting more out of his bench, which is led by hardworking guard Jorge Gutierrez. He also needs to find a replacement for Wilkes. That could be 6-7 JC transfer Markhuri Sanders-Frison, but 6-10 Sudanese prospect Bak Bak could be an intriguing player for the Bears. Cal heads east for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, where they'll open with a Syracuse team who will have homecourt advantage at MSG. The winner of that tilt faces North Carolina or Ohio State. A trip to Lawrence to face Kansas also looms large.

Washington (last NCAA: 2009) Lorenzo Romar lost two key players off last year's Pac-10 champs, Brockman and G Justin Dentmon (14.5 ppg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg), but he recruited well. 6-3 Tacoma product Abdul Gaddy should slide into Dentmon's spot on the roster. Gaddy will focus on the point, while Thomas will play more in the 2 slot. Inside, 6-7 Clarence Trent will support senior Quincy Pondexter (12.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg), and 6-9 junior Matthew Bryan-Amaning (6 ppg, 4 rpg) should increase his contributions. The main challenge for UW will be replacing Brockman's prowess on the boards. He averaged nearly 12 a game, and it will be no small feat to replace them. The Huskies host a four-team round-robin tournament to open the season, featuring Belmont, Portland State, and Wright State. They also play Georgetown in this year's edition of the Wooden Classic.

It was a tough choice, but I'm picking Washington to edge Cal in the league race this season. The Huskies will hold Pac-10's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. Tune back in then to see my first guess at the number of bids the conference could receive in what might be a down year. Now, to wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Pac-10 team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Pac-10 Team

Player of the Year: Jerome Randle, 5-10 G, Sr. (California)

Remainder of the Team
Patrick Christopher, 6-5 G, Sr. (California)
Quincy Pondexter, 6-6 F, Sr. (Washington)
Isaiah Thomas, 5-8 G, So. (Washington)
Nic Wise, 5-10 G, Sr. (Arizona)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Pac-10 this season?

Arizona

8 votes

Arizona State

4 votes

California

28 votes

Oregon

2 votes

Oregon State

5 votes

Stanford

1 votes

UCLA

36 votes

USC

1 votes

Washington

363 votes

Washington State

4 votes

452 votes | Poll has closed

Top 10 Cougar Plays: #3

Grady. — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:30:10 -0000

January 10th: Taylor Rochestie's runner with 17 seconds left beats Stanford.

This wasn't just a shot, this was an exorcism of our demons against Stanford.

For the record, I hate Stanford. I hated them ever since the Chris Hernandez era, and a certain game that I don't like to talk about (Funny how ESPN has pulled down the recap, as if it never happened. I like that). I probably hated Stanford before that, but I just didn't know it. I probably would've applied to Stanford as lofty, see-if-I-can-get-accepted school, but there was something unappealing about doing another $50 application when I didn't want to stray that far from home in the first place. Plus, I kinda like the fact that I'm not stuck up about my education. Oooh, you went to Stanford? Let's pull out the brie and chardonnay so we can talk about it!

Ok, that's not fair. I'm pretty sure most (but not all) Stanford students are cool, so I reserve the bulk of my hatred for the athletic teams. Especially the men's basketball program, headed up in two of the last three years by Brook and Robin Lopez, twin brothers of questionable literacy.

Of course the real reason I hate them is that in our magical, 23-7 Sweet Sixteen season, Stanford beat us three times. Three! That's almost half of our losses for the entire season. And all involve R. Lopez or B. Lopez (sometimes both) manhandling Baynes in the post, while drawing invisible fouls on Aron at the other end. My memories of Stanford games past involve Baynes sitting on the bench in foul trouble, while Brook Lopez beats his chest because he is, in fact, God's gift to basketball.

For the majority of this year's game at Friel, it looked as if the Cougars were in for another loss to the Cardinal. We trailed by as much as 11, and cut the lead to eight at the half. For the most part, WSU was lifeless in their first game against Johnny Dawkins' Cardinal. That is, until a certain freshman broke away for a dunk that gave the Cougars the lead for the first time. The game was hotly contested the rest of the way.

I remember two things about the Rochestie shot. One, it was way too early. 17 seconds left? Milk the clock, buddy. The other was that Taylor, despite having a noted knack for hitting last-minute shots, had never made a game-winner at Friel Court. When the basket went in, we were a defensive stop away from making it happen.

Of course, for whatever reason, it's never easy against Stanford. Anthony Goods missed a jump shot with under ten seconds left. Goods missed, and DeAngelo Casto grabbed the board. There was time left, and with Casto going to the line and WSU up one point, Stanford would still have a chance to tie, or possibly win.

That was the other remarkable thing about this game. In the final minutes, Tony went with the following lineup: Rochesite, Thompson, Casto, Lodwick, Baynes. Seriously. Ye who have little faith in Abe may have forgotten he was on the floor for one of our biggest wins of the year. Finally, Tony showed some confidence in our freshmen. It helped prevent us from going 0-3 in conference to start the year.

Then again, freshmen are still freshmen. So when DeAngelo Casto bricked both (!) free throws on the other end, Stanford had one more chance to win. But Goods' 30-footer for the win fell harmlessly to the floor, and WSU was vindicated.

It may not have erased the painful losses of the past, but for the moment it felt great. Taylor got his winning basket, the Cougs' got their first Pac-10 win, and everyone went home happy. Well, everyone except for Stanford.

Oregon State 65, Stanford 62: The Journey Continues with CBI Semifinal Win

Jake Bertalotto — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 04:07:47 -0000

The 2008-2009 Oregon State Men's Basketball season seemingly continues to get more and more and surreal with each passing moment. The Beavers now find themselves in the CBI Championship series after Craig Robinson's club knocked off Stanford 65-62 Wednesday at Gill Coliseum.

The incredible run Oregon State has experienced in the post-season marks the first time the team has won three post-season games since the Beavers went to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament after the 1962-63 season. The Beavers defeated Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona State that year... this year, it's been Houston, Vermont, and Stanford.

The Beavers and the Cardinal got off to a hot shooting start in the game. Stanford led the charge, converting on five of ten three-pointers in the first half, but the Beavers countered with four of nine from deep. The Beavers were silenced for a six minute stretch towards the end of the first half, but the Beavers, down four at one point, went on a 6-0 run in the last two minutes of the half to take a two point lead into the locker room.

The Cardinal sent the game to overtime when Lawrence Hill hit a fallback jumper from 15 feet out as time expired in regulation. He was able to collect a rebound that went right over the hands of Roeland Schaftenaar after Anthony Goods missed a three pointer that would have potentially won the game for Stanford.

That shot by Hill and the near-rebound by Shaftenaar 'demoralized' the team in the eyes of Coach Rob... they felt that there was no way the game should have gone to overtime after Oregon State held a six point lead with 2:39 left.

The obvious momentum swing allowed Stanford to jump out to a quick lead in overtime: the Cardinal led 61-56 with two and a half minutes remaining in the extra period. Roeland Schaftenaar then hit a three-pointer and a layup and Seth Tarver added a layup a part of a 9-1 run that Oregon State amassed on their way to a three-point victory over their fellow Pac-10 counterpart.

With the win, the Beavers move to 16-17 overall on the season. If they manage to win two straight games in next week's championship series, the Beavers will finish the season with a better-than .500 record.

The Beavers had three players in double-figures: Lathen Wallace with 16, Schaftenaar with 14, and Calvin Haynes with 10. Anthony Goods scored 20 for Stanford, and Lawrence Hill added 14.

Oregon State has now won CBI games by margins of 4, 1, and 3 points, respectively, and have played into overtime twice in the past two games.

Said the coach: "These games are taking a toll on my longevity."

I can only imagine what the players are feeling. They'll get Thursday and possibly Friday off to rest. Coach Robinson said that "at this point, they know what to do. They don't need practice or conditioning." He knows that rest, rest, and more rest is important right now, and he's reminding his guys to have fun, but not too much fun-- there's still work to do.

It will be UTEP for the Beavers in the Championship Series, which begins Monday at Gill Coliseum.

--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)

CougCenter's All Pacific Ten Awards

Dancing Football — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:22:56 -0000

It's what you've all been waiting for. The much anticipated CougCenter Pac 10 conference awards! Grady, Nuss, and myself all spent way more time than we anticipated on this (If you haven't, try doing it, it is a lot harder than it would seem initially). Twelve pots of coffee, two fist-fights, one trip to the emergency room, and an apology ice cream cake later, we were able to hash out our differences and come up our selections for the best of the best during the Pac 10 season.

We decided to toss away the official format (a ten man first team, why?) and go with first, second, and third teams. Additionally we doled out awards for Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, All-Defensive Team, and the All-Freshman Team.

EDIT 9:40 p.m.: You can see how each of the bloggers voted at this link.

We'll start with the individual awards.

Coach of the Year- Craig Robinson

Grady and I were in agreement on this one. Nuss went with Lorenzo Romar initially, but after a satellite phone call from a certain brother-in-law who pointed out that the Beavs probably should have won ZERO Pac 10 games this year, Nuss works for CougCenter and Romar coaches the Huskies, and that Robinson offered hope and change for all agricultural/engineering colleges across the country, Nuss was convinced.

Player of the Year - James Harden

There is really no debate on this one. Harden also takes home the gold in the "beard of the year" category.

Defensive Player of the Year - Taj Gibson

We didn't disagree on this one, but none of us really felt great about it. He led the conference in block% and was 6th in defensive rebounding%. Still, it seems there was no guy you could point to this year and say, "he is the best lock down defender in the Pac 10," like Kyle Weaver last year. Oh yeah, he didn't win the award.

Most Improved Player - Jerome Randle

He no longer had Ryan Anderson to attract the attention of defenses so it was hard for him to find open looks right? Wrong. He improved leaps and bounds in nearly every statistical category. Someone pull some strings and get this guy into the NBA next year, so the pack defense no longer has to deal with him.

Freshman of the Year - Isaiah Thomas

Thanks to johnnycougar for pointing out the ommission. He did a great job with the voting across SBN. You can see his poll results here. We are tired of talking about this guy on this site.

The Best of the Second Best (When ranked by Ken Pomeroy)

The hardest thing about putting together these teams is making them into a group of players that would actually be a viable combination for a coach during a game. The first team (which consists of five players, you know, because that's how many play on the court for a team) is full of guys who played well and were key reasons why their respective teams will be dancing come tourney time.

James Harden	G/So.	The most dynamic offensive player in the conference. No one is more important to his team's success. Top five pick in the NBA draft come April.
Darren Collison	G/Sr.	Fantastic player of both ends of the floor. Top 10 during conference play in offensive rating, assist percentage, and steal percentage.
Jerome Randle	G/Jr.	He's 5-10 and third during conference play in eFG%. Also in the top 10 in assist%. The biggest reason that Cal will be in the field of 64/65
Jordan Hill	F/Jr.	A freak athlete. Added some post skills and a short range jumper this year. Tough to deal handle defensively and offensively. Lottery pick for sure.
Jon Brockman	F/Sr.	Best rebounder in the conference on both ends of the floor. Took a hit in his own personal statistics this year to benefit the team as a whole.

For the rest of the awards, click the link to make the jump. Don't worry, we are all smarter than Pac 10 coaches, and Aron Baynes will not be left out!

The Second Best of the Second Best

Taylor Rochestie	G/Sr.	He. Is. Awesome.
Justin Dentmon	G/Sr.	Close second for most improved player. One of the best shooters in the Pac 10. That's enough about him.
Chase Budinger	G/Jr.	Pretty unstoppable when he gets it going. Tough to match up with at the guard position with his length.
Taj Gibson	F/Jr.	Your aforementioned Defensive Player of the year and USC's most effective offensive option. Tough matchup because of his quickness.
Aron Baynes	C/Sr.	Best part about Baynes this year, those twenty pounds he lost. So much quicker off his feet making him a terror down low for the Cougs opposition.

The Third Best of the Second Best

Josh Shipp	G/Sr.	Seems like he has been around forever. Dangerous shooter from the outside.
Calvin Haynes	G/So.	Easily the scariest scoring threat on the Beavs offense.
Alfred Aboya	F/Sr.	Good offensive numbers. Only a 17.4 shot % though.
Jeff Pendergraph	F/Sr.	Led the conference in eFG%. Making layups is harder than it looks (ask the Cougs)
Roeland Schaftenaar	C/Jr.	Have to love a center who has the #8 assist rate in the conference.

Honorable Mention (guys who received votes, but didn't make the cut):

Anthony Goods, Isaiah Thomas, Quincy Pondexter, Patrick Christopher

The Defenders

Venoy Overton	G/So.	He grabs and pulls, but he knows how to get away with it.
Darren Collison	G/Sr.	The closest thing to a lock-down defender the conference had this year. (can't wait for Casto and Capers next year!)
Jordan Hill	F/Jr.	Gets off the floor quick, can block shots and bother offensive players with his long arms.
Taj Gibson	F/Jr.	I think we've said enough about him.
Aron Baynes	C/Sr.	He. Is. Awesome.

Honorable Mention: James Harden's Beard, James Harden

The New Guys

Isaiah Thomas	G	See past articles. No more needs to be written about this guy on this site.
Klay Thompson	G	Ask Mitch Johnson how awesome Klay is.
Jrue Holiday	G	Didn't quite live up to his billing, but UCLA will probably benefit from that having him stick around for a few more years.
DeMar DeRozan	F	A guy so good he's worth two scholarships and four capital letters.
Michael Dunigan	F	Dunigan is such a fun name to say. Also, solid rebounder and shot blocker. Played more minutes and took more shots than Casto, that's the main reason he is on here.

Honarable Mention: DeAngelo Casto

There you have it. Blood, sweat, and tears went in to creating this. Please feel free now to tear us apart and tell us why we are wrong, we can take it, as long as there is ice cream cake.

Arizona vs. Stanford Preview

joenewby4040 — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:00:08 -0000

Next Game

Stanford Cardinal
@ Arizona Wildcats

Date: Saturday, March 7, 2009 Time: 5:30 p.m. MST
Location: Olson Court, McKale Center (14,545), Tucson, Ariz.
Radio: Wildcat Radio Network (Brian Jeffries/Ryan Hansen)
TV: FSAZ (Dave Sitton/Bob Elliott)
Ken Pom Prediction: Arizona 77-71

Complete Coverage >

STANFORD CARDINAL

The Stanford Cardinal come into tonight's game with a huge chip on their shoulder after defeating Arizona State 74-64 in front of a stunned crown in Tempe. Landry Fields had 20 points on 8-12 shooting and Anthony Goods had 15 for the Cardinal. Stanford led by 6 at the end of the first half and outscored the Sun Devils 42-38 in the 2nd half. Stanford won this game with defense, as they limited Arizona State, who shot a paltry 0-6 from the field, in the first 8:10 of the game. Arizona State's first field goal came with 11:50 left in the first half from James Harden.

Anthony Goods leads the Cardinal with 15.9 ppg. He is also shooting 40.4% from three point land, which should concern every Arizona fan out there. Stanford as a team averages 38.3% from beyond the arc this year as well. The last time these two met, Stanford put a beat down on the Cats, winning 76-60. The Cats committed 20 turnovers and the Cardinal made them pay.

Stanford is 17-11 on the year, with all 11 losses coming in conference play. They have won 2 in a row against USC and at Arizona State. They also lost @ Oregon this year by a score of 60-68. Wow. Let's take a look at the Cardinal(s) stats this year:

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Anthony Goods	27	31.6	4.7	11.2	41.6	2.2	5.4	40.4	4.4	5.5	79.2	0.6	2.7	3.3	1.7	2.4	0.7	0.0	1.3	15.9
Lawrence Hill	28	30.6	5.2	10.4	50.2	0.6	1.8	31.4	2.4	3.5	68.0	1.8	3.6	5.4	2.5	1.6	0.9	0.6	2.1	13.4
Landry Fields	28	30.7	4.6	9.1	50.8	0.9	2.5	37.1	2.5	3.7	68.3	2.4	4.2	6.5	1.7	1.8	1.2	0.6	2.0	12.7
Josh Owens	28	20.8	3.1	5.6	55.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	2.0	66.1	1.6	2.2	3.8	0.8	1.0	0.9	0.8	2.4	7.5
Mitch Johnson	26	28.8	2.4	5.8	41.4	0.7	1.9	38.8	1.3	1.8	70.8	0.3	2.3	2.5	4.2	2.4	1.4	0.1	2.2	6.9
Jeremy Green	28	15.3	1.8	4.6	38.8	1.1	2.7	42.7	0.6	0.8	78.3	0.6	1.6	2.2	0.6	0.6	0.8	0.1	1.6	5.4
Kenny Brown	24	13.0	1.8	4.1	43.9	0.9	2.3	38.2	0.8	1.0	79.2	0.3	1.1	1.3	1.0	0.8	0.4	0.0	1.0	5.3
Will Paul	21	13.4	1.6	3.2	50.0	0.6	1.3	46.4	0.4	0.6	61.5	0.4	0.9	1.3	0.7	0.6	0.2	0.3	2.7	4.2
Drew Shiller	20	12.3	0.8	2.2	37.2	0.6	1.7	33.3	0.3	0.3	100.0	0.1	0.9	0.9	1.6	0.8	0.3	0.0	0.9	2.4
Emmanuel Igbinosa	3	4.0	0.7	2.0	33.3	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.7	0.7	100.0	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.7	2.0
Jarrett Mann	23	6.3	0.5	1.3	35.5	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.9	47.6	0.5	0.4	0.9	0.6	0.8	0.2	0.0	0.4	1.4
Jack Trotter	15	6.3	0.4	0.9	46.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.5	85.7	0.3	0.4	0.7	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.8	1.2
Da`Veed Dildy	20	4.5	0.4	0.7	50.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.1	0.5	0.6	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.3	0.7
Elliott Bullock	15	5.2	0.1	0.5	12.5	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.3	0.6	44.4	0.5	0.5	1.1	0.1	0.2	0.1	0.0	0.9	0.4
Matei Daian	4	3.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.8	33.3	0.8	0.3	1.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.8	0.3
	26	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	1.5	3.5	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

ARIZONA WILDCATS

Another day another dollar, I mean loss. Arizona is on the heels of a 4 game skid, severely putting into jeopardy their chances of making the NCAA Tournament. Arizona has flat out run out of gas against Washington State and California. Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger can only score so many points before we can't compete anymore. Last game, Russ Pennell started Jamelle Horne over Zane Johnson, and Horne responded with a stellar 13 points and 9 boards. I hope he is starting again today.

Arizona is not even close to the team it was when they fell to Stanford the first time. We are on a bit of a downward slope here, but our potential is unreal. We have to find our fourth player who can contribute enough to allow our other three to play to their potential. So far, we haven't found him yet. Zane Johnson, I thought here, was supposed to be our deep threat. The guy who sat outside the key and was ready to fire at will. Unfortunately, he has not been the sharp shooter we had hoped for and defenses have minimalized his effectiveness over the last 10 games. Kyle Fogg showed signs of potential, averaging in double digits for a couple of games, only to retreat back into his shell as of late.

Russ Pennell was forced to bring Jamelle Horne off of the bench and start in place of Zane last game and it paid off big time. He contributed across the board and ended up in double digits. If it weren't for the wonderful shooting of Jerome freakin' Randle, the Cats would have probably pulled out the Win. So, what does that mean? Time to adjust and start defending the three pointer, while allowing Jordan to hold his own down low. Here are some stats from the game notes, which are attached below:

DEFEND THE ARC: During Arizona's current four-game losing streak, the Wildcats have been derelict in its ability to guard the perimeter. Over the last four games, UA opponents have connected on 44-of-97 (.454) of its three-point field goal attempts and foes are averaging made treys per game in that span. Additionally, those treys account for 42 percent of the opponents made field goals (44 of 105). By comparison, UA has hit 27-of-72 (.375) shots from behind the arc in those same four games.

Are you kidding me? We have a Wooden Award Finalist on the post, and we are giving up 45.4% from beyond the arc? What is wrong with that picture? Jordan's defense is phenomenal (a word often used in the So Cal derelict). Why aren't we forcing guys to go down low and take him on? I guess one theory would be that we have no bench, so we must "protect" our asset in Hill, and force people to beat us outside. I hope this were not the case, as, case in point above, we are getting killed beyond the arc and it's time to ADJUST to teams killing us from three point land.

The Cats should have no problem with Stanford as Chase, Jordan, and Nic are still smoking hot and home court advantage with the Tournament on the line should be impenetrable. However, let's hope that Pennell can adjust on the fly, stop the three, and make someone actually beat us who can't sit outside and jack threes all day. Here is a look at the Cats stats up through today:

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Jordan Hill	29	35.7	7.5	13.5	55.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.4	5.3	64.5	4.0	7.0	11.1	1.5	2.8	0.8	1.9	2.9	18.4
Chase Budinger	30	37.5	6.1	12.9	47.4	2.0	4.7	41.8	3.7	4.6	81.8	1.6	4.9	6.5	3.3	2.4	1.4	0.4	1.9	17.9
Nic Wise	30	36.2	4.8	11.0	43.5	1.9	4.6	41.6	3.2	3.8	85.0	0.3	2.1	2.4	4.5	2.9	1.5	0.1	2.4	14.6
Jamelle Horne	30	28.4	2.5	6.0	41.9	0.4	1.4	27.9	1.3	2.1	64.5	1.7	3.5	5.2	1.3	1.3	0.7	0.4	2.7	6.7
Kyle Fogg	30	22.8	1.9	4.1	46.3	0.7	1.7	39.2	1.8	2.3	78.3	0.8	1.5	2.3	1.5	1.2	0.7	0.0	1.7	6.3
Zane Johnson	28	19.8	1.6	3.7	44.2	1.2	2.9	41.2	0.5	0.6	76.5	0.4	1.5	1.8	1.0	0.7	0.4	0.1	1.9	4.9
Garland Judkins	18	12.6	0.9	2.2	40.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.6	1.0	61.1	0.4	0.6	0.9	1.2	1.2	0.3	0.1	0.9	2.4
Alex Jacobson	23	7.3	0.5	1.1	44.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.3	57.1	0.7	0.6	1.3	0.1	0.4	0.0	0.2	0.8	1.1
Fendi Onobun	26	6.5	0.3	0.8	42.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.7	42.1	0.2	0.6	0.8	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.1	1.0	1.0
David Bagga	4	2.3	0.3	1.0	25.0	0.3	0.5	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.8
Brendon Lavender	23	4.9	0.3	0.6	42.9	0.0	0.3	16.7	0.2	0.3	66.7	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.5	0.7
D.J. Shumpert	3	3.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.0	1.3	0.3	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	30	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	1.3	2.8	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Keys to the Game:

Perimeter Defense. Our perimter defense stinks. There. I said it. It's true. Time to either play man-man or extend our zone out further. Stanford is known to like the long ball and they can knock you out fast. Pennell, get'em out there and cover those guys. It's starting to get ridiculous. Please no more of this, this, or this.
Riding the Pine. Please set Zane to start the game. Pretty please. Jamelle Horne is the guy. I wish we knew this earlier in the year. Zane is inconsistent, has weak penetration, and misses easy layups (Sorry Ford, it's true). Jamelle Horne, fouls aside, is a much better player and we need his spark from the beginning, not in the middle of the first half.
IT Factor. Tournament bound? I hope so. Stanford defintely is not, so they have nothing to lose and the Cats have everything to gain. I expect a hard physical matchup, with both teams giving everything they've got. As I said in the California Recap, does it feel like our tournament chances come down to this one game? Sure does to me.

To end this post, I thought I would share a sad, sad stat with everyone. Sorry, but I thought you should know:

The Wildcats enter today's game having lost its last four games played. In case you were wondering, last time the Cats lost four straight in the same season came Jan. 5-14, 1984, in what was Lute Olson's first season in Tucson. The last time the program lost five or more also happened during that 1983-84 campaign.

Game Notes

Beavers Get First Season Sweep of Stanford in 16 Years

Jake Bertalotto — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:16:43 -0000

The Beavers started the game on a 25-7 point run and hardly looked back in Saturday's 66-54 win over Stanford on Thursday night at Gill Coliseum. The Cardinal battled back at several points in the first and second half, but the Beavers continued to execute the modified Princeston offense and maintain a healthy lead.

The Beavers, who completed a season sweep of Stanford for the first time since 1993 with the win, led wire-to-wire in both games against the Cardinal this season. Back on January 24, the Beavers held less than a ten point margin for most of the game until they went on a 12-3 run in the middle of the second half to take a comfertable lead. On Thursday, Stanford tied the game at four, but could never catch the Beavers again in the final 38 minutes of the game.

Roeland Schaftenaar led the Beavers with a career high of 26 points, picking up five rebounds and two assists along the way. Calvin Haynes added 17 points. Rickey Claitt and Seth Tarver each scored seven points.

Stanford was led by Jeremy Green, who scored 19 points in 17 minutes off the bench. Landry Fields added 17 points. Anthony Goods, who led the Cardinal with 15 points back on January 24, was held scoreless in the game.

The Beavers shot over 53 percent from the field, a number that dropped considerably in the final ten minutes of the game. For most of the first and the second half, the Beavers were shooting over 60 percent from the field. The Beavers also shot very well from the free-throw line, making 20 of 27.

Oregon State, who averages 18 three-point field goal attempts per game, only shot eight three-pointers in the game, making four.

The Beavers will now have an opportunity to get a season sweep of the Bay Area schools on Saturday, when the California Golden Bears will be in town. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on FSN.

--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)

Stanford shoots down Cougars, 65-54

Grady. — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:54:37 -0000

Stats by StatSheet.com

Sometimes the game of basketball is more simple than we think. Put the ball in the basket, and you win.

And the Stanford Cardinal did just that against WSU, shooting a blistering 54.8% from the field and draining 9 of 13 three-point attempts.

The Cougars' (12-10, 4-6 Pac-10) defense was befuddled by a trio of Cardinal players in double figures. Big man WIll Paul was 5 for 5 (3 for 3 from three) and scored 13 points, matching the total of teammate Anthony Goods. But the real star for Stanford (14-6, 4-6) was Lawrence Hill. The senior forward notched 20 points on 8 of 9 shooting.

Washington State was led by Klay Thompson with 18 points, and Aron Baynes who chipped in 16 and 9 rebounds. But Baynes was rattled by a physical Stanford defense, committing a game-high six turnovers.

After letting WSU jump out to an early eight point lead, Stanford made its next three buckets and never stopped missing. Stanford took a one-point lead into halftime, and pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Cougars by ten after intermission.

The eFG of 65.5% was easily the worst WSU has allowed during the conference season.

Player of the Game: Thopmson. 18 points (7/14, 2/3 3pt), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 0 turnovers.

Play of the Game: Aron Baynes' dunk off an offensive rebound with 17:52 remaining brought the Cougars within two, but it was the closest they would get for the remainder of the game.

It was over when... 91% free-throw shooter Taylor Rochestie missed the front end of a 1 and 1 with 6:38 remaining and the Cougs down nine.

Stat of the night: The 9 of 13 three-pointers made by Stanford. You simply aren't going to beat anyone if you defend the perimeter that poorly.

The Cougars were pretty even with Stanford in three of the four factors (see chart above). It was the shooting that was the difference in the end.

Preview: Ducks Look to Leave Maples Pavilion a Winner

dvieira — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:00:10 -0000

Oregon heads to the Maples Pavilion in beautiful Palo Alto, California this week for a clash against the Stanford Cardinal in Men's Hoops. The Ducks are 0-6 in the Pac-10 and seem to be flying apart at the seams. The Cardinal are coming off a big win against the Cal Bears at home and look to continue their winning ways. Oregon hasn't won at Stanford since 1986 and have lost 8 of the last 10 meetings.

Johnny Dawkins, coach of the Cardinal is off to one of the best starts in Stanford history. Their 10-game winning streak to start the year was their best start since the 2003-04 team that opened with 26 wins. All of this has been done without the fabulous Lopez Brothers from last year. Although they have had a tough start to the Pac-10 season, this Cardinal team is better than a lot of people will give them credit for. With UCLA, ASU and Cal getting most of the limelight, Stanford is sitting quietly back at 12-3, looking to move up to 14-3 during this home stand against the Oregon schools.

The Cardinal's strengths will cause havoc for Oregon's weaknesses. Stanford is leading the conference in three-point field goal percentage defense at 28.7 percent. With a young Oregon team looking to throw the ball away at a moment's notice, Stanford will have an easy time causing turnovers, just like they have all season. If being a good defensive team wasn't scary enough, Stanford ranks third in the conference in scoring at 76 points per game.

Anthony Goods is the Pac-10's fourth-best scorer averaging 17.3 points per game and can launch the three ball with ease.

Oregon's Keys to the Game

Minimize Turnovers

Stanford is going to get their steals. We can't give them more opportunities. With as much as they score and how often we don't score, we need to capitalize on every position and not throw the ball away. No easy buckets.

Feed Dunigan

The big man is hungry and he can dominate inside. Give him the ball, give it to him often and don't let him get in foul trouble. If he stays out on the floor, we can control the middle. If he doesn't, it could be a long night.

Someone Give TP Directions to the Maples Pavilion - map

Tajuan Porter absolutely needs to show up in this game. We cannot afford for him to be lackluster in his play or his desire to get his teammates involved. We saw him come out of his shell when Ernie got ejected. TP, maybe more than anyone can help us turn this around and we'll need him at his best to get the win.

A Look At Stanford Basketball

ragnarok — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 01:18:51 -0000

Probably the most notable thing about this year's Stanford basketball team is what it's missing: its longtime coach, Mike Montgomery, is off coaching at Cal; his successor, Trent Johnson, left for LSU after last season; and the two best players off last year's Sweet 16 team, 7' twins Brook and Robin Lopez, are off in the NBA. And while I couldn't really say whether new coach Johnny Dawkins is an up- or downgrade over Trent Johnson, I can confidently state that the Cardinal have not come close to being able to replace either Lopez brother.

Say, why don't they make basketball shorts like that anymore? - Image via www.checkoutmycards.com

So, who HAS Stanford gotten to fill their void in the paint? Who has picked up the scoring load for this team? How will the Bears attack this Cardinal team, and what do they need to watch out for? I set out upon the internet, intent on finding out.

From the look of Stanford's roster, it seems that, much like Cal, they abandon the idea of playing with a true center for much of their games. Josh Owens, who gets the bulk of the minutes in the paint, is listed as a Forward/Center on Stanford's website, but other sources list the 6-8 sophomore as a forward only. Owens averages 10 points and 5 boards a game; nice numbers, but hardly setting the world on fire. Backing up Owens is 6-10 Center Will Paul, though Paul hasn't played heavy minutes due to both injury and persistent foul trouble. Who actually starts tomorrow is anyone's guess, however. The Cardinal have a couple of 6-10 freshmen behind Owens and Paul, though I wouldn't expect anything from either one, and no one on the roster is taller that 6-10.

Owens and Paul : the Lopez twins, they are not. - Images via grfx.cstv.com

Looking at Stanford's overall numbers, you can see a big hole near the basket. Checking out a statistical scouting report from Ken Pomeroy, some stark numbers jump out immediately: Stanford ranks 313th in the country in defending the 2-point shot, allowing opponents to shoot 52.5% inside the arc, 250th in the country in blocks (just 6.8% of attempted shots), and 1st in the NCAA in terms of the percentage of an opponents points that come via 2-point field goals (nearly 65%). Even with 6-8 forward Lawrence Hill and 6-7 forward/guard Landry Fields helping out on the glass (each averages over 6 boards per game), Stanford is still a fairly mediocre rebounding team, and ranks in the bottom half in the country in terms of offensive rebounds.

So, the Bears should attack the basket, early and often? That's what I would do. I know the Bears don't have a big inside presence either (this Stanford team is the sort that Leon Powe would just eat alive), but they may have no choice: in contrast to their interior defense, the Cardinal have been exhibiting some excellent perimeter defense. This year, they're allowing opponents to shoot just 28.4% from beyond the arc (10th in the country), and that's if they even get a shot off: Stanford also ranks in the top ten nationally in terms of opponents' 3-point attempts as a percentage of shots as a whole. Either way, when the nation's best 3-point shooting team meets one of the nation's best at defending the long-range shot, something's got to give.

Offensively, the Cardinal get it started on the perimeter as well, with 6-3 senior guard Anthony Goods leading the team in scoring, pouring in over 17 points per game. 6-1 senior point guard Mitch Johnson adds almost 8 points per game and, more importantly, 4.6 assists per game, by far the team leader, and a pretty positive 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Stanford's senior starting backcourt is a couple of real lookers, don't you think? - Images via grfx.cstv.com

Offensively, the team shoots pretty well (free throws too), though the offensive number that really jumps out at me is how well they take care of the ball (23rd in the country in terms of turnovers per possession -- Cal is 21st). Yes, they've run up some big numbers over some mediocre competition during a very soft non-conference schedule (twice going over 100 points, including a 111-66 demolition of Texas Tech, the Red Raiders' second-worst loss in school history, but this is a good team offensively, and after considering that they were swept in the state of Washington by a combined two points, this team could just as easily be 3-1 in the conference instead of 1-3.

One thing to note about this Stanford team; I wouldn't bother waiting for foul trouble to affect this team. The Cardinal have yet to have a player foul out of a game this year, and I don't think it's merely because Dawkins is being careful with his players, as only Will Paul averages over 3 fouls per game. Anthony Goods, in particular, is a tough out, placing in the top 10 in the country in fouls committed per 40 minutes. He's going to play heavy minutes, and it's probably going to fall to Patrick Christopher to see if he can contain Goods.

So, prediction time: Vegas apparently favors Stanford by 4.5, probably due entirely to home court advantage. I think that's a big high. Jeff Sagarin's rating system would favor Stanford by less than a point, which seems more reasonable, and Ken Pomeroy actually predicts a 76-75 victory for the Bears. And me? Gimmie the Bears by a trey. I think Monty outcoaches Dawkins in his return to the farm, and Harper Kamp has a surprisingly big day inside.

The incomparable CougCenter Pac-10 conference minipreview

Nuss — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 08:42:28 -0000

With the conference season tipping off tonight, I figured I'd give you my quick look at where we stand heading into the 18 games that truly will decide each team's postseason fate.

What follows is a short breakdown of each team, ordered in my own little power ranking. (I didn't take into account tonight's games, FYI, since I started working on the post this afternoon.) And don't look now, but the "weak" Pac-10 is now the No. 2 rated conference by Ken Pomeroy.

1. UCLA (10-2)

Pomeroy Ranking: 16

Quick Take: The Bruins are still the class of the Pac-10. They might not be the 1,000-pound gorilla they've been over the past few years and might not be a shoo-in for their fourth consecutive Final Four, but they're still very, very good. The team defense is down just a tick, and J'Mison Morgan hasn't exactly been the replacement for Kevin Love that UCLA fans thought he might be, since he's only averaging 7.2 minutes a game.

But they still generate a ton of turnovers, and Darren Collison is one of the most efficient players in the country (No. 45 in offensive rating and No. 53 in eFG%). The most pleasant suprise for UCLA has been the play of guard Michael Roll. The junior supersub has the No. 2 offensive rating in the country, and is shooting a ridiculous eFG% of 73.4, which would also be No. 2 if he had played enough minutes to qualify.

The Bruins have been destroying some less-than-impressive competition since losing to No. 7 Texas so who knows how much they've improved since that loss, but with an experienced squad and Ben Howland on the sidelines, they're still my odds on favorite to win the conference title.

2. Arizona State (11-1)

Pomeroy Ranking: 9

Quick Take: The Sun Devils are the highest rated Pac-10 team by kenpom.com, but it's tough to know just how good they really are after yet another typically creampuff nonconference schedule. ASU has played just one true road game (for the second consecutive year), and lost its only real test against Baylor.

But the Sun Devils have the No. 1 effective field goal percentage and No. 4 adjusted offensive efficiency in the country thanks in large part to a weapon that no one in the conference can match: James Harden. Want to know just how good Harden has been? Read this piece at Basketball Prospectus. It's a couple of weeks old, but still relevant. The guy is an absolute stud, ranking in the top 100 nationally in percentage of his team's shots taken, offensive rating, effective field goal percentage, free throw rate and assist rate. He's a one-man wrecking crew.

Jeff Pendergraph has also been very good, but the Devils are thin up front. Depth there might be an issue against Pac-10 teams with better big men than the Devils have faced this season.

3. USC (9-3)

Pomeroy Ranking: 41

Quick Take: The offense has been inconsistent, but the defense has been typically sound under Tim Floyd. Only the loss to Seton Hall raises eybrows, as losses to Missouri and Oklahoma -- especially with as close as the latter was -- are nothing to be ashamed of. The offense has been inconsistent at best, but that's to be expected as the Trojans figure out how to replace to production of OJ Mayo and Davon Jefferson.

Dwight Lewis has taken on the bulk of the scoring load, while Taj Gibson has been his usual beastly self inside, posting seven double-doubles already to go along with the No. 17 block percentage in the country. But what truly makes this a team on the come is freshman sensation DeMar DeRozan, who Floyd says is "growing in front of our eyes right now." Also keep an eye on junior Daniel Hackett. He's a player I've been down on in the past, but he's quietly blossoming into one of the top point guards in the Pac-10.

If there's one thing Floyd has proven, it's that he can grow a team over the course of a year so that it's playing its best ball by March. He's well on his way to doing it again.

4. Cal (11-2)

Pomeroy Ranking: 32

Quick Take: And here we have our first big surprise of the season. I said before the year that the Bears could be the surprise team of the conference, and don't look now, but Mike Montgomery has the Bears playing some mighty fine basketball. Their only two losses came to a decent Florida State in Las Vegas and a very good Missouri on the road -- no shame in that.

How have the Bears done it? By turning a mediocre defense in 2007-08 (No. 152 adjusted defensive efficiency) into one of the better ones this year (No. 66) while maintaining the offense, even with the loss of Ryan Anderson to the NBA. I thought Patrick Christopher might be one of the surprise players in the Pac-10 this year, but it's been point guard Jerome Randle who's been the difference maker for Montgomery. His stats are up across the board, as he's averaging 19.5 points and 4.8 assists.

I believe now more than ever that Cal is poised for a WSU-like jump into the top half of the conference.

5. Arizona (9-3)

Pomeroy Ranking: 42

Quick Take: The Wildcats have played far better than anyone had any right to expect in the wake of Lute Olson's retirement just after the start of official practices. Forget about the comically absurd loss to UAB and the close loss to Texas A&M; the Wildcats have impressive wins over Gonzaga and Kansas to hang their hats on come Tournament time.

It doesn't hurt that they've got the most talented trio in the conference with Nic Wise, Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill. The three account for 65 percent of the Wildcats' scoring, 56 percent of their rebounds, 59 percent of their assists. Hill has been especially impressive, leading the team in scoring and averaging a double-double.

Coach Russ Pennell deserves a lot of credit for getting this team to play as well as it has and on track for yet another NCAA Tournament berth. For all the hand-wringing by Olson and the players about the slower pace played under Kevin O'Neill last year, Arizona is playing at an even slower pace this year, although they've played faster recently. Pennell is clearly doing something right.

6. Stanford (10-0)

Pomeroy Ranking: 30

Quick Take: The Cardinal finished the nonconference slate without a loss, and while there isn't really a win over an impressive opponent in the bunch, most of the wins were by double digits, including a 111-66 thrashing of Texas Tech. Stanford's adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency are both ranked in the top 40 nationally under first-year coach Johnny Dawkins.

Anthony Goods has really stepped up his production, leading the way with 18.4 points per game, but it's been a balanced attack, as the Cardinal feature four players averaging double figures. Part of that is due to Stanford playing much faster this year than at any point in recent memory, averaging more than 71 possessions, a pace befitting the smallish squad left in the wake of the defections of the Lopez ~~sisters~~ twins and graduation of Taj Finger.

But that small frontcourt might prove to be the Cardinal's undoing. They're already giving up the 40th highest 2-point field goal percentage in the country and blocking only 7.7 percent of their opponents shots (203rd). Contrast that with the sixth-best 2-point field goal percentage and No. 36 block percentage last year, and you wonder how Stanford will hold up against legitimate big men, which most teams in the Pac-10 possess.

7. Washington State (8-4)

Pomeroy Ranking: 40

Quick Take: The Cougs were the picture of consistency in the nonconference schedule, beating the crud out of teams they were supposed to beat, going 1-1 against middle-of-the-road SEC teams, and going 0-3 against ranked teams. If this team has any hope of making the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row, it's going to have to make some hay in the conference schedule.

The defense has been as good as ever, holding all opponents but Baylor, Gonzaga and LSU to efficiencies under 100. But the offense ... oh, that offense. It's bad. Real bad. And if the Cougs want to get up into the top half of the conference, Tony Bennett's going to have to come up with some answers in a hurry. The defense is good enough to win some games all by itself, but unless the offense gets better, this is shaping up to be a remake of 2005-06.

8. Washington (9-3)

Pomeroy Ranking: 24

Quick Take: The Pomeroy Ranking suggests I ought to have the Huskies higher than this, but let's just say I'm a little bit skeptical considering they lost all three games they played away from Hec Ed, including a season-opening debacle at Portland. But there's no denying UW has been impressive at home, posting a dominant win over Oklahoma State (No. 49 Pomeroy) and a nice win without Jon Brockman over an underrated Portland State team (No. 88 Pomeroy) that would be Gonzaga in Spokane a little over a week later.

Brockman has been his usual dominant self inside, averaging a double-double, and the Huskies have gotten improved play on the perimeter from an unlikely source: Justin Dentmon, who is averaging 12.4 points. Additionally, Isaiah Thomas has shown flashes of being the explosive scorer the Huskies hoped for.

The thing that has Husky fans hoping this year will be different than the past two is that the defense seems to be better -- 17th in adjusted defensive efficiency, fueled largely by a much improved shooting defense (No. 64 in opponents' eFG%, compared to No. 234 and 193 the past two years).

One thing to keep an eye on, though: Washington's defensive efficiency is fairly significantly correlated to opponents' turnover percentage (-.74). Will the defense be as good against Pac-10 teams that figure to take care of the ball better than some of their more overmatched opponents? Kansas and Florida posted the two highest opponents' efficiencies while posting two of the three lowest TO%.

9. Oregon (6-6)

Pomeroy Ranking: 93

Quick Take: Poor Ernie Kent. With his keister firmly on the hot seat, he sure picked a terrible time to play the toughest nonconference schedule of any Pac-10 team -- 38th nationally according to Pomeroy. The Ducks got soundly beat by the good teams on their schedule, but also lost a couple of not-so-good games to Oakland and San Diego.

It's the same old story with the Ducks. They're playing the fastest pace of anyone in the conference (73.7) and chucking up a ton of 3's, which they're still pretty good at making (37.5 percent, 61st nationally). Where the offense is struggling, though, is in getting easy baskets -- the Ducks are an appalling 269th nationally in 2-point field goal percentage after being 14th last year. Much like Washington, the defense is actually quite improved so far thanks to a high number of steals.

Tajuan Porter has proven to be mediocre as a leading man. Don't let the fact that he's leading Oregon in scoring fool you; he's posting just the team's fourth best offensive rating. Freshman Michael Dunigan has been solid, but team's might start employing a hack-a-Shaq strategy on him if he doesn't improve on that 51.1 percent from the line.

10. Oregon State (5-5)

Pomeroy Ranking: 175

Quick Take: Nobody's going to confuse the Beavers with a Pac-10 contender, but nobody's going to confuse them with last year's edition that went 0-18 in the Pac-10, either. This team is improved under new coach Craig Robinson*, especially on the offensive end. Their adjusted offensive efficiency is higher than the Cougs', thanks largely to improved play in the paint -- OSU is 10th nationally in 2-point field goal percentage.

Expect this team to get much better as the season rolls along. Robinson employs a version of the Princeton offense, which players don't exactly pick up overnight. The growth is already palpable; the Beavers soundly beat Howard University at home on Dec. 20, whom they lost to by two in their season opener just a month before. This team that quit on Jay John last year is playing hard for Robinson. It might not translate into five or six wins, but it'll translate into two or three over teams that don't come prepared to battle the Beavers.

* Notice how I wrote Craig Robinson's name without mentioning that he is Barack Obama's brother in law? Oh, wait ... dang! I just did it! Dangit!!!