After another fantastic season in the “Conference of Champions,” the Pac-12 is slated to tip off in just a few short weeks. Last season, the Arizona Wildcats had a dominant campaign with an overall record of 33-4 to couple with an 18-2 mark in conference play. Trailing the Wildcats was historical power UCLA who notched a Pac-12 conference play mark of 15-5. Both teams are predicted by multiple outlets to stay near the top of the Pac-12 this season. In addition to the Bruins and Wildcats, the Oregon Ducks are a sexy preseason favorite to make some noise. The Ducks are looking to improve on a solid 2021-21 where they put together a 20-15 campaign.
In this rundown, SBS will be going over what to look for from the top three favorites to win the Pac-12 men’s basketball title, our prediction on who will win along with some more college basketball betting notes.
Ranked as the No. 8 squad in the preseason AP rankings, the Bruins were picked by the media to finish first in the Pac-12 conference preseason poll. Head coach Mick Cronin is heading into his fourth season at the helm of UCLA since taking over for Steve Alford. The Bruins return a handful of star players from Jaime Jaquez Jr. to Tyger Campbell who have been significant contributors to the Bruins since they got to campus. Both Jaquez and Campbell have made preseason watch lists for their respective positions and the former has been slated as a first-team preseason All-American by some publications.
Heading into the 2021-22 season, head coach Tommy Lloyd took over the Wildcats from Sean Miller and proceeded to have one of the best first seasons in collegiate basketball history. Notching a 33-4 record, Lloyd led Arizona to an NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance and was able to win both the Pac-12 regular season and tournament championships. The Cats feature multiple preseason All-Americans/All-Pac-12 picks in power forward Ąžuolas Tubelis and guards Kerr Kriisa and Pelle Larsson. Currently, Arizona is ranked by some publications as a top 15 squad in the country, but they will also have to deal with the losses of key players Christian Koloko and Benedict Mathurin.
The Ducks made it to the NIT Tournament last season as a four-seed but fell in the second round to the Texas A&M Aggies. Nonetheless, some experts have Oregon pegged as a sleeper pick to win the conference thanks to a slew of veterans returning along with the No. 3 ranked overall center recruit Kel’el Ware entering the fray. Seniors Will Richardson, Quincy Guerrier, Jermaine Couisnard, and N’Faly Dante are all expected to be key contributors this season. The No. 21 ranked squad in the country, coach Dana Altman has the potential to achieve some great success in year 13 with the Fighting Ducks.
Prediction: Another stellar season should be on tap in the Pac-12 and it will be a race to the finish. With that in mind, take a veteran squad like the Bruins to win the conference championship.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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