Pac-10’s Wealth Is Evident in Its Middle Class

‘Tis the season to make New Year’s resolutions, and millions of Americans are vowing to do what the Pacific 10 Conference already has accomplished.

Pac-10 men’s basketball, which begins conference play tonight, has gone from flabby to fit around the middle.

Specifically, the conference that once featured three competitive teams--Stanford, Arizona and UCLA--and seven also-rans now boasts several schools capable of making a serious run at the NCAA tournament.

“The middle has gotten a lot better,” Oregon State Coach Richie McKay said. “In some cases, being in the middle of the Pac-10 will get you dancing.”

Stanford, Arizona and USC are the favorites to waltz away with the conference’s top three spots, but Oregon, California and UCLA can put up a good fight when their games are clicking. Oregon State and Arizona State are talented, but both have had some rough luck lately. And the Washington schools, who make their Southern California swing this week, should finish in the cellar.

How’s this for parity: Arizona went 25-9 in 1996-97 and won its first NCAA title . . . after finishing fifth in the Pac-10.

“That just shows you the depth and balance of our league,” said Cal Coach Ben Braun, whose team tied for second in the conference that season. “I believe that if you’re in the middle of our conference, you’re probably a very good basketball team.”

The jury is still out on Cal this season. The Bears have won seven in a row and have yet to lose in the East Bay--including a convincing victory over a solid Georgia team--but they are winless in games outside the Bay Area. That includes a loss at UC Irvine.

UCLA struggled to beat Irvine and already has four nonconference losses in nine games, although the Bruins are feeling good about knocking off Purdue on the road last Saturday. In the last few seasons under Coach Steve Lavin, they have been a sporadically dangerous team, one which loses games it should win and wins games it should lose.

In three seasons, Coach Ernie Kent has gone a long way toward putting Oregon basketball on the map. The Ducks made it to the National Invitation Tournament Final Four two years ago, and last season won 22 games and advanced to the NCAA tournament for only the second time in 38 years. Now, the team has the conference’s leading scorer in forward Bryan Bracey (19.5 points a game) and a top-flight freshman point guard in Luke Ridnour.

Like many Pac-10 teams, the Ducks are something of a mystery. Oregon posted an 88-55 victory over Louisville last Saturday yet lost to unranked Auburn two weeks earlier.

Regardless, few people--if any--doubt Oregon will be ready for conference play.

“The future is bright for our conference,” McKay said. “And it’s only getting more competitive.”

A glance around the Pac-10:

ARIZONA

* 1999-2000: 27-7 overall, 15-3 in conference (tied for first)

The Wildcats are reeling from the loss of Coach Lute Olson’s wife, Bobbi, who died Monday of cancer. Still, they’re trying to focus on the task at hand. “The ship must go on,” senior forward Gene Edgerson said. Talent-wise, there’s no better team in the Pac-10, or possibly the country. There was early speculation that the Wildcats might go undefeated; a forgettable projection, considering they have lost four of 11. Nonetheless, they are an enormously skilled team, and all five of their starters were among the top 50 nominees for the John Wooden Award, presented to the country’s top player. Currently, only center Loren Woods and forward Michael Wright remain on the list, which has been trimmed to 30. Woods, guard Gilbert Arenas and forward Richard Jefferson are likely NBA lottery picks down the road. More important, the Wildcats have Stanford’s number.

ARIZONA STATE

* 1999-2000: 19-13, 10-8 (tied for fourth)

It’s a tall order for the Sun Devils to replace now-departed Eddie House, the league’s player of the year who scored 29% of his team’s points. Arizona State needs to find those points somewhere, and lately have turned to forwards Awvee Storey (14.4), Donnell Knight (13.2) and Shawn Redhage (11.7). The Sun Devils are extremely young--Alton Mason is the only senior on the roster--and a Dec. 16 loss to San Diego State does not bode well. Storey is the team’s best rebounder, averaging eight a game. That’s slightly better than last season, when he averaged a team-leading 7.6 rebounds and grabbed more on the offensive end (105) than anyone else in the Pac-10.

CALIFORNIA

* 1999-2000: 18-15, 7-11 (seventh)

Coach Ben Braun has taken his team to the National Invitation Tournament twice in two years, winning the championship after the 1998-99 season. But the Bears are going to have to have a breakthrough season to make it to the Big Dance. Forward Sean Lampley is one of the best players in the conference and entered the season as the Pac-10’s active career leader in points (1,171) and rebounds (655). He’s averaging 17.9 points and 6.6 rebounds this season. The Bears are one of the league’s taller teams, with four players standing 6-10 or taller. Whether or not they’ll be standing tall at the end of the season is up to them.

OREGON

* 1999-2000: 22-8, 13-5 (third)

The Ducks always seem to stock up on talented perimeter players and dead-eye shooters, but never a dominant big man. It’s the same story this season. They’re a good transition team that can knock down a lot of three-point baskets when hot, yet they lack size and depth on the front line. Can they compete in the low post? How about just being decent down there? Much of the weight will be on the shoulders of burly forward Flo Hartenstein, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound forward who can play with his back to the basket. There’s no denying 6-7 forward Bryan Bracey is one of the best players in the conference. He not only leads the league in scoring, but leads his team in rebounding (7.7) and is coming off a 12-rebound performance against Mississippi Valley State in which he grabbed five on the offensive end.

OREGON STATE

* 1999-2000: 13-16, 5-13 (tied for eighth)

Devastated because of injuries and illnesses, the Beavers have even had a difficult time rounding up enough players to practice some days. They’ve had hard luck away from the court too; the apartments of three players were burglarized. Not a good start. Richie McKay is a charismatic first-year coach, though, and Oregon State does have some talent, maybe enough to finish .500 in conference. The top three scorers from last season are back and again leading the Beavers in that category: Jason Heide (13.2), Deaundra Tanner (12.9) and Brian Jackson (10.3). In the good news/bad news department, the Beavers return 75% of their point production from last season . . . but that team averaged 69.6 points a game, eighth in the Pac-10.

STANFORD

* 1999-2000: 27-4, 15-3 (tied for first)

It might not be teeming with NBA-caliber talent, but No. 2-ranked Stanford is always fundamentally sound and lately as brutally effective as a buzz saw. It is the only Pac-10 team ranked in the top 15 nationally this week. Sophomore Casey Jacobsen is a wonderful shooter, especially in crunch time, is averaging 17.5 points a game and banked in a jump shot with 3.6 seconds remaining to knock off No. 1 Duke. Twins Jason and Jarron Collins anchor the frontcourt and senior guard Ryan Mendez can get awfully hot from three-point territory. But Stanford has a tough time hanging with Arizona’s quickness. Same old story, but still true.

UCLA

* 1999-2000: 21-12, 10-8 (tied for fourth)

The Bruins are a difficult team to read. They have looked shaky at times, superb at others. The North Carolina game might be the best example of that; they looked horrible for the first 25 minutes, great for the next 10 and tired for the final five. If Dan Gadzuric plays the way he did against Purdue last Saturday, when he threw down six double-fisted dunks, the center will win over many fans. Jason Kapono (18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds) is the team’s best all-around player and can get scorching hot from the perimeter. When he’s playing under control, Earl Watson is one of the Pac-10’s better point guards. Matt Barnes has improved as a rebounder and is starting to shoot less from the outside--and that’s a good thing. The Bruins have advanced to four Sweet 16s in five years.

USC

* 1999-2000: 16-4, 9-9 (sixth)

After winning their first eight games, the Trojans have lost two of four, including one to unranked Northwestern in which they trailed, 15-0, before scoring. USC’s offense doesn’t favor any particular person, so several players share the offensive load. Sam Clancy, Brian Scalabrine, David Bluthenthal, Brandon Granville and Desmon Farmer have all done their share of scoring. In short, every starter has had his moments. What they haven’t had is everyone playing well at one time. Hopes remain high at USC, where the Trojans are angling for their first NCAA tournament bid since 1997. They are already halfway to their first 20-win season since 1992. The big question: When will suspended guard Jeff Trepagnier return? With him, the Trojans have one of the best starting fives in the conference.

WASHINGTON

* 1999-2000: 10-20, 5-13 (tied for eighth)

The Huskies, a team struggling for respectability, absorbed a big blow when Senque Carey transferred to New Mexico. Bob Bender is a good coach and has recruited well of late, but this Washington team isn’t overflowing with talent. Three of the top four scorers from last season are gone. The best thing the Huskies have going for them is a return to their remodeled home arena, where they posted a 48-9 record in the last four years they played there (1996 through ‘99). Forward Will Perkins leads Washington in scoring (14.4) and rebounding (7.8) but has fouled out twice.

WASHINGTON STATE

* 1999-2000: 6-22, 1-17 (10th)

It’s hard to recruit basketball players to Pullman, Wash., and the Cougars have paid the price for that. Their best bet is to be competitive at home against second-tier teams in conference. Guard Mike Bush is averaging 26 points a game--which, technically, gives him the Pac-10 scoring edge on Oregon’s Bracey. However, Bush has struggled with academic problems and a sprained ankle, and has only played in one game.