Reviewing the preseason predictions on Pac-12 hoops – Today's U (blog)
With just four teams remaining in the hunt for the National Championship, April will mark a time of reflection for the majority of schools, including the dozen from the Pac-12.
But it’s not just a time of reflection for the programs who were physically playing the sport, but for the outlets covering it as well. Per usual, Today’s U launched a preseason Top 25 list of Pac-12 players. With 2015-16 in the books, it’s time to take a look at how we did:
Our November rankings:
25. Dylan Ennis, Oregon
23. Jabari Bird, Cal
23. Reid Travis, Stanford
21. Gabe York, Arizona
20. Tra Holder, Arizona State
19. Jordan Mathews, Cal
18. Josh Hawkinson, Washington State
17. Bryce Alford, UCLA
16. Isaac Hamilton, UCLA
15. Jordan Loveridge, Utah
14. Brandon Taylor, Utah
13. Dillon Brooks, Oregon
12. Andrew Andrews. Washington
11. Allonzo Trier, Arizona
10. Kaleb Tarczewski, Arizona
9. Tyler Dorsey, Oregon
8. Ryan Anderson, Arizona
7. Elgin Cook, Oregon
6. Josh Scott, Colorado
5. Ivan Rabb, Cal
4. Tyrone Wallace, Cal
3. Gary Payton II, Oregon State
2. Jakob Poeltl, Utah
- Jaylen Brown, Cal
Who we overhyped
Jaylen Brown (Cal), Ivan Rabb (Cal), Tyler Dorsey (Oregon), Brandon Taylor (Utah)
Brown is the most glaring error on this list. Freshmen are difficult to judge, particularly freshmen who are enrolling into college with more hype than the rest of their team combined. While Brown showed flashes of an immensely high ceiling, he never fully lived up to the hype, much as his fellow classmate Ivan Rabb did not. To be clear: Both were excellent players, just not top-five worthy, and certainly, in Brown’s case, not No. 1 worthy. In fact, Brown not only wasn’t the best player in the conference, he wasn’t the best – or second-best, and possibly even third – on his team, an honor that belongs to Tyrone Wallace.
Who we undervalued
Andrew Andrews (Washington), Jabari Bird (Cal), Gabe York (Arizona), Jordan Loveridge (Utah), Josh Scott (Colorado), Dillon Brooks (Oregon), Isaac Hamilton (UCLA)
Three of these seem obvious – Andrew Andrews, Josh Scott and Dillon Brooks. By season’s end, Andrews had cemented himself as the best point guard in the conference and arguably top-five in the nation. Scott, Colorado’s model of consistency, should have been top-five worthy, considering his penchant for avoiding any and all bad games. And Brooks was the best player on the best team in the conference, an oversized guard with a bulldog mentality who carried the Ducks to their best season in 77 years.
The others, in retrospect, are understandable. Bird burst onto the scene midway through the season, picking up where Brown and Rabb underwhelmed. York more than filled in for an injured Allonzo Trier, and Loveridge caught fire and closed the year as the conference’s top marksman from beyond the arc. Hamilton, meanwhile, put up 16.8 points per game, good for third in the Pac-12, on a disappointing UCLA team that was as enigmatic as it was unremarkable.
Who we got just right
Jakob Poeltl (Utah), Gary Payton II (Oregon State), Tyrone Wallace (Cal), Elgin Cook (Oregon), Allonzo Trier (Arizona), Kaleb Tarczewski (Arizona), Bryce Alford (UCLA), Josh Hawkinson (Washington State), Tra Holder (Arizona State), Jordan Mathews (Cal), Tony Parker (UCLA)
There are certain guys who just know their roles, and they play them exceptionally well. This is that list of guys. Poeltl followed up one of the most efficient freshman seasons the Pac-12 has ever seen – and improved upon it, earning third team All-America honors. Gary Payton II and Tyrone Wallace, veteran leaders both, were the role models we expected them to be and lived up to their top-five billing.
10 March 2016: Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle talks with Oregon State (1) Gary Payton II after committing a foul at the three point line during the men’s Pac-12 Basketball Tournament game between the Oregon State Beavers and the California Golden Bears at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire)
Trier enrolled in Arizona with considerable – and justifiable – hype, and when he was healthy, he delivered. Had he been healthy all season, and the same argument goes for Kaleb Tarczewski, he may have fallen in the undervalued column.
Who we completely missed
Dejounte Murray (Washington), Rosco Allen (Stanford), Chris Boucher (Oregon)
I am not one to make excuses, but did you see either of the first two breakouts coming, either? Murray is 6-foot-5 and all of 170 pounds, not the type of build you’d expect from a college workhorse. But when defenses took note to concentrate on Andrews, Murray led the offense. It’s a shame he isn’t coming back next year, as Washington would have a bona fide star on its hands.
Allen is likely the best Pac-12 player you never heard of this year, which can be fully attributed to how terrible his team was. Frankly, few cared what Stanford was doing on the basketball court this season, despite Allen finishing in the top-10 in scoring (15.6 ppg) and top 15 in rebounds (6.5 rpg). Is he top-10 worthy? No, but certainly should have qualified for our top-25.
And Boucher, well, what a swing and a miss that was. Boucher, a senior out of Montreal, was a critical presence for Oregon’s defense and rebounding, which in turn led to the Ducks’ fast-paced transition offense. He was as important as anybody in a Ducks uniform not named Dillon Brooks.
** Dylan Ennis (Oregon) and Reid Travis (Stanford) missed the season with an injury, so they were discounted from this list.
