Pac-12 Basketball: UCLA, Oregon atop WTE offseason rankings for '22-23

Pac-12 Basketball: UCLA, Oregon atop WTE offseason rankings for 2022-23

By Joey Loose | Jun 5, 2022

Jan 25, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (24) moves the ball as guard Tyger Campbell (10) provides coverage against Arizona Wildcats forward Azuolas Tubelis (10) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

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Pac-12 Basketball Stanford Cardinal Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Stanford

Jerod Haase has been building something at Stanford even if last year was a bit of a step backwards and a reload. That 16-16 record was a bit of a disappointment for a team that struggled mightily with turnovers and free throw shooting. This year should be better, and the Cardinal recently got some really good news why.

Rising sophomore forward Harrison Ingram returns after testing the Draft waters, hoping to build on a fantastic freshman year that saw him average 10.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Leading scorer Spencer Jones is also back at forward, while the Cardinal get a great transfer in Michael Jones, a guard from Davidson who will be an important scorer. Players like Brandon Angel, Michael O’Connell and Isa Silva will be expected to take steps forward; and Silva is only a sophomore.

Stanford has a great lineup and didn’t lose too much from last year’s squad. They might not have the same level of talent as a team like Arizona or UCLA, but this could absolutely be a team that competes for a Pac-12 title this year. If everything comes together, this deeply talented team could go on the kind of run that Oregon State had fifteen months ago, but we’ll just have to see what happens.

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