USC Mens Basketball Picked 5th At PAC12 Media Day
The Trojans were picked to finish No. 5 in conference, however, someone in the media believes the team is capable of winning the conference. This may very well be the deepest most talented team to play at USC in a long time. The question for Coach enfield and the rest of the staff is can they get the team playing together with the addition of 8 new faces joining the 2019/2020 team.
SAN FRANCISCO – In one of the closest votes in Conference preseason poll history, OREGON edged COLORADO as the favorite to win the 2019-20 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball title in a vote of 27 media members who cover the league.
Though both programs received nine first-place votes, the defending Pac-12 Tournament champion Ducks amassed 291 points to earn favorite status for the second consecutive season and third time in the past four years. The Buffaloes, who totaled 288 points, slotted second for their highest preseason standing in the program’s nine-year Pac-12 history.
It marked only the second time in the league’s preseason poll history that two teams received the same number of first-place votes (1988-89). The three points separating the two teams were the fourth-fewest in 36 seasons of Conference preseason polling.
Defending regular-season champion WASHINGTON was picked third for the second year in a row, collecting 273 points and six first-place votes. ARIZONA received a pair of first-place nods and 263 points to come in fourth, while USC earned the final first-place vote and 198 points to place fifth. The five teams to receive first-place votes tied for the most in preseason poll history (2015-16, 1985-86).
ARIZONA STATE rounded out the top half of the preseason poll in sixth for the third straight year. OREGON STATE, UCLA, UTAH, STANFORD, WASHINGTON STATE and CALIFORNIA completed the predicted order of finish.
Media have correctly picked the Conference winner 16 times in 30 tries, while the winner has been accurately chosen in 20 of the 35 all-time preseason votes.
Five Pac-12 teams – Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, USC and Washington – appear on several national media outlets’ early top 25 rankings for the 2019-20 campaign.
Four All-Conference selections, two All-Freshmen Team performers and an All-Defensive Team honoree from last season are slated to return to the league for 2019-20. Additionally, four NBA Draft early-entry candidates elected to return to Pac-12 programs, highlighted by First Team All-Conference pick Tres Tinkle (Oregon State), All-Rookie Team member CJ Elleby (WASHINGTON STATE) and reigning Pac-12 Tournament Most Valuable Player Payton Pritchard (Oregon).
Pac-12 programs also boast five of the top 40 recruiting classes in the country according to 247Sports, including three in the top 10 (Arizona, USC, Washington). The Conference will welcome five 2019 McDonald’s All-Americans – Nico Mannion & Josh Green, Arizona; Isaiah Mobley, USC; Jaden McDaniels & Isaiah Stewart, Washington – which equals the most ever for the league (2006, 2012).
For the first time since 2014-15, three head coaches will make their Pac-12 debuts this season in California’s Mark Fox, UCLA’s Mick Cronin and Washington State’s Kyle Smith. The trio has averaged 20.9 wins and combined for 16 NCAA Tournament appearances and 27 total postseasons in 39 years of head coaching experience.
The Pac-12 regular season tips off with seven games on Tuesday, Nov. 5, the first official contest pitting preseason favorite Oregon against Fresno State on Pac-12 Networks at 6 p.m. PT. Opening week will also feature the fifth annual Pac-12 China Game between Arizona State and Colorado on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 8, as well as a pair of early power conference showdowns with Washington facing Baylor in the Armed Forces Classic on Nov. 8 and Arizona hosting Illinois on Sunday, Nov. 10.
Pac-12 regular-season play begins on Thursday, Jan. 2 and culminates March 11-14 with the 2020 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
2019-20 PAC-12 MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
Team (First Place Votes)Points
1. OREGON (9)291
2. COLORADO (9)288
3. WASHINGTON (6)273
4. ARIZONA (2)263
5. USC (1)198
6. ARIZONA STATE187
7. OREGON STATE161
8. UCLA148
9. UTAH131
10. STANFORD84
11. WASHINGTON STATE47
12. CALIFORNIA35
PREVIOUS PAC-12 MEN'S BASKETBALL POLLS
YearPredicted
WinnerActual
FinishActual
WinnerPredicted
Finish
2018-19OREGON4TH (TIED)WASHINGTON3RD
2017-18ARIZONA1STARIZONA1ST
2016-17OREGON1ST (TIED)ARIZONA / OREGON2ND / 1ST
2015-16ARIZONA3RD (TIED)OREGON4TH
2014-15ARIZONA1STARIZONA1ST
2013-14ARIZONA1STARIZONA1ST
2012-13ARIZONA2NDUCLA2ND
2011-12UCLA5TH (TIED)WASHINGTON4TH
2010-11WASHINGTON3RDARIZONA2ND
2009-10CALIFORNIA1STCALIFORNIA1ST
2008-09UCLA2NDWASHINGTON5TH
2007-08UCLA1STUCLA1ST
2006-07UCLA1STUCLA1ST
2005-06ARIZONA4TH (TIED)UCLA3RD
2004-05ARIZONA1STARIZONA1ST
2003-04ARIZONA3RDSTANFORD2ND
2002-03ARIZONA1STARIZONA1ST
2001-02UCLA6THOREGON6TH
2000-01ARIZONA2NDSTANFORD2ND
1999-00ARIZONA1ST (TIED)ARIZONA /
STANFORD1ST /
3RD
1998-99STANFORD1STSTANFORD1ST
1997-98ARIZONA1STARIZONA1ST
1996-97UCLA1STUCLA1ST
1995-96UCLA1STUCLA1ST
1994-95UCLA1STUCLA1ST
1993-94CALIFORNIA2ND (TIED)ARIZONA3RD
1992-93ARIZONA1STARIZONA1ST
1991-92**ARIZONA3RDUCLA2ND
1990-91**ARIZONA1STARIZONA1ST
1989-90**ARIZONA1ST (TIED)ARIZONA /
OREGON STATE1ST /
3RD
1988-89**ARIZONA/STANFORD1ST /
2NDARIZONA1ST (TIED)
1987-88**ARIZONA1STARIZONA1ST
1986-87ARIZONA2NDUCLA3RD
1985-86WASHINGTON2NDARIZONA8TH
1984-85WASHINGTON1ST (TIED)USC/WASHINGTON7TH /
1ST (TIED)
**The Pac-12 preseason polls were decided in a vote among league coaches (1987-91).
https://pac-12.com/article/2019/10/08/oregon-edges-colorado-2019-20-pac-12-mens-basketball-favorite