Pac-10 capsules
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Arizona Wildcats
Record: 9-1
Head coach: Lute Olson, 24th season.
Key players: Ivan Radenovic 6-10 Sr. F; Chase Budinger 6-7 Fr. F; Marcus Williams 6-7 So. F; Mustafa Shakur 6-3 Sr. G; Jawann McClellan 6-4 Jr. G.
About the Wildcats: Lost season opener to Virginia but on a roll since, beating Illinois, Louisville and Memphis. … Starting lineup is outstanding but depth could be an issue. … Eight players are freshmen or sophomores. … Frontcourt is athletic, with Radenovic (17.5 points, 7.4 rebounds) and Seattle’s Williams (15.0 points, 7.5 rebounds), a member of last year’s All-Pac-10 Freshman Team. … Budinger was co-MVP of the 2006 McDonald’s High School All-American game and is averaging 17.4 points and 5.9 rebounds. … Shakur is an experienced point guard who averages 13.4 points and McClellan, who missed most of last season, averages 13.1 points. … If the bench develops, Arizona could go a long way.
Arizona St. Sun Devils
Record: 6-5
Head coach: Herb Sendek, first season
Key players: Jeff Pendergraph 6-9 So. F; Serge Angounou 6-8 Sr. F; Antwi Atuahene 6-3 Jr. G; Christian Polk 6-3 Fr. G; Derek Glasser 6-1 Fr. G
About the Sun Devils: Could take a while for team to develop under Sendek, who spent the previous 10 seasons at North Carolina State. … Put together a solid recruiting class and could be a program on the rise. … Surprising non-conference losses to Northern Arizona, Portland State and Davidson, but beat Iowa. … The frontcourt is solid, with Pendergraph (11.6 points, 9.5 rebounds), an All-Pac-10 Freshman choice last year, and the improved Angounou (10.8 points, 8.4 rebounds). … Polk leads the team in scoring as a freshman at 14.7 a game. …Won’t contend this year but give Sendek a season.
California Golden Bears
Record: 8-4
Head coach: Ben Braun, 11th season.
Key players: Ryan Anderson 6-10 Fr. F; DeVon Hardin 6-11 Jr. C; Ayinde Ubaka 6-4 Sr. G; Jerome Randle 5-10 Fr. G; Omar Wilkes 6-4 Jr. G.
About the Bears: Already needing to replace Leon Powe, the Bears have now lost Hardin – one of the league’s top centers – for about 10 weeks with an injury, as well as center Jordan Wilkes. … Cal will rely on outside shooting even more now. … Anderson was the third-leading prep scorer in California last year and is averaging 17.7 points and 9.3 rebounds and can score from anywhere. … Ubaka is one of the league’s better guards, averaging 13.2 points and 5.5 assists. … Wilkes is averaging 10.7 points. … With Hardin out, it will be tough for the Bears to stay in the Pac-10 race.
Oregon Ducks
Record: 11-0
Head coach: Ernie Kent, ninth season.
Key players: Tajuan Porter 5-6 Fr. G; Bryce Taylor 6-5 Jr. G; Aaron Brooks 6-0 Sr. G; Maarty Leunen 6-9 Jr. F; Malik Hairston 6.6 Jr. G; Chamberlain Oguchi 6-5 Jr. G.
About the Ducks: Off to an impressive start after last year’s disappointment. … Oregon has been a bit banged up, with Porter, Hairston and Oguchi all missing time. … The schedule hasn’t been particularly strong but the Ducks won at Georgetown. … Perimeter play is as good as anyone’s, especially with the development of Porter, an outstanding shooter who averages 18.2 points. … Taylor is bouncing back with a strong year, averaging 17.4 points and 5.9 rebounds. … Brooks, who graduated from Seattle’s Franklin High School, averages 16.6 points. … Hairston was the team’s best player last year but is off to a slow start, averaging 13.4 points and 6.2 rebounds. … Oguchi is another big-time shooter who averages 11.3 points. … Leunen is the best inside player, averaging 10.8 points and 10.4 rebounds. … If Oregon can get some inside play, this could be a really dangerous team.
Oregon St. Beavers
Record: 8-5
Head coach: Jay John, fifth season.
Key players: Marcel Jones 6-8 Jr. F; Josh Tarver 6-3 R-Fr. G; Kyle Jeffers 6-9 Sr. C; Sasa Cuic 6-10 Jr. F.
About the Beavers: Haven’t played a particularly tough schedule but did play well in a home loss to LSU. … The frontcourt should be good, led by Jones (15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds) and Cuic (12.5 points). … Jeffers is a shot-blocking presence inside. … The backcourt is a problem, though. … Tarver missed all of last season with a broken foot but is averaging 10.4 points. … There just isn’t much depth. … OSU’s size could give opponents trouble, but this isn’t a good enough team to finish in the top half of the league.
Stanford Cardinal
Record: 7-2
Head coach: Trent Johnson, third season.
Key players: Lawrence Hill 6-8 So. F; Mitch Johnson 6-1 So. G; Anthony Goods 6-3 So. G; Robin Lopez 7-0 Fr. C.
About the Cardinal: Extremely young team has not played a particularly tough schedule in the preseason. … Must replace a lot of scoring from last season’s team. … Hill has been a revelation, averaging 15 points (on 58 percent shooting) as well as 6.1 rebounds. … Goods is the only other double-digit scorer at 11.8 a game. … Johnson, an O’Dea High School graduate, is a solid point guard, averaging 5.0 assists. … Lopez was a McDonald’s All-American who is averaging 9.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. … There is some good balance but maybe not enough experience for the Cardinal to finish in the top five.
UCLA Bruins
Record: 11-0
Head coach: Ben Howland, third season.
Key players: Arron Afflalo 6-5 Jr. G; Luc Richard Mbah a Moute 6-8 So. F; Lorenzo Mata 6-9 Jr. C; Darren Collison 6-1 So. G; Josh Shipp 6-5 So. F
About the Bruins: The top-ranked team in the country after advancing to the national title game last year. … Plenty of depth, talent and experience. Could win it all this year. … Afflalo is one of the top guards in the league, averaging 16 points a game. … Shipp missed almost all of last year with a hip injury but averages 14.9 points this year. … Collison has been outstanding as a first-year starter, averaging 13 points on 59 percent shooting, 6.2 assists and 2.7 steals. … Mbah a Moute leads the inside game after earning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year last season, and averages 10.5 points and 7.4 rebounds. … The Bruins have played a tough schedule, beating Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M and Michigan. … A favorite to win national title.
USC Trojans
Record: 10-3
Head coach: Tim Floyd, second season.
Key players: Nick Young 6-6 Jr. G; Taj Gibson 6-9 Fr. F; Daniel Hackett 6-5 Fr. G; Lodrick Stewart 6-4 Sr. G
About the Trojans: Coming off a big win over Wichita State. … Lost to Kansas and Kansas State. … A perimeter-oriented team without much inside game. … Gibson, though, is solid, averaging 12.3 points on 62.6 shooting and 9.4 rebounds. … Young was a first-team all-league pick last year and is one of the league’s best scorers, averaging 16.2 points. … Stewart, a Rainier Beach High alum, is having a good senior year and is a top 3-point shooter, averaging 14.3 points. … An athletic team that can run with anyone, but there may not be enough inside for USC to be a top team.
Washington Huskies
Record: 10-1
Head coach: Lorenzo Romar, fifth season.
Key players: Jon Brockman 6-7 So. F; Spencer Hawes 7-0 Fr. C; Justin Dentmon 5-11 So. G; Quincy Pondexter 6-6 Fr. F; Ryan Appleby 6-2 Jr. G.
About the Huskies: A young team that starts three freshmen and two sophomores replaces two NBA Draft picks, including 2006 Pac-10 Player of the Year Brandon Roy. … As balanced as the UW has been in some time thanks to Hawes, a McDonald’s All-American averaging 15.5 points and 5.9 rebounds. … Brockman averages 12.8 points and 10.1 rebounds. … Pondexter completes the frontcourt, averaging 15 points a game. … Dentmon is one of the league’s top point guards, averaging 11.9 points and 5.0 assists. … Appleby is one of the league’s top shooters and leads a deep bench. … The only thing this team lacks is experience, and when it gets that, it will be tough to beat.
Washington St. Cougars
Record: 11-1
Head coach: Tony Bennett, first season
Key players: Derrick Low 6-2 Jr. G; Kyle Weaver 6-6 Jr. G; Mac Hopson 6-2 So. G; Ivory Clark 6-6 Sr. F
About the Cougars: The surprise team in the league under first-year coach Bennett, who replaced his father, Dick, as the head coach. … WSU hasn’t played that tough of a schedule, but did stun Gonzaga. … Pretty good balance but not a lot of size. … Weaver is one of the most versatile players in the league, an outstanding passer and scorer (10.4 points) who also defends guards and blocks shots. … Low can really score, averaging 15.5 points a game. … Clark is rugged inside, averaging 9.4 points, but isn’t real tall. … Cougars will defend and take good shots and should have their best year in some time.
Mike Allende, Herald writer
