Busting Brackets
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Pac-12 Basketball: 5 biggest questions for rest of 2019-20 season

By Tristan Freeman

ANCHORAGE, AK - NOVEMBER 08: Elijah Hardy #10 of the Washington Huskies reacts in the first half against the Baylor Bears during the ESPN Armed Forces Classic at Alaska Airlines Center on November 8, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
ANCHORAGE, AK - NOVEMBER 08: Elijah Hardy #10 of the Washington Huskies reacts in the first half against the Baylor Bears during the ESPN Armed Forces Classic at Alaska Airlines Center on November 8, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 14: Anthony Mathis #32 of the Oregon Ducks (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 14: Anthony Mathis #32 of the Oregon Ducks (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

4. Who is the 2nd best team in the Pac-12?

Hope

Taking everything into consideration, Washington is pretty clearly the second-best team in the Pac-12. They have the best win in con-conference play, performed respectably against the current No. 1 team in the nation, and all their players are playing well. Their defense may not be as good as last season, but their offense definitely has more firepower. Colorado is probably a close third, but in a three-game series on a neutral court, I am taking the Huskies.

Cravalho

Oregon is (of course) #1 in the PAC-12 and Washington is #2 for me. Jaden McDaniels and Isaiah Stewart are stars in the making. Both will be first-round draft picks. The Ducks versus the Huskies will not only be the battle of the Pacific Northwest but the battle for the #1 seed for the PAC-12 Tournament. Bet on it.

Dieckhoff

Arizona. The Wildcats aren’t very far ahead of Colorado and Washington, but they have the highest ceiling, in my view. Their mix of youth and experience will serve them well as they navigate the Pac-12 gauntlet. The offense can’t afford to keep having scoring droughts, but on paper, this is the second-best team in the league.

Verboven

This is another tough question that I ended up splitting into two parts; the second-best team now, and the team that I think will be the second-best by years end. The clear cut favorite in the Pac-12 has to be the Oregon Ducks. They have talent up and down the roster and just got a 5 star in N’Faly Dante back eligible just a few games ago. If I had to choose the second-best team right now it would be Colorado.

The Buffaloes just have the best resume, with their only 2 losses against Kansas AT Kansas and by 3 to a Northern Iowa team that should be ranked. To top it off they got a defining win against #13 Dayton on a buzzer-beating shot by D’shawn Schwartz. They have talent throughout the roster, but Tyler Bey (12.6 PPG, 9.8 RPG) is going to be the reason the Buffaloes do anything significant this year. Bey can do everything and is one of the country’s most underappreciated players. When it comes down to it though, the Huskies are going to be the only team that will compete with Oregon for the top spot in the conference.

This roster is exactly what Mike Hopkins wants. Length and athleticism from all five positions as they terrorize teams in the patented Hopkins zone. The trio of Stewart, McDaniels and Carter have been well noted, however, the emergence of Kentucky transfer, Quade Green, is why I have Washington finishing second in the Pac-12.

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