Player of the Week
Will Richardson (Oregon)
Looking to get Oregon back on track, Richardson left it all on the floor in a conference win against Utah. In 34 minutes of play, Richardson tallied 26 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists to lead the Ducks to their second straight win. Oregon now sits at 8-6 on the year after starting off 3-3.
Who’s Hot
Jarod Lucas (Oregon State)
The Beavers finally had something go right this season when Lucas went off and beat Utah in a conference showdown. He was able to score 25 points, grab 6 rebounds and dish out 3 assists in a 88-76 win over the Utes. With Oregon State not looking like themselves this year, Lucas made sure to step his game up and lead them to this win.
Jacob Young (Oregon)
Young played sidekick to Will Richardson in the win against Utah on Saturday, assisting him in any way he can. His 22 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists were enough to help the Ducks get the win and help Richardson cap off a great performance. Both Young and Richardson were the only players who played over 30 minutes, showing availability correlates to wins.
Who’s Not
Utah Utes
As seen above, Utah lost both inner conference matchups this week. They lost to a 3-10 Oregon State team by 12 and an underachieving Oregon squad by 13. Against Oregon State, the Utes only had 2 players score in double digits. In the game against the Ducks, they had no player score over 15 and only three in double digits. After starting off the season by surprising some people, Utah has slowly been on the decline as of late.
Both Gach (Utah)
The senior Ute did not look so hot this week when he was on the floor. In 24 minutes of play against Oregon State, Gach only scored 9 points to go with 2 rebounds and 5 assists. On Saturday against Oregon, he played 17 minutes and scored a mere 6 points and had 2 assists with no rebounds. The senior will surely have to do more with the time he’s given if Utah wants to succeed this year.
Top 5 Reasons to be Excited for Pac-12 Basketball
1. They’re great at home
This year has been a great year for the Pac-12 when they host opponents. Overall, the conference has a 68-20 record when they play at home and four teams are currently undefeated at their arena. In addition to this, 9 out of the 12 teams in the Pac-12 are above .500 at home. It’s safe to say when opposition comes to play within the Pac-12, they’re chances of winning are slim.
2. They have one of three undefeated teams left in college basketball
Division 1 basketball only has three undefeated teams left and one of those three reside in the Pac-12. The USC Trojans have dominated thus far into the season, posting a 12-0 record to start off. Players like Isaiah Mobley and Boogie Ellis have been terrific for the Trojans and they continue to impress as the year goes on.
3. They have one of the top scorers in college basketball
Though his team hasn’t looked great, Terrell Brown Jr. has been amazing throughout the season. He currently averages 21.4 points per game, which is good enough for 6th overall in the entire NCAA. Along with this, he shoots just above 80% from the free throw line and 46.5% from the field. This senior has made his presence felt across the entire division 1 basketball landscape.
4. The Pac-12 is ever changing
The Pac-12 standings from last year don’t quite match up with how teams are doing so far this year and, in a way, that’s exciting. For example, California finished 9-20 last year and they already have 9 wins this year, sitting at 9-5 and fourth in the Pac-12. Oregon finished 22-7 last year and so far this year, they’re already 8-6. Various teams have had unexpected starts to this year, both good and bad. This makes Pac-12 basketball some of the most exciting to see, as changes in the standings happen from year to year.
5. They have some serious tournament contenders
When looking at the Pac-12, there are three legitimate contenders that could make some noise come March. The undefeated USC Trojans, the 11-1 Arizona Wildcats and the 8-1 UCLA Bruins. These are three programs that have a solid mix of veteran leadership and young talent that could possibly go deep in the NCAA tournament. Pac-12 lovers have more than enough to be excited about when considering the amount of success the Pac-12 has had early.