1. Arizona
The No. 12 Wildcats sit atop the first Court Visions Power Rankings on the team’s strong combination of youth and experience. Three seniors can contribute, including fifth-year transfer Mark Lyons, who can immediately play his final season. Arizona reeled in a recruiting class that, though it lacks UCLA’s brand of names, is just as good (and even more eligible). We’ll take a look at which non-conference tournaments each team is traveling to and the big games that could await the them.
Business Trip: Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu), Dec. 22-25, featuring No. 25 SDSU.
2. California
The sport might be turning into a point guard’s game, but Allen Crabbe is as true a shooting guard as they come and very comfortable in his role. Crabbe gave UCLA fits last year. Coupled with fellow junior Justin Cobbs, the Bears have an athletic backcourt that could give UCLA problems. Don’t be surprised if veteran Pac-10/12 coach Mike Montgomery has Cal overachieving come March.
Business Trip: DirecTV Classic (Anaheim, Calif.), Nov. 22-25, featuring Drexel and Saint Mary’s.
3. UCLA
This committee (consisting of one columnist) doesn’t believe in preseason rankings, otherwise you may have seen a different number by UCLA’s name. After two wins, there are still valid concerns that carry over from last year: A lack of identity on offense and a puzzling inability to rebound the ball defensively. The Bruins nearly left for New York with a massive upset loss on their record, which won’t cut it when they face the No. 1 team in the country (if UCLA gets to that point).
Business Trip: Legends Classic (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Monday and Tuesday, featuring No. 1 Indiana.
4. Colorado
The darlings of the 2012 Pac-12 Tournament made quite the debut in their new conference last season. The majority of that NCAA Tournament team is still intact, led by 6-foot-7-inch post presence Andre Roberson (a future tall task for the Wear twins) and combo guard Spencer Dinwiddie, an L.A. product that Ben Howland laments missing out on.
Business Trip: Charleston Classic (Charleston, S.C.), today through Sunday, featuring No. 16 Baylor.
5. Stanford
The Cardinal didn’t stress in two opening-week wins and even received some votes from the AP Poll voters in the process. Canadian forward Dwight Powell has made strides going into his junior season and has a 10-deep roster backing him up. Stanford might have to sue every opposing player if it wants to do well in arguably the toughest pre-season tournament of them all.
Business Trip: Battle 4 Atlantis (Bahamas), Nov. 22-24, featuring No. 2 Louisville, No. 9 Duke, No. 14 Missouri and No. 17 Memphis.
6. USC
Most of the Trojans fall into one of the following three categories: transfer, coming off an injury or freshman. It remains to be seen how long it will take this team to jell as a cohesive unit. They are definitely the biggest team in the conference with three seven-footers on the roster. Plus, star scorer Jio Fontan returns after missing all of last season with a torn ACL.
Business Trip: Maui Invitational (Lahaina, Hawaii), Nov. 19-21, featuring No. 11 North Carolina.
7. Oregon
Oregon may have found the scoring punch it needed by starting true freshman Dominic Artis, who delivered 26 points in the Ducks’ first two games combined. Remember Artis? He was a UCLA commit not too long ago, before Kyle Anderson pledged to UCLA (likely the reason Artis reconsidered). Scoring will still be handled by committee for the Ducks, who have a plethora of role-players but no true star.
Business Trip: Global Sports Classic (Las Vegas), Nov. 23 and 24, featuring No. 18 UNLV and No. 24 Cincinnati.
8. Washington (1-1)
For putting the first blemish on the Pac-12’s otherwise spotless record with a loss Tuesday night against Albany, the Huskies are buried in the bottom third of the pack. C.J. Wilcox and Abdul Gaddy form a strong backcourt, but the Huskies have little up front to make a difference. Could this be the year UCLA finally gets a win in Seattle?
Business Trip: Tip-Off Hall of Fame Classic (Uncasville, Conn.), Saturday and Sunday, featuring No. 4 Ohio State.
9. Oregon State
Following President Obama’s re-election, one writer tweeted: “And now Obama whispers to Craig Robinson, “˜I can’t have you finishing eighth any more. People are watching.'” Robinson, the brother of Michelle Obama, has never finished higher than fifth place in the conference as the Beavers’ coach. Could he get a recruiting boost from his many appearances pitching for the re-election of his brother-in-law? Maybe, but it won’t be reflected in OSU’s record this season.
Business Trip: 2K Sports Classic (New York), today and Friday, featuring Alabama.
10. Washington State
The Cougars have a legitimate conference player-of-the-year prospect in Brock Motum, a multi-talented big man from Australia. They also carry a handful of players from the Seattle-Tacoma area, a locale known for producing some of the best NBA talent of late. Will it come together and result in success for Washington State? If my ranking is any indication, I don’t think so.
Business Trip: CBE Hall of Fame Classic (Kansas City, Mo.), Monday and Tuesday, featuring No. 7 Kansas.
11. Arizona State
Sun Devils coach Herb Sendek somehow avoided getting fired after a rash of transfers and another subpar season. He’s back with a team that on paper looks better than last year’s, but only because last year’s squad had to resort to playing walk-ons to just make it through games. The Sun Devils have a couple of big bodies, but who will they look to for a bucket in a time of need?
Business Trip: Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational, Nov. 23 and 24, featuring No. 15 Creighton and No. 22 Wisconsin.
12. Utah
In the middle of a lackluster football season, the good fans of the Utes have … next football season to look forward to. Utah battled through a slew of injuries and the transfer of their leading scorer and still pieced together three conference wins. That may be the over/under on this year’s squad. One new addition: LMU transfer and noted UCLA killer Jarred DuBois, eligible to play immediately for the Utes.
Business Trip: The Utes aren’t scheduled to go to a tournament this season, the only Pac-12 team to forgo what seems like a scheduling necessity.