Pac-12 Basketball: Preseason projected 2018-19 rankings

Pac-12 basketball experienced a down season a year ago. Will that happen again or should the conference be stronger from top to bottom?

Pac-12 basketball had a down year in 2017-18. I don’t think anyone is going to dispute that. The conference sent only three teams to the NCAA Tournament, which was the lowest number since the 2011-12 season. In addition, the teams that did receive bids all had poor showings. Both UCLA and Arizona State, who made the Big Dance as part of the First Four, did not make it to the field of 64, falling in Dayton. In addition, the powerhouse of the conference, Arizona, was obliterated in the first round by Buffalo.

With this being said, though, it is important to note that 2018-19 will be a brand new season. There are many teams that are bringing back a ton of talent from last season and will have increased expectations. In addition, some teams may just be reloading with a top-rated recruiting class in hopes of taking the college basketball landscape by storm. On paper, the Pac-12 might not look poised for a “great” season but the conference should be improved as a whole.

Part of this improvement comes with the idea that the bottom of the conference will be better. One of the major reasons that the Pac-12 only sent three teams to the Big Dance last year was the fact that every team exhibited poor in-conference strengths of schedule. This was due to the idea that a win over the bottom half of the league meant nothing and a loss could be catastrophic.

With the bottom of the conference seemingly stronger this year, there is hope that the Pac-12 could send more teams to the Big Dance. In our preseason Bracketology here at Busting Brackets, four teams from the league were given bids. Now, without more introduction, let’s break down some projected rankings for this coming season.