# #

Pac-12 Men's Basketball Weekly Rundown - November 3, 2023

Nov 3, 2023
Mike Christy/Arizona Athletics

Complete Release (PDF) | Schedule | Standings | Pac-12 Statistics | NCAA Statistics | Pac-12 Record Book | Basketball Media Day Hub

#PAC12MBB STARTING FIVE

14 - In total, Pac-12 Men’s Basketball has 14 returning All-Conference, All-Defensive and All-Freshman Team performers, the most in the Pac-12 era. Among the 14 are five returning First Team All-Conference selections (the league’s most since 2007-08) as well as eight total returning All-Conference performers and four returning All-Defensive Team selections (the most since 2010-11):

  • Five First Team - Oumar Ballo, ARIZ; Branden Carlson, UTAH; Tristan da Silva, COLO; N’Faly Dante, ORE; Boogie Ellis, USC.

  • Three Second Team - Keion Brooks Jr., WASH; Spencer Jones, STAN; KJ Simpson, COLO.

  • Four All-Defensive Team - Adem Bona, UCLA; Kobe Johnson & Joshua Morgan, USC; Braxton Meah, WASH

  • Two All-Freshman Team - Adem Bona, UCLA; Jordan Pope, OSU

#12 at #2 - Of the 31 games scheduled for the opening week of the 108th Pac-12 Men’s Basketball season, No. 12 ARIZONA’s trip to No. 2 Duke on Friday (4 p.m. PT, ESPN2) is the marquee matchup of the week.

  • It’s 1-of-4 Pac-12 contests against Power Conference opponents as OREGON and No. 21 USC take on Georgia and Kansas State, respectively, on opening day in Las Vegas, while ARIZONA STATE opens its season against Mississippi State on Wednesday in Chicago.

9 - Pac-12 programs combined for nine top-50 signees, the most of any conference in the country.

  • Among the signees are six McDonald’s All-Americans, equaling the most of any league and the most ever for the Conference since the event’s inception in 1978 - Cody Williams (Colorado), Mookie Cook & Kwame Evans Jr. (Oregon), Andrej Stojakovic (Stanford), Isaiah Collier & Bronny James (USC).

  • In addition to the nationally ranked domestic signees, the Pac-12 landed six of the top 10 available international recruits according to ESPN - Aday Mara, Berke Buyuktuncel & Jan Vide (UCLA), Motiejus Krivas & Paulius Murauskas (Arizona), Rueben Chinyelu (Washington State).

6 - For the first time since in six seasons (2017), ARIZONA has been chosen the favorite to win the Pac-12 title in a polling of media which cover the league.

  • USC received four first-place votes and matched its highest preseason billing; the Trojans were also picked second prior to the 2017-18 season. UCLA also garnered a quartet of first-place votes to place third, while OREGON was picked fourth to make the top 4 of the preseason polling for the ninth consecutive campaign.

2 - The second year of the Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series tips off on opening week with four matchups:

  • Grambling at COLORADO, Prairie View A&M at WASHINGTON STATE (11/10); Texas Southern at ARIZONA STATE (11/11); Southern at ARIZONA (11/13).

  • OREGON will visit Florida A&M (11/20) and USC will travel to Alabama State (12/19) later in the season.

PAC-12 IN NON-CONFERENCE 

The 2023-24 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball 131-game non-conference slate will include:

  • At least four games against 2023 Final Four participants (Florida Atlantic, Miami (Fla.), San Diego State x2-3), seven against 2023 Elite Eight teams (Gonzaga x2, Kansas State) and 11 against 2023 Sweet 16 programs (Arkansas, Alabama x1-2, Michigan State, Xavier).

  • At least 33 games against Power Conference opponents, with home games against BYU, Maryland, Michigan and Wisconsin, and road games at Auburn, Butler, Duke and Villanova.

  • At least 51 games against teams that participated in the 2023 postseason, including at least 32 against opponents from the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

  • 25 home games against teams in the 2023 postseason, including 10 against teams from the 2023 NCAA Tournament field highlighted by visits from Gonzaga and Maryland.

  • The Pac-12 will also be tested away from home during non-conference play with 26 scheduled road or neutral contests against 2023 postseason teams, including four true road matchups versus 2023 NCAA Tournament teams with trips to Auburn, Duke, Saint Mary’s and San Diego State.

PAC-12 AWARDS CANDIDATES

NAISMITH MEMORIAL HALL OF FAME AWARDS 
Watch Lists

Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year 
Isaiah Collier, USC

Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year 
Caleb Love, Arizona 
Boogie Ellis, USC

Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year 
Jaylon Tyson, California

Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year 
Keshad Johnson, Arizona 
Tristan da Silva, Colorado 
Adem Bona, UCLA

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year 
Oumar Ballo, Arizona 
N’Faly Dante, Oregon 
Aday Mara, UCLA 
Branden Carlson, Utah

PAC-12 MEDIA PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE 
First Team 
Oumar Ballo, R-Sr., C, Arizona 
Adem Bona, So., F/C, UCLA 
Keion Brooks Jr., Gr., F, Washington 
Branden Carlson, Gr., C, Utah 
Isaiah Collier, Fr., G, USC 
N’Faly Dante, Sr., C, Oregon 
Tristan da Silva, Sr., F, Colorado 
Boogie Ellis, 5th, G, USC 
Spencer Jones, 5th, F, Stanford 
KJ Simpson, Jr., G, Colorado

Second Team 
Fardaws Aimaq, 6th, F, California 
Kylan Boswell, So., G, Arizona 
Kobe Johnson, Jr., G, USC 
Caleb Love, Sr., G, Arizona 
Jordan Pope, So., G, Oregon State

Honorable Mention 
Kwame Evans Jr. (Fr., ORE), Pelle Larsson (Sr., ARIZ), Aday Mara (Fr., UCLA), Cody Williams (Fr., COLO).

Related News & Videos