Friday, November 6, 1998
Stanford predicted to storm Pac-10
M.BASKETBALL: National polls rank UCLA, Washington, Arizona
among top 20 teams
By Brent Boyd
Daily Bruin Staff
The balance of power is shifting in the Pac-10, and it’s heading
north.
That was the statement that Pac-10 media members and conference
coaches sent loud and clear at the annual Pac-10 basketball media
day Thursday.
Stanford, returning all five starters from its Final Four team
from a year ago, was awarded 36 of a possible 37 first-place votes
in a poll of media members who cover Pac-10 basketball.
The coaches agreed.
"All of us were aware by the kind of ball club that Stanford had
last year that they would be in the position they are this year,"
Arizona head coach Lute Olson said.
UCLA was picked fourth in the poll, behind both Arizona and
Washington. The Bruins were followed by California (the only other
team to receive a first-place vote), Arizona State, Oregon, USC,
Washington State and finally Oregon State.
It is the first time in recent years that neither UCLA nor
Arizona have entered the season as conference favorites, and if the
season plays out in the expected fashion, it would be the first
time that neither of those schools have won the Pac-10 title since
the 1984-85 season.
So, how’s Stanford dealing with the added pressure of being
favorites?
It’s simple  they’re not.
"There’s not any more pressure than you already put on
yourself," Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery said, "What we’ve
got to try and do is forget everybody else’s expectations and just
be responsible for ourselves."
But Stanford wasn’t the only topic of interest Thursday.
Rob Evans was introduced as the new ASU head coach. Arriving
from Mississippi, Evans will get his first look at the Pac-10 this
season.
"One of the challenges is to get the talent to the level where
we can compete with the rest of the people in the league," Evans
said.
That may be easier said than done, as the general consensus was
that the Pac-10 will be one of the strongest conferences in the
nation this season.
"The Pac-10 is at its height right now," California head coach
Ben Braun said.
Oregon State head coach Eddie Payne agreed.
"In my judgement the Pac-10 is the best league in the country,"
Payne said. "There is the capability that eight teams have a shot
at the NCAA Tournament."
And although these particular coaches may be a bit biased,
coaches nationwide concurred.
In the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll released Wednesday, four
Pac-10 teams were ranked among the top 20 Â Stanford (2nd),
UCLA (13th), Washington (14th) and Arizona (20th). California also
received votes.
No other conference had four teams in the top 20.
Duke was given the top rank, while Stanford, Connecticut,
Michigan State and Maryland rounded out the top five.
The Associated Press poll had Stanford 3rd, the Bruins 12th,
Washington 14th and Arizona 18th.
€ € €
Baron Davis’ injury was recently evaluated, and was given a
no-go for this week. The knee will be re-evaluated at the end of
the week.
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The second annual Bruin Basketball Preview Day will take place
Sunday in the Pauley Pavilion.
The gates will open at 1:15 p.m., fan contests will start at
1:50 p.m. and basketball activities will begin at 2 p.m.
The day will consist of scrimmages by both the men’s and women’s
teams, followed by a three-point contest and an autograph
session.
All UCLA students with ID will be admitted free.JAMIE
SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin
Earl Watson is one of two returning starters
for the UCLA basketball team.
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