What’s that smell? Hey, is it getting a little warm in here? Call the fire department, because it is time for Pac-12 Burning Questions, where we ask our Pac-12 writers for their answers to what we’re dying to know. This week:
Burning Questions: Which team are you most excited to watch this season? And which player are you most interested to see?
Adam Butler: I won’t shy away from being a homer: I’m most excited to see the Arizona Wildcats. This is Sean Miller’s crown jewel, the team he aimed to build when he first came to Tucson. Which is maybe what last year’s team was, but at this point the expectations have aligned with the realities and it’s his year. The Wildcats have coupled Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson into the most dynamic wing/backcourt/hybrid/power force in the country. I want to see that operate. The question will be asked if they can play defense as well as they did last year, and while I don’t think they can, I think they’ll be that much more offensively effective that it will negate the lapse (I use the term relatively considering Arizona was leaps and bounds the best defensive team last year). I want to see that operate.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson And The Wildcats Have Hoops Fans Intrigued (Mike Christy, Arizona Daily Star)
As for players, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is the guy I’m most excited to see. He’s had what seems to be a meteoric rise from sixth man to preseason All-American. Hype-be-damned, Jefferson already has demonstrated he can defend up and down a lineup. With any semblance of a jump shot, he has the skills (ones he’s already displayed) to absolutely fulfill those All-American accolades. There are a lot of pieces on that lineup, but what Jefferson will let the Wildcats do defensively, and his ability to create going at the rim, will make them the offensive threat they might have missed a season ago.
Kevin Danna: The team I’m most excited to watch this year is Utah. While I think we can all agree that this team looks primed to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance in six years, there’s a reasonable chance that the Runnin’ Utes will be 7-5 heading into conference play. They were criticized for their non-league slate last year, something that won’t happen this time around with games against San Diego State, Wichita State, Kansas, BYU and UNLV on the docket. Obviously, though, that could come back to bite them – how many of those games can Utah pull out? What happens if the Utes lose all five – what will this team’s resolve be like heading into Pac-12 play? If Utah can win three of those contests (say Wichita State, BYU and UNLV), then 10-2 looks really good and a winning conference record should be enough to get them into March Madness (depending on how the rest of the Pac-12 stacks up in November and December).
As far as an individual goes, I want to see what Norman Powell can do as one of the leaders of a UCLA group that lost a whole lot of talent. He’s been one of the few pieces of stability over the last few tumultuous years in Westwood, but now a bigger spotlight will be on him with Kyle Anderson, Zach LaVine and Jordan Adams all off to the NBA, not to mention Jon Octeus unable to enroll. Powell has the keys to UCLA’s backcourt and a lot of hype on his back (NBAdraft.net has him as a lottery pick in the 2015 NBA Draft) – can he deliver?
Andrew Murawa: This is really sort of random, but I’m interested in watching Arizona State this year. And part of the reason I want to check out the Sun Devils is that they’ll be almost entirely new to me. Sure, I know what to expect out of Shaquielle McKissic, Jonathan Gilling and Bo Barnes. But Herb Sendek has a lot of under-the-radar yet enticing players coming in as well. Willie Atwood, Savon Goodman, Roosevelt Scott, Tra Holder, Connor MacDougall, Kodi Justice? I have little idea what to expect from these guys, but reading some of the scouting reports are intriguing and I’m looking forward to getting to know them. These Sun Devils may have the widest variance in terms of where they could finish in this conference race.
As far as narrowing down this conference to a single player? Gimme Jordan McLaughlin. If McLaughlin’s dynamic, attacking style that we saw during his high school career translates immediately to the collegiate level, I don’t think USC is as far away from the middle-of-the-Pac as others do. There are athletic wings, skilled bigs and even a modicum of depth on Andy Enfield’s roster. But McLaughlin is the linchpin; as he goes, so will go the Trojans. Either way, you can bet he’ll be fun to watch.
Tracy McDannald: The team I’m most interested to see is Utah, if only for the big jump in expectations and to see how the Utes handle it all. Count me in as someone who would have voted Utah second in the Pac-12 media poll. Delon Wright is as good as anyone in the league and now it’s time for the nation to see just how talented he is. We will get to find out early whether all this praise is worthy, as Utah has road games at San Diego State and Kansas in the non-conference schedule. Plenty of teams fail to measure up and soon we will get to see the Utes take that test.
As far as an individual talent is concerned, Isaac Hamilton at UCLA is someone that has my attention. The Bruins were dealt a blow when projected starting point guard Jon Octeus was denied admission this offseason. Yes, Bryce Alford is still in that backcourt, but Hamilton is someone who needs the ball in his hands to be effective. He is an effective playmaker when he wants to be, although that’s not to be confused for someone who is selfish. But he will have to pick his spots because scoring is certainly a strength. On top of all that, Hamilton was forced to miss the 2013-14 season after failing to follow through on his initial NLI with UTEP, but he has had an entire season of practices to get acclimated to the system and his teammates.