Last month we introduced our new project, which is centered around determining the top YouTube moment in Pac-12 basketball history. We continue the nomination portion with California.

[ed note: These are just the top moments we could find on YouTube, which has a vast number and array of videos, but we won’t be able to cover the entire 99 years of the conference.]

We open with a shot from who is quickly becoming one of the most clutch California players in the history of its program. Tied at 46 with the shot clock turned off on the road against #23 Oregon, the Golden Bears decided that they would either win it in regulation or head to overtime. Guard Justin Cobbs chose the first option, stepping back and hitting nothing but twine to put Cal ahead by two with 0.7 seconds remaining. Oregon’s desperation heave at the buzzer fell well short, and the win kept alive what would end up as a seven-game winning streak for the Golden Bears. Read the rest of this entry »

We took you through the picks of round one earlier this month, and now it’s time to look at the entire draft as a whole. 88 selections of the best ever Pac-12 coaches and players have been made, the rosters have been filled out, and voting is set to begin later this week. But first, here’s a look at rounds 2-11:

Round Two

#1 – Terrell Brandon, Oregon
#2 – Ed O’Bannon, UCLA
#3 – Marques Johnson, UCLA
#4 – Kevin Love, UCLA
#5 – Slats Gill, Oregon State
#6 – Don MacLean, UCLA
#7 – Gail Goodrich, UCLA
#8 – Byron Scott, Arizona State

Round Three

#1 – A.C. Green, Oregon State
#2 – Walt Hazzard, UCLA
#3 – Lute Olson, Arizona
#4 – Isaiah Thomas, Washington
#5 – Jason Terry, Arizona
#6 – Andrew Bogut, Utah
#7 – Damon Stoudamire, Arizona
#8 – Greg Ballard, Oregon

Round Four

#1 – Keith Van Horn, Utah
#2 – Shareef Abdur-Rahim, California
#3 – Mike Montgomery, Stanford/California
#4 – Russell Westbrook, UCLA
#5 – Chauncey Billups, Colorado
#6 – Brandon Roy, Washington
#7 – Miles Simon, Arizona
#8 – Detleff Schrempf, Washington

Round Five

#1 – Kevin Johnson, California
#2 – Ike Diogu, Arizona State
#3 – Jamaal Wilkes, UCLA
#4 – Kiki Vandeweghe, UCLA
#5 – James Harden, Arizona State
#6 – Mel Counts, Oregon State
#7 – Mike Bibby, Arizona
#8 – Harold Miner, USC

Round Six

#1 – Adam Keefe, Stanford
#2 – Todd MacCulloch, Washington
#3 – David Greenwood, UCLA
#4 – Tracy Murray, UCLA
#5 – Baron Davis, UCLA
#6 – Christian Welp, Washington
#7 – Ron Lee, Oregon
#8 – David Meyers, Washington

Read the rest of this entry »

See bottom of the post for the Official RTC Star System

We’ve seen scrimmages, exhibitions, and 2K Sports Classic games throughout the past month, but today just FEELS like the start of college basketball. There is a full slate of games across the nation, including seven Pac-12 affairs. Washington and Oregon State will get their regular season started tomorrow, while Utah and Washington State will wait until Monday night. Arizona is already 2-0 on the season and will play again Sunday afternoon.

Oregon @ #7 Vanderbilt – 7:00 PM PST on Fox Sports South (***)

If Oregon Is To Pull The Road Upset, Stopping Senior Forward Jeffrey Taylor Is A Must

• The Pac-12 game of the weekend will take place in Nashville tonight, where the up-and-coming Ducks will take on national power Vanderbilt. Oregon has caught some breaks in the past weeks in their quest for an upset, mainly with starting VU center Festus Ezeli out due to a suspension/injury. That means Vandy will rely on Jeffrey Taylor to do the scoring down low. UO big men Tyrone Nared and Tony Woods will be charged with handling Taylor on defense. In the backcourt, the Commodores are led by junior shooting guard John Jenkins. Jenkins averaged 19.5 PPG last year and will be held down by double-teams from Jabari Brown and Garrett Sim. Those doubles will leave players like Dai-Jon Parker and Brad Tinsley open, so if those two are able to knock down their open shots the Commodores will win easily.
• If the aforementioned Duck players (Nared, Woods, Brown, and Sim) all step up, Oregon should keep this one close for the first half and some of the second. But with a hostile crowd right on top of them and all of the size and talent that the Commodores bring in, I can’t see Oregon pulling this upset. Read the rest of this entry »