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Arizona picked to defend Pac-12 crown

Oct 23, 2014
Arizona Athletics

SAN FRANCISCO – The ARIZONA Wildcats are picked to finish first in the 2014-15 Pac-12 Conference men’s basketball race, according to a poll of media members who cover Pac-12 men’s basketball.

Arizona, led by redshirt senior T.J. McConnell (8.4 ppg/3.6 rpg), secured the top spot in the poll for the third-straight year after garnering all but one first-place vote. UTAH narrowly claimed No. 2, with just one more point than third-place finisher COLORADO. Both the Utes and the Buffs return four starters from last season, including first team All-Pac-12 honorees in Utah’s Delon Wright (15.5 ppg/6.8 rpg) and Colorado’s Josh Scott (14.1 ppg/8.4 rpg).

Reigning Pac-12 Tournament champion UCLA is slotted fourth in the poll, followed by STANFORD at fifth, after both squads advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2013-14. WASHINGTON edged out CALIFORNIA by one point to round out the top half of the poll, weighing in at sixth while the Golden Bears come in at seventh.

OREGON is tabbed at eighth, followed by ARIZONA STATE at ninth and USC at 10th. WASHINGTON STATE was picked to finish 11th, while OREGON STATE rounds out the poll at 12th.

Media have correctly picked the Conference winner 13 times in 22 tries. Arizona has correctly been selected in eight of the previous 12 times it has been slated to capture the league crown.

The 2014-15 season gets underway for the Pac-12 with 11 games on Friday, November 14. All but one of those games will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks as part of this year’s Full Court Friday. For more information, including a composite schedule, visit www.pac-12.com

Team (First Place) Points
1. Arizona (31) 383
2. Utah 317
3. Colorado 316
4. UCLA (1) 290
5. Stanford 264
6. Washington 189
7. California 188
8. Oregon 159
9. Arizona State 155
10. USC 106
11. Washington State 84
12. Oregon State 45

 

Year Predicted
Winner
Actual
Finish
Actual
Winner
Predicted
Finish
2014-15 Arizona TBD TBD TBD
2013-14 Arizona 1st Arizona 1st
2012-13 Arizona 2nd UCLA 2nd
2011-12 UCLA 5th (tied) Washington 4th
2010-11 Washington 3rd Arizona 2nd
2009-10 California 1st California 1st
2008-09 UCLA 2nd Washington 5th
2007-08 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st
2006-07 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st
2005-06 Arizona 4th (tied) UCLA 3rd
2004-05 Arizona 1st Arizona 1st
2003-04 Arizona 3rd Stanford 2nd
2002-03 Arizona 1st Arizona 1st
2001-02 UCLA 6th Oregon 6th
2000-01 Arizona 2nd Stanford 2nd
1999-00 Arizona 1st (tied) Arizona /
Stanford
1st /
3rd
1998-99 Stanford 1st Stanford 1st
1997-98 Arizona 1st Arizona 1st
1996-97 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st
1995-96 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st
1994-95 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st
1993-94 California 2nd (tied) Arizona 3rd
1992-93 Arizona 1st Arizona 1st
1991-92** Arizona 3rd UCLA 2nd
1990-91** Arizona 1st Arizona 1st
1989-90** Arizona 1st (tied) Arizona /
Oregon State
1st /
3rd

**The Pac-12 polls were decided in a vote among league coaches (1990-1992).