Senior forward Shaquille McKissic dunks the ball in a game against Pepperdine, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. After trailing the entire first half, the Sun Devils came from behind and defeated the Waves 81-74. (Photo by Ben Moffat)As the Gregorian calender shifts to 2015, the Pac-12 men's basketball calender shifts to conference play. All 12 teams have finished their out of conference schedules.
The Wildcats opened the season as the odds-on favorite to win the Pac-12 and a frontrunner for the national championship and have played to that level so far this season. Aside from a slip up in its last conference game at UNLV (9-4), UA ran through its schedule on the strength of a suffocating defense and superstar freshman forward Stanley Johnson's 14.5 points per game, which leads the team.
The Utes have justified the media choosing them to be the most likely challenger to UA, finishing their non-conference schedule with two losses, both to ranked teams. Utah's win over No. 16 Wichita State (11-2) might be the best win for a Pac-12 team on the season thus far. Senior guard Delon Wright has followed up his All-Pac-12 season in 2013-14 with an increase in field goal and three-point percentage as well as points per game.
Washington coach Lorenzo Romar has his team off to its best start in nearly 40 years and the team is the biggest positive surprise in the conference. The Huskies lost to Stony Brook (8-6) at home to end 2014, but they have a lot of good to build off of, defeating two ranked teams. Washington has won with a balanced attack. Four starters average in double figures.
Most teams in the Pac-12 have to be judged on the strength of their losses as opposed to their wins because of relatively weak schedules, and Oregon is no exception. Two of the Ducks' three losses came to teams who were ranked at the time and the third was to a solid Ole Miss team (8-4). Senior guard Joe Young leads the Ducks with 19.3 points per game, following up a second team All-Pac-12 selection with a bid for the first team in 2014-15 and is the reason his team is as high as they are on the list.
The Golden Bears opened the year with a surprising win over a then-ranked Syracuse team (9-4) and have continued to play at that rate of excellence this year. Junior guard Tyrone Wallace's 19.2 points per game is a major increase over his career numbers coming into the season. His production is the biggest reason that Cal has exceeded preseason expectations. The Golden Bears have lost two of their three games to top-10 teams, but the third loss to Cal State-Bakersfield (4-10) is concerning going into conference play.
The Bruins' five losses paint a conflicting picture of the team's skill level. Four of the five UCLA losses came to ranked teams, showing the strength of the schedule. Sophomore guard Bryce Alford could be the most improved player in the Pac-12 as he has boosted his scoring average from 8.0 points in 2013-14 to 17.5 this season.
The Cardinal, led by senior guard Chasson Randle's 18.5 points per game, have beaten the teams they should and have lost the games they were projected to struggle in. Aside from a very good Duke team (12-0), Stanford has played a lot of middle-of-the-road teams, which is what it is projected to be this year.
The Beavers started off on a great run, winning every non-tournament game to start 8-2. But Oregon State fell to lowly Quinnipiac (6-5) in New Haven, Connecticut in one of its final games of 2014 to draw some question into their success. Junior guard Gary Payton II is following in his father's footsteps and leading his team.
The most disappointing start to the season belongs to the Buffaloes. Predicted to finish third in the conference by the media, Colorado has lost winnable games against lower competition drawing some doubt into their initial standing.
After losing the three top players from a season ago, ASU knew that the team would take a step back this season. Senior forward Jonathan Gilling has been ASU's best shooter this year and the addition of sophomore forward Savon Goodman into the lineup could change ASU's fortunes moving into the new year.
The Trojans have endured an up and down season thus far, playing about the same quality of opponent for most of their season so far. USC has played to expectations so far and Pac-12 play will test where they stand overall.
The one Pac-12 team that could classify as "bad," the Cougars have played a soft non-conference schedule (219th in Pomeroy as of Jan. 1) and have not fared well against it. The best win for Washington State came in its last game against Big West Conference leader UC Davis (9-3).
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger
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