Burning Questions: Pac’s Next Best Team
Posted by Mike Lemaire (@Mike_Lemaire), Adam Butler (@pachoopsab) and Andrew Murawa (@Amurawa) on February 4th, 2016Oregon sits alone atop the conference with a one-game lead at the halfway mark over four second-place teams. Considering the Ducks already have a win at the McKale Center (one of their six wins over top 50 teams) and a conference-best KenPom rating of #15, we’ve got a consensus of contributors willing to call Dana Altman’s group the best team in the Pac. So that brings us to the obvious next question: If the Ducks go down, which will be the team to do it? Our answers are below.
Even Sitting A Couple Games Back, Sean Miller And The Wildcats Are In Striking Position
Mike Lemaire: Depleted as they may be, Arizona is still the next best team in the conference. All three of its road losses were by three points or fewer (and one of those went into quadruple-overtime), and although Oregon exposed the Wildcats as a flawed team (especially without the services of Allonzo Trier), it is still the most well-rounded team in the league outside of Eugene. But this pick is as much about the uninspiring resumes of the other contenders as it is about Arizona. Utah’s best win is at Colorado; the Buffaloes beat Oregon at home but haven’t posted many other victories of note; USC needed four overtimes to beat the Wildcats in the Galen Center. Behind Oregon, the Pac-12 is a conference littered with “good but not great” teams. Arizona has the best coach, the most talent and the most upside. I’ll take the ‘Cats head-to-head on a neutral floor against any other team in the conference.
Adam Butler: Does Michael know I’m a die-hard Arizona guy? But in all seriousness, Utah. They’re arguably the hottest team in the conference — winners of five straight games and owners of its own recent road sweep (at the Washington schools). Sure, the Utes have dropped one to the Ducks and, good grief, it was ugly and at home, but they have the conference’s best player, seniors on the roster, and an improving Brandon Taylor. And they get a return shot at the Ducks on Sunday! I’ve long been bullish on these Utes and it hasn’t been until recently that they’ve made me look smart. Now consider — and use KenPom‘s most frequently used lineups feature — that no other fivesome has played more minutes together than Bonam/Taylor/Loveridge/Kuzma/Poeltl over the last five games. It appears that Larry K might have finally found his guys. After all, we’re heading into that time of the year where seasons come down to the players, and if that’s who K is rolling out to battle, the Utes have got to like their look. I certainly do.
Lorenzo Bonam Has Earned His Way Into The Utes Most-Used Lineup (Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports)
Andrew Murawa: USC sits a game back of the Ducks. Were it not for a blown 22-point second-half lead at Washington without (arguably) the Trojans best player in Julian Jacobs for the bulk of that second half, Andy Enfield’s club would be tied atop the conference standings. The Trojans, winners of just five conference games over the prior two seasons, are a team still learning what it takes to win tough games, so that hard lesson in Seattle could wind up a boon to their chances down the stretch. Enfield’s club is balanced on both ends of the floor, has plenty of go-to types on the offensive end and seems to be gaining confidence with every outing. One real concern: The Trojans have compiled their 6-3 conference record against the third-easiest conference strength of schedule in league play. But confidence was earned and good lessons learned in the first half of conference play, both of which will pay dividends down the back stretch. It’s a good thing too, because the road from here to Las Vegas is littered with land mines. They’ve got the talent to sidestep those traps, but the real question remains: Do they have the experience?
Andrew Murawa Likes Basketball.
