Pac-12 Basketball: Way-Too-Early Pac-12 Power Rankings
By Connor Hope
With about three months between now and the start of college basketball, it is a good time to start looking at how conferences will look this upcoming season.
It will be difficult for the Pac-12 to live up to the hype surrounding their top teams last season, but that may be what happens. With one team looking like a National Championship favorite, and three others right behind them, this is looking like a good year for the top of the conference. With a lot of talent leaving, plenty returning, players getting healthy, and new players coming in, it should be an exciting year for the Pac-12.
Let’s take a look at the Pac-12, from the bottom up.
Note: All “Key Additions” are players who didn’t play during the 2016-2017 conference schedule. Unless otherwise noted, additions are true freshmen from the 2017 recruiting class.
12) California Golden Bears
2016-2017 Record: 21-13 (10-8, T-5th Pac-12)
Head Coach: Wyking Jones, 1st Season
Top Departures: Ivan Rabb, Jabari Bird, Grant Mullins, Sam Singer, Kameron Rooks, Stephen Domingo, Roger Moute a Bidias
Returning Players: Kingsley Okoroh, Don Colemon
Key Additions: Marcus Lee (Transfer, Kentucky), Justice Sueing, Juhwan Harris-Dyson, Deschon Winston, Darius McNeal
Analysis:
It is almost impossible to have high hopes for Cal, as they return very little talent and have a brand-new head coach. Wyking Jones will have a tough task, especially when it comes to figuring out the team’s offense.
Returning to the Golden Bears are Kingsley Okoroh and Don Coleman, neither of whom was a particularly strong offensive player. Okoroh, however, could be one of the best interior defenders in the Pac-12.
One key addition that will be crucial to Cal, is Kentucky transfer Marcus Lee. Lee is an incredibly efficient scorer around the basket, and should have more opportunities to score this season. Cal also has a good core of freshman coming in, and they will be needed early and often this season.
For right now the Cal Golden Bear have too many question marks on offense to put them any higher than last in the Pac-12. If Jones is able to answer these questions early, Cal could definitely rise a few spots in these rankings.