Stanford Sports Info Stanford’s Casey
Jacobsen will get at least two chances to torment the
Bruins this season.
By Christina Teller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The Pac-10 title will be up for grabs in 2001-02. With the
reinstatement of the Pac-10 Tournament in December, it could come
down to the wire. With usual conference powers Stanford and Arizona
suffering hard hits from the 2001 NBA draft, the two teams were
written off by many early on, but head coaches Mike Montgomery, of
Stanford, and Lute Olson, of Arizona, weren’t going to let
that happen. And the bottom of the conference, teams like
Washington State, Oregon State and Washington may not be so far
away from the middle of the race this year. Returning veteran
talent and introducing fresh faces into their lineups, teams at the
top cannot write off games against the Cougars, Beavers and
Huskies.
1. Arizona (5-1; all records as of Dec.
8)
Written off before the season even started with four starters
making the leap to the NBA, the unranked Wildcats stormed through
the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament, downing No. 2 Maryland and No.6
Florida to come home with the trophy. Except for a thumping from
No. 8 Kansas on Dec. 1, the ‘Cats have been impressive in the
early season and have gotten their act together much earlier than
most expected, soaring to No. 8 in the AP poll after the first two
weeks of the season.
The season rests in the abilities of senior guards Jason
Gardner, who has led his team in scoring in all four games, and
Luke Walton. With two freshmen in the starting lineup, Olson is
lucky to have two veterans on the team.
2. UCLA (4-2)
The Bruins were heavy favorites entering the season but have
struggled early. With little production from center Dan Gadzuric
and a rough start for freshman point guard Cedric Bozeman, it will
take some time for the Bruins to find their rhythm. The Bruins have
seen strong performances from freshmen Dijon Thompson and Andre
Patterson early on, and Thompson may find himself sharing point
guard duties with Jason Kapono while Bozeman rehabs a partially
torn meniscus. The Bruins’ success is contingent upon the emergence
of a floor leader and Gadzuric’s ability to be a force
inside.
3 Stanford (3-1)
Like Arizona, the Cardinal took a hard hit with the departures
of the Collins twins. Stanford will be noticeably smaller inside
and will rely heavily on junior center Curtis Borchardt, who has
seen limited minutes during his three-year career due to frequent
injuries. Junior forward Casey Jacobsen led the conference in
scoring last season and will be the go-to guy on offense.
Adjusting to a new point guard, either senior Tony Giovacchini
or junior Julius Barnes, after the graduation of Michael McDonald,
Stanford will be near but not at the top of the conference. After
winning its first three games of the season with Jacobsen averaging
22 points, Stanford lost to unranked Texas as Jacobsen contributed
just nine quiet points. To be successful, Borchardt, who snagged 20
rebounds against Purdue on Nov. 24, must stay healthy and Jacobsen
has to find a way to succeed despite being the focal point of the
opposing defense.
4. USC (4-2)
With a strong finish in 2001, tearing through the NCAA
Tournament and losing to Duke in the Elite Eight, the Trojans had
lofty expectations coming into the season. With Brandon Granville,
Sam Clancy and David Bluthenthal combined with the promising Craven
twins, Derrick and Errick, USC has the potential to be a conference
force to be reckoned with. An early loss to Fresno State in the
Preseason NIT was an early set-back, but the Trojans came back with
a fairly weak pre-season schedule. Facing such teams as UC Santa
Barbara, Bradley and Loyola Marymount, the Trojans have some lesser
competition to iron out their wrinkles against.
5. Oregon (4-2)
Like their football team, the Duck basketball squad could make a
case for themselves as not being “just another team in the
conference” anymore. The Ducks look to seniors guard
Frederick Jones and center Chris Christoffersen to be leaders of
the veteran squad. The Ducks have spread significant minutes among
eight players, and with a balanced attack, the Ducks will surprise
a few teams along the way.
6. Cal (5-1)
Facing the challenge of replacing 2001 Pac-10 Player of the Year
Sean Lampley, the Bears look to junior guard Shantay Legans to be
the leader of the team. Opening the season 4-0, including wins over
Santa Clara and New Mexico, the Bears spread top-scoring finishes
among four players ““Â senior Joe Shipp and juniors Legans
and Brian Wethers and Solomon Hughes ““ all players who are
threats from three-point range. The Bears also have young talent in
freshman Jamal Sampson of Mater Dei, who is averaging 8.3 points
and 8.8 rebounds in 26 minutes per game.
7. Arizona State (4-2)
The Sun Devils are anchored by the senior duo of forward Awvee
Storey and center Chad Prewitt. The 6-foot-9 center is a scoring
force both inside and on the perimeter and has led his team in
scoring in two of the team’s first five games, while Storey
is one of the top rebounders in the conference. With a less than
promising start, losing in overtime to Portland State 70-69 and BYU
82-70, the Sun Devils could need some time to find their
rhythm.
8. Washington (6-2)
Head coach Bob Bender boasts that this year’s Huskies are
his most athletic team ever. The Huskies roster consists
predominantly of freshmen, which will pay off in the future but
will mean a big learning curve for basketball in Seattle.
Sophomores Curtis Allen and Doug Wrenn have made a big splash for
the Huskies in the early season, both hovering around a
15-points-per-game average. The Huskies have a good chance of
finishing with a winning record this season, which would break the
team’s two-year streak as a losing squad.
9. Washington State (4-2)
With Mike Bush suiting up as a wide receiver for the football
team, the Cougars will have to wait until after Sun Bowl to have
their best player in the mix. WSU returns nine players from last
year, including four starters, and will most likely improve their
conference record. After a successful freshman campaign, guard
Marcus Moore is an important component to Cougar successes. Early
wins over such teams as Prairie View A&M and Arkansas
Pine-Bluff don’t tell much about the team’s ability.
10. Oregon State (4-2)
Despite returning three starters ““ senior Adam Masten and
juniors Jimmie Haywood and Brian Jackson ““ the Beavers
will most likely finish at the bottom of the pack as only five
players on the roster have game experience. The Beavers have had a
successful early season in terms of just wins and losses, with wins
against Northern Colorado and Southern Utah. However, they also
have fallen to St. John’s and Texas. With wins in
2000-01 only against both Washington schools and taking UCLA into
overtime, the Beavers should expect a similar campaign this time
around.