Pac-12 Basketball: Breaking down the 2017-18 star on each team in the conference
By Connor Hope
Pac-12 basketball lost a lot of star players this season to the NBA Draft. Who will step up to replace the lost stars on each team in the conference?
The Pac-12 Conference is known as the “Conference of Champions;” however, after not winning the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship for 20 years, their championship pedigree in the sport has faded. This season, the Pac-12 has two teams that look like legitimate National Championship contenders and many more that will compete for NCAA Tournament bids.
In order to win, however, teams rely on their star players for leadership and production. Who will these players be for the teams in the conference?
Arizona Wildcats – Allonzo Trier
After a very successful season that ended in a disappointing Sweet 16 loss to Xavier, the Arizona Wildcats enter this season as the favorite to win the Pac-12 and one of the favorites to win the NCAA Championship.
They will be led this season by Pac-12 Player of the Year favorite Allonzo Trier. Trier, who spent half of last season suspended due to a failed drug test, led the Wildcats to a Pac-12 Tournament Championship last year when most experts expected UCLA or Oregon to take home the trophy.
Trier is in a tough position right now because although his 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists were a key to Arizona’s late season success, some people will still point to his failed PED test as a reason for his performance. The NCAA, however, found that Trier had no knowledge that the substance he was taking for an offseason injury was banned, and lifted the suspension because of that.
Now a junior, Trier is one of the more experienced players on the roster and will be looked at as a leader. With five-star recruit D’Andre Ayton joining the roster and Rawle Alkins returning, Trier has plenty of talent to help him give Coach Sean Miller his first Final Four berth.