Pac-12 Men's Basketball set to tip off 2020-21 season

1, 2, 3 - While UCLA was projected by the media as the preseason favorite in the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball title race for the first time since 2011-12, only 10 points separated the top three teams - UCLA, ARIZONA STATE and OREGON - in the poll, the closest vote among the top three in the 37-year history of Conference preseason picks.
• In addition to the Bruins’ heightened expectations, Arizona State matched its highest ever preseason ranking, and fourth-place STANFORD holds its highest prediction since 2012-13.

6 - Six Pac-12 student-athletes are on the Naismith Trophy National Player of the Year Preseason Watch List:
Remy Martin, Sr., Arizona State
McKinley Wright IV, Sr., Colorado
Oscar da Silva, Sr., Stanford
Ziaire Williams, Fr., Stanford
Chris Smith, Sr., UCLA
Evan Mobley, Fr., USC

6, 9 - The Pac-12 will begin 2020-21 with six teams rated in the Top 50 and nine teams in the Top 75 of KenPom.com’s preseason ratings.
• The nine teams in the preseason Top 75 are the Pac-12’s most since the start of the 2016-17 season coming off the league’s record seven-bid 2016 NCAA Tournament.

8 - Six All-Conference and two All-Defensive Team selections from last season are slated to return for 2020-21 - the eight returning all-league picks being the most to return to the Conference since its record-setting 2015-16 campaign:

Returning All-Conference: Remy Martin - ASU; Matt Bradley - CAL; McKinley Wright IV - COLO; Oscar da Silva - STAN; Chris Smith - UCLA; Timmy Allen - UTAH
Returning All-Defensive: McKinley Wright IV - COLO; Bryce Wills - STAN

10 - The Pac-12 nailed its expectations with 10 selections in the 2020 NBA Draft on Nov. 18.
• The Pac-12’s six First Round selections tied for the most of any league (SEC - 6) and are tied for the second-most of the modern Draft era (since 1989) for the Conference (7 - 2008; 6 - 2009, 2014, 2017, 2020).
• The league’s 10 overall selections marked just the fourth time the Conference reached double-figure picks in a single Draft including the second time in the last four years (14 - 2017; 12 - 2008; 11 - 2001; 10 - 2020).

PAC-12 TIPOFF
GUARD PLAY: The Pac-12 unveiled its preseason media All-Conference Teams prior to its 2020-21 Virtual Media Day on Nov. 12.

In total, 14-of-20 honorees recognized are listed as guards/combos:

First Team
Timmy Allen, Jr., F, Utah
Matt Bradley, Jr., G, California
Oscar da Silva, Sr., F, Stanford
Chris Duarte, Sr., G, Oregon
Remy Martin, Sr., G, Arizona State
Evan Mobley, Fr., F, USC
Will Richardson, Jr., G, Oregon
Chris Smith, Sr., G, UCLA
Ziaire Williams, Fr., F, Stanford
McKinley Wright IV, Sr., G, Colorado

Second Team
Isaac Bonton, Sr., G, Washington State
Tyger Campbell, R-So., G, UCLA
Josh Christopher, Fr., G, Arizona State
Ethan Thompson, Sr., G, Oregon State
Alonzo Verge Jr., Sr., G, Arizona State

Honorable Mention
James Akinjo, Jr., G, Arizona
Evan Battey, Jr., F, Colorado
Quade Green, Jr., G, Washington
Jalen Hill, R-Jr., F/C, UCLA
Jaime Jaquez Jr., So., G/F, UCLA

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN: ARIZONA STATE senior guard Remy Martin was named a preseason First Team All-American by the Associated Press.

Martin is the 17th Pac-12 player to earn preseason AP All-America recognition since the organization began naming teams in 1986-87, the first for the league since Allonzo Trier (ARIZ) in 2017-18 and first for ASU since Ike Diogu in 2003-04.

IV IS FIFTH: COLORADO senior McKinley Wright IV (1,370p/501a/505r) is on the Conference’s short list of players to accumulate 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in a career, joining ARIZONA’s Luke Walton, OREGON’s Ron Lee and Payton Pritchard, and UCLA’s Pooh Richardson. UTAH’s Andre Miller also reached the marks, but prior to the Utes joining the Pac-12.

CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Expanded Standings) 

PAC-12 WEEKLY SCHEDULE  (All games, tip times & TV broadcasts are subject to change)
For the most up-to-date schedules, visit Expanded Schedule

PAC-12 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK