Washington State makes a big jump

About this time last year, Washington State was picked in a media poll to finish last in the Pacific 10 Conference. At the conference’s media day Thursday at the Sheraton Gateway near LAX, the Cougars were chosen second -- and even got a first-place vote.

So go the expectations after Washington State’s surprising second-place finish last season. To wit, a call Cougars Coach Tony Bennett received from a friend over the summer:

“You’re picked seventh,” Bennett said his buddy told him. “I said, ‘OK, last year we were picked 10th in the league, it’s a great league.’ He said, ‘No, you’re picked seventh in the country.’

“I said, ‘Oh my, that’s a little different.’ ”

UCLA got the other 33 first-place votes as the choice to win its third consecutive Pac-10 title. The media have correctly picked the champion 10 times in 16 years.

Oregon, which won the conference tournament last year, was picked third, followed by Arizona, Stanford, USC, California, Washington, Arizona State and Oregon State.

Arizona Coach Lute Olson had this to say about the strength of the Pac-10 this season:

“This conference, I said a year ago, was going to be the best conference it’s ever been and one of the best in the country. This year it’s even better because of all the guys coming back plus great recruiting classes.

“It’s far and away the best conference, in my opinion, and far and away the best it’s ever been in the top five.”

Olson identified the Los Angeles area as best in the nation for recruiting, giving a “tremendous advantage” to UCLA and USC.

“The only thing we can do is try to get in the door before somebody knows how good they can be,” Olson said. “It’s not a case anymore where we can sneak in, and start watching some freshmen and sophomores, and develop a relationship. Now we step in and that relationship has already been established by UCLA and USC.”

California point guard Jerome Randle, who underwent a biopsy on his kidney Monday, has been released from the hospital and was awaiting results of the test, Coach Ben Braun said. The biopsy was scheduled after a routine blood test found minor abnormalities. “Those types of things help you put basketball in perspective because now he is looking at a life issue,” Braun said. . . . Washington Coach Lorenzo Romar said senior guard Ryan Appleby, who averaged 10.5 points and shot 41.5% from three-point range, suffered a broken right thumb during practice Wednesday and would miss at least six weeks. . . . Stanford Coach Trent Johnson said that 7-foot sophomore Brook Lopez expected to regain his playing eligibility by Dec. 19. Lopez, who almost left for the NBA after his freshman year, was first suspended for the fall quarter for violating academic standards, then was briefly held out of practice for breaking team rules. . . . Kamyron Brown, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard from Santa Ana Mater Dei High, is expected to get a significant playing time this season for Oregon, Ducks Coach Ernie Kent said.

UCLA

The Bruins play their first exhibition tonight at 7:30, playing host to Azusa Pacific at Pauley Pavilion.

The starting lineup? Coach Ben Howland hasn’t been willing to say.

Point guard Darren Collison, forwards Josh Shipp and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute plus center Kevin Love are in.

The fifth spot is up for grabs between Mike Roll, Russell Westbrook, Lorenzo Mata-Real and Alfred Aboya.

And Howland didn’t provide much insight when he said, “Roll could start, but if I bring him off the bench we get a lift offensively because he’ll come in firing. . . . We have a lot of different variables to consider. Defensively, either Alfred or Russell makes us the best defensive team to start the game with. It could be Lorenzo.”

Howland will probably stay with the five he decides on after a second exhibition game Monday against Chico State. Changing lineups to match the competition isn’t part of his coaching philosophy.

“Once I get a lineup I like to stick to that lineup,” he said. “Alfred, Lorenzo, Russell, Michael, regardless of who does start, all those guys will play a significant role.”

Howland said he scheduled Azusa Pacific in part because he respected the coaching of Bill Odell, who retired after last season after a 39-year career that included 856 victories, including 454 with the Cougars.

“Azusa was well-coached, organized, had a very good program for a long time,” Howland said. “Bill Odell did a great job. He built this thing.”

Mbah a Moute is nursing a bruised shoulder he suffered at Tuesday’s practice, but he was expected to play tonight. . . . Love wore UCLA cuff links and a shirt with thin blue and gold stripes to his first media day. “Color-coordinated,” he said. . . . Shipp has played with and against Azusa Pacific center David Burgess in various summer leagues. Burgess, a 6-foot-10 junior center from Irvine Woodbridge High, signed with Brigham Young out of high school but missed most of his freshman season after having surgery on both ankles. He then transferred to Gonzaga but played only 23 minutes in six games last year before moving to Azusa Pacific, an NAIA school, so he could play immediately without having to sit out another season because of transfer rules.

USC

As far as O.J. Mayo is concerned, a second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament for USC would leave a sour taste.

“I feel like as a ballplayer and as a competitor who wants to win, anything short of a national championship will be a failure for the team this year,” the freshman guard said.

Has Mayo generated any funny looks saying he wants to win a national title at a school that hasn’t made it to the Final Four since 1954?

“Not really,” Mayo said. “I hope no one would do that because we really work hard to strive toward that goal. . . . You don’t have to beat every team in America to win a national championship. You just have to win and progress on to tournament play. That’s what we’ll try to do.”

There is an upside to the Trojans’ wave of injuries that has sidelined four potential starters for long stretches this preseason.

“Our walk-ons are getting better,” Coach Tim Floyd said.

Freshmen James Dunleavy, sophomore Ryan Wetherell and junior Terence Green have been thrust into prominent roles in practices and scrimmages.

Wetherell scored 11 points and had six assists in 37 minutes in an intrasquad scrimmage Sunday. Green and Dunleavy scored six points apiece, with Green playing 34 minutes and Dunleavy 22.

Mayo said he was eager to embark on the Pac-10 portion of USC’s schedule in part because he enjoys visiting parts of the country he hasn’t seen.

“I don’t even know where Stanford is,” he said. “I couldn’t even tell you the city.”

Kobe Bryant could be among the crowds that visit the Galen Center this season to watch Mayo.

At least that’s what Mayo says the Lakers star told him after they played in summer pickup games.

“That’s why I don’t want him to leave the city,” Mayo said of Bryant, who is the subject of daily trade rumors.

Fairfax High junior forward Renardo Sidney and Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln junior guard Lance Stephenson are scheduled to visit USC this weekend.

diane.pucin@latimes.com

ben.bolch@latimes.com