Pac-12 Progression

[PointGuard]

Highlights of Week 1 of Conference Play:

*Arizona kicked off conference with a 74-55 thumping of Washington State. SF Terry Haslem scored 20 and two players had double-doubles: C John Rencher (14 pts, 1 reb) and PF Shawnelle Kosik (15 pts, 10 reb).
*Southern Cal’s SF Charlie Seymour scored 24 points to lead the Trojans past Stanford 91-83.
*Washington outplayed Utah to win by a score of 73-61 with all 5 Huskies starters scoring in double figures. The Barnes cousins (John and Aaron) combined for 25 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 steals.
*Colorado put down California 87-72 with C David Boyd scoring 20 and grabbing 8 rebounds. The Golden Bears PG Brian Thornton had 24 points and 6 assists.

Five teams got through the first week 2-0 records: Arizona, UCLA, Colorado, Washington, and Southern Cal.

The Pac-12 Player of the Week was C David Boyd of Colorado (45 points and 22 rebounds) who once earlier this season had the same award while the Freshman Player of the Week was Washington State’s C Kaniel Jones (38 points, 9 rebounds) who had received the same award twice earlier this season.

[PointGuard]

Week 2:

*With C David Boyd flirting with foul trouble, Colorado brought John Little into the game and he proceeded to score 21 points and grab 9 rebounds in 22 minutes of time on the court. His performance offset the 20 points scored by Southern Cal’s PF Scott Cobb allowing the Buffaloes to come away with a 79-70 victory.
*Shawnelle Kosik scored 21 to go along with 7 rebounds and C John Rencher had a double-double (16 points and 12 rebounds) as Arizona destroyed California 78-60.
*Arizona State’s C Roy Cage poured 24 points through the hoop and the Sun Devils bopped Utah 72-56.
*Washington’s guards carried the visiting Huskies to a 78-66 over Stanford. SG Yorgos Kosomoulis scored 20 and PG DeJuan Scott added 19.
*UCLA’s SG Shannon Greenleaf had a big night, scoring 29 points and gather in 9 rebounds to lead the Bruins to an easy 69-52 win over Oregon State.
*SG Luke Criddle’s 25 points were the only high point for Washington State as the Cougars were crushed by Oregon 94-68.
*Colorado’s C David Boyd and Arizona State’s SF Pat Voskuhl both scored 22 points in a game in which the Sun Devils held a 16-8 turnover advantage and outshot the Buffaloes 57% to 46% enroute to a 91-71 victory.
*California defeated Utah 75-67 as Cal’s SF Brian Thornton and Utah’s SF Nick Poge both scored 21 points.
*Stanford gave up a 19 point lead and Oregon came from behind to best the Cardinal 79-73 behind SF Nick Minor’s 27 points.
*Oregon State finally got a Pac-12 win when they upended Washington State 78-64. C Mark Homer scored 25 and had 12 rebounds and SG John Barron added 20 for the Beavers while SG Luke Criddle continued his scoring spree with 23 points for the Cougars.
*UCLA travelled to Seattle and whipped Washington 89-73 as the Bruins’ SG Shannon Greenleaf dropped in 28 points and C Kevin French had 21 points and 13 boards. SG Vorgos Kasomoulis scored 24 points for the Huskies.

California’s PG Dan Jonzen’s nose was broken and he’s not expected to be back until the Pac-12 tourney. Oregon State lost the services of SG Vinston Fisher after he was suspended due to poor grades.

The Pac-12 player of the week was UCLA SG Shannon Greenleaf (57 pts, 16 reb) who had the same award earlier this season and the Freshman Player of the Week was SG Yorgos Kasomoulis (44 pts, 12 reb) who had received the same award 3 previous times this season. Kasomoulis also was named the national Freshman Player of the Week once earlier this season.

[PointGuard]

Week 3:

*In a game where the starting guards on both teams dominated play, Southern Cal defeated California 86-80. USC’s Khalid Scales and Ashley Ransom combined to score 40 points and had a combined 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and a block. Cal’s Brian Thornton and Andre Bush scored a combined 36 points and together had 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals and a block.
*Utah’s C Nick Poge and SB Brett Williams both scored 21 points to lead the Utes past Colorado 95-87.
*Arizona continued to destroy Pac-12 competition as they walloped Arizona State 78-59 with C John Rencher scoring 26 points, yanking down 19 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists, and getting a steal and 3 blocks.
*Washington’s talented freshman SG Yorgos Kasomoulis continued to impress by scoring 27 points but Oregon State’s five starters all scored in double figures as the Beavers demolished the Huskies 87-72.
*UCLA beat Oregon 73-67 with their C Kevin French scoring 14 points and getting 19 rebounds.

Bob Williams who has averaged 14.8 ppg for Stanford this season broke his ankle and will miss at least 2 month of play.

The Player of the Week for the Pac-12 was Arizona’s John Rencher (29 points and 27 rebounds). This was the 2nd time he won this award this season. The Freshman Player of the Week again was Washington’s Yorgos Kasomoulis (38 points). This was the 5th time he has received this award.

Now that a third of the Pac-12 season has past, let’s look at how each team is doing:

Arizona State: Has a 3-3 conference record and an 8-7 overall record. Senior SF Pat Voskuhl is averaging 15.4 ppg and 6.8 rpg. Senior C Roy Cage is averaging 10.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg. Senior PF Ed Dabbert is averaging 10.0 ppg and 5.4 rpg. The guards have for the Sun Devils have been less stellar. Arizona State is averaging 71.6 ppg and giving up 68.9 ppg.

Arizona: The Wildcats are 6-0 in conference play and 16-1 overall and are ranked 4th in the polls. They presently are riding a 10 game win streak. Senior PF Shawtelle Kosik is averaging 15.2 ppg and 10.0 rpg, senior C John Rencher is averaging 12.2 ppg and 10.1 rpg, sophomore SF Terry Haslem is averaging 10.7 ppg and 4.8 rpg, and freshman SG Barron Lake is averaging 10.1 ppg. Rencher and PG Charlie Wilson have injuries that are likely to cause both to miss their next game. Arizona’s offense is averaging 73.7 ppg and defensively they’ve given up 59.0 ppg.

California: While the Golden Bears are 2-4 in the conference and 6-9 for the season, that is markedly better than last season. Senior SG Brian Thornton is averaging 11.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg. Sophomore PF Jason Barnes is averaging 9.6 ppg and 4.7 rpg. Freshman PG Dan Jonzen has a broken nose and will miss 6-7 more weeks of play and senior SF Gerrick Townes is nursing a broken ankle that is expected to cause him to miss at least 2 more weeks of play. The Golden Bears have scored 69.3 ppg and their opponents are averaging 74.5 ppg.

Colorado: The Buffaloes are 3-3 in conference place and 11-6 overall, but they have lost their last 3 games. Junior C David Boyd is averaging 16.2 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Sophomore PF Lionel Jefferson is averaging 12.3 ppg and 6.3 rpg. Senior Jason Greer is averaging 11.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, and 3.5 apg. Junior PG Marcus Fields is averaging 8.7 ppg and 5.4 apg. Colorado is averaging 78.0 ppg offensively and 72.9 defensively.

Oregon: The Ducks conference record is 3-3 and their overall record is 9-6. Sophomore SF Nick Minor is averaging 15.8 ppg and 4.1 rpg. Sophomore C Bernie Cook is averaging 12.5 ppg and 5.7 rpg. Junior SG Andrew Kincade is averaging 12.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and 4.3 apg. Oregon’s offense has scored 80.1 ppg and their opponents are averaging 71.5 ppg.

Oregon State: After playing so well last season, the Beavers have slumped to 2-4 in the conference and 5-10 overall. Freshman SF Robert Randle is averaging 9.7 ppg and 4.3 rpg. Senior PG Gary Schilling is averaging 9.6 ppg and 4.7 apg. Freshman C Todd Malloy won the starting job and was averaging 8.3 ppg and 4.1 rpg but when he an ankle injury, last season’s starter at C, senior Rahsaan Fisher stepped back into the starting lineup and is averaging 8.1 ppg and 4.6 rpg. Offensively the Beavers have scored 71.9 ppg but their defense has given up 74.3 ppg.

Southern California: The Trojans have a 4-2 conference record and 10-5 overall record. Sophomore SF Charlie Seymour is averaging 12.2 ppg but only 2.7 rpg. Senior C Peter Finger is averaging 11.6 ppg and 4.1 rpg. Senior SG Khalid Scales is averaging 11.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, and 4.0 apg. Southern Cal is averaging 75.3 ppg and their opponents have scored 69.2 ppg.

Stanford: The Cardinal are 3-3 in the conference and 8-7 overall. Senior SG Bob Williams has averaged 14.8 ppg and 4.1 rpg. Senior C Matt Slider is averaging 10.6 ppg and 5.0 rpg. Senior PF Greg Reese is averaging 10.0 ppg and 5.1 rpg. Junior PG Matt Gottlieb is averaging 9.3 ppg and 5.1 apg. But Williams has broken ankle that will keep him out of action that will sideline him for 2 months and Williams injured his groin and has missed 2 games and will miss at least 2 more games. The Cardinal are scoring 75.5 ppg and their defense has surrendered 72.5 ppg.

UCLA: The Bruins are have a 5-1 conference record and are 11-4 overall and just had an 8 game win streak broken. Sophomore SG Shannon Greenleaf is a 18.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg. Senior PG Drew Black is averaging 13.5 ppg and 4.5 apg. Senior C Kevin French is averaging 11.2 ppg and 9.2 rpg. Senior PF Marquis Penney is averaging 10.8 ppg and 5.3 rpg. UCLA’s offense has scored 74.4 ppg while defensively they’ve given up 66.4 ppg.

Utah: The Utes are 1-5 in conference play and have a 5-10 overall record. Sophomore C Nick Poge is averaging 16.9 ppg and 5.2 rpg. Junior PG Dexter Britton is averaging 9.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, and 5.0 apg. Senior SF Dereck Strange is averaging 9.4 ppg and 3.9 rpg. The Utes are averaging 70.9 ppg but their opponents are scoring 74.5 ppg.

Washington: The Huskies have a 3-3 conference record and 9-6 overall record, but the Huskies have lost their last 3 games. Freshman SG Yorgos Kasomoulis is averaging 16.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, and 2.3 apg. Freshman SF Marco Richardson is averaging 11.7 ppg and 4.6 rpg. Senior PG DeJuan Scott is averaging 9.4 ppg and 4.5 apg. Senior PG Aaron Barnes is averaging 9.1 ppg and 7.2 rpg. Barnes just sprained his toe and likely will miss a few games. Washington’s offense is averaging 74.0 ppg and their defense has given up 71.0 ppg.

Washington State: The Cougars are 1-5 in the conference and 4-11 overall. Senior SG Luke Criddle is averaging 16.1 ppg and 4.6 rpg. Senior guard Brian Turner has started just 2 games but has averaged 10.0 ppg, primarily as the Cougars’ 6th man. Freshman C Kaniel Jones is averaging 9.1 ppg and 5.2 rpg. Jones just injured his wrist and is expected to miss the next 2 games. The Cougars are only scoring 69.2 ppg while letting their opponents score 75.2 ppg.

Let’s look at how freshmen who committed to Pac-12 teams last year and were top 100 ranked recruits have done thus far this season:

#38 Scott Hollins, Washington: has played exceptionally briefly in just 4 games*
#47 Shawnelle Alexander, Arizona: 3.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg
#53 Josh Trotman, Utah: 5.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg
#57 Barron Lake, Arizona: 10.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.1 apg
#60 Yorgo Kasomoulis, Washington: 16.5 ppg , 3.5 rpg, 2.3 apg
#89 Mike Jones, Colorado: 3.1 ppg, 0.9 rpg
#98 Mark Homer, Oregon State: 8.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg
(*Freshman Marco Richardson is playing exceptionally well at SF (Hollins position) and junior Jim Akers is the primary sub at SF and has played well, but one of Hollins main interests was playing time so if he doesn’t get some playing time soon, you’ve got to think he is potentially a key candidate to transfer)

Other Pac-12 freshmen (and how they were ranked as recruits) who have played well thus far include:

#129 Marco Richardson, Washington: 11.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg
#195 Robert Randle, Oregon State: 9.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg
#219 Jay Green, Oregon State: 6.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg
#277 Michael Morrill, Arizona State: 4.1 ppg, 0.9 apg
#432 Kaniel Jones, Washington State: 9.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg
#717 Todd Malloy, Oregon State: 8.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg

[PointGuard]

Week 4:

*Oregon got 23 points from SG Andrew Kinchade and 21 points from SF Nick Minor enroute to an exciting 73-70 victory over Colorado at Eugene. The Buffaloes were competitive all the way with PF David Boyd scoring 30 while hauling in 14 rebounds.
*In the back-to-back game later in the week in Boulder, Oregon swept the series by downing the Buffaloes 87-82 behind SF Nick Minor’s 21 points. David Boyd had another strong game for Colorado by scoring 24 and picking off 10 boards.
*SG Shannon Greenleaf topped UCLA’s scoring with 24 points while teammate C Kevin French tossed in 21 points as the Bruins pulled away in the 2nd half to beat cross-town rival Southern Cal 80-68.
*In an 81-58 beatdown of Oregon State, Utah hit 61% of their FG attempts, 47% of their 3P attempts, but only 44% of their FT attempts. Coach Larry Krystkowiak said his team will be spending time at the free throw line after regular practice the next few weeks.
*This week Arizona continued their annihilation of Pac-12 opponents with a 75-60 pounding of Stanford and an 84-50 shellacking of Washington (in which Wildcats’ PF Shawnelle Kosik had a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds). Arizona has had winning margins of between 15 and 26 points in 7 of their 8 conference games and has only been challenged in their game against Utah which the Wildcats won 67-63 earlier this season.
*UCLA’s Shannon Greenleaf has another hot night when he scored 29 points to lead the Bruins 82-75 victory over California.
*C Nick Poge scored 25 as Utah easily defeated Stanford 78-60. Utah had another good night from the field by hitting 61% of their FG attempts. While their FT shooting was better than in their last game, the Utes’ still hit a lower percentage of their FT’s (59%) that their FG’s.

Major injuries this week included Southern California’s SF Casey Gill breaking his arm which will keep him out of action for over a month and UCLA’s C Kevin French coming down with a sprained abdominal that will likely sideline him for 3-4 games.

The Pac-12’s Player of the Week was C David Boyd (54 points and 24 rebounds) of Colorado and the Freshman Player of the Week was Washington’s SG Yorgos Kasomoulis (36 points). This was Boyd’s 3rd such award and Kasomoulis’ 6th similar award. Kasomoulis has now received this award the past 3 weeks.

With Arizona and UCLA winning both of their games this week, the Wildcats remain atop the Pac-12 standings with a perfect 8-0 record and 7-1 UCLA continues to hold down 2nd place. On the other end of the spectrum, Oregon State lost their 3rd straight game to fall into a tie with Washington State for last place in the conference with 2-6 records. After winning their first 3 conference games, 3-5 Colorado has now lost 5 straight games.

Even with 2 convincing wins this week, Arizona fell to 5th in the Media Poll but remains #4 in the Coaches Poll. UCLA continues to be unranked and their soft pre-conference schedule leaves them with only the 41st best RPI in Division I. Duke, Syracuse, and Texas are 1, 2, 3 in both polls.

Norton News: SG Nathaniel Jones, a junior at Mississippi State, is looking like a lock to win the Norton Award. Jones is averaging 21.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 5.1 apg, 3.0 bpg, and 1.9 spg. Jones has scored 20+ points in 12 of the Bulldogs 19 games including 2 in which he had 30+ points. In the game against Florida last week, Jones had 26 points, 8 rebounds and 7 blocks.

Sidebar Note: Let’s check in on how new coach Trey Porter is doing at South Florida. Porter is finding out coaching in Division I play is pretty tough. The Bulls won 3 of 9 games in pre-conference play. Not great. But things have gotten even rougher for Porter. South Florida now has lost all 8 games they’ve played thus far in the American Athletic Conference. They aren’t dead last in the conference though. They’re tied for last with winless Tulane. Porter’s team is averaging just 65 ppg and is making over 17 topg. A big question on the South Florida campus is whether Porter can get control of things and pick up some wins in the 2nd half of AAC play. If he doesn’t his stay in Tampa may be short-lived and his coaching career may be in jeopardy.

[PointGuard]

Week 5:

*Washington State took on Arizona and came away with a 45-43 halftime lead. But the Wildcats steadily pulled away from the Cougars in the 2nd half and whipped WSU 97-83. Arizona hit 62% of their shots with PF Shawnelle Kosik dropping in 22 points, C John Rector connecting for 19 points and grabbing 9 boards, and PG Charlie Wilson also scoring 19 points. Reserve guard Brian Turner led the Cougars with 21 points.
*With 2 Bruins starters fouled out, Arizona State knocked off UCLA 92-79 in overtime behind SF Pat Voskuhl’s 22 points and C Roy Cage’s 18 points and 15 rebounds. PG Drew Black put in 22 points for UCLA.
*Stanford’s SG Matt Gottlieb scored 24 points to lead the Cardinal to a 96-87 victory over Southern Cal.
*With C Nick Poge grabbing 15 rebounds to go along with his 16 points, Utah totally dominated the boards (46-25) to best visiting Washington 72-60.
*UCLA pinned the first conference loss on Arizona by a score of 78-68 as SG Shannon Greenleaf poured in 27 points for the Bruins.
*In an exceptionally tight game the entire 40 minutes, California edged Oregon State 66-64 by playing for the last shot and working a give and go to perfection.
*Even though SG Matt Gottlieb scored 27 points for Stanford, Colorado held off the fast-closing Cardinal to escape with an 82-78 win as the Buffaloes’ PF Josh Wallace dropped in 26 points.
*In a game with 21 lead changes and 15 ties Southern California, led by SF Charlie Seymour’s 24 points, got by Washington 80-71.

C Brad Billet of Stanford suffered a bruised sternum and will be sidelined 2 weeks, starting Southern Cal’s PF Scott Cobb and Colorado’s starting PF Lionel Jefferson both sustained broken bones in their legs with Cobb out for 6 weeks and Jefferson missing 5 weeks of play.

Player of the Week for the Pac-12 was UCLA’s PG Drew Black (41 points, 10 assists, 4 steals and 5 blocks) and Freshman Player of the Week was again SG Yorgos Kasomoulis (33 points). Kasomoulis (who was the 60th highest ranked recruit last season) has now been given this award 8 of 11 possible weeks (freshman teammate Marco Richardson has been give the same award 1 of the other 3 weeks). Kasomoulis is averaging 16.7 ppg in his freshman season. His coach Bryce Drew said, “It’s always harder to evaluate an international recruit, particularly a guy from Greece, but we sure are happy to have landed Yorgos. We thought he’d be good, but he’s been better than expected. He’s got a great work ethic and personality and wants the ball in his hands when the game’s on the line.”

Arizona’s split in their games this week dropped the Wildcats a spot in the polls to #6, but Arizona still resides atop the Pac-12 standings with a 9-1 record, one game ahead of UCLA.

Sidebar Note: Coach Trey Porter picked up his first American Athletic Conference win when his South Florida Bulls hosted winless Tulane. The Bulls held a 9 point lead at the half but with Tulane’s C Corey Baker scoring 28 points, it was touch and go at the end of the game. South Florida held on to win 76-72 and move out of the cellar in the conference, one game ahead of 0-10 Tulane.

[PointGuard]

Week 6:

*Oregon State hung with Arizona State for the first 30 minutes but then faded to lose 70-59 to the Sun Devils which was led by C Roy Cage’s 16 points and 10 boards.
*Arizona used reserves extensively in an easy 72-59 win over Oregon and then completed their Oregon sweep by annihilating Oregon State 63-39. The Beavers’ PG Gary Schilling had a forgettable game, scoring no points and recording just 2 assists while making 10 turnovers.
*Washington State’s SG Luke Criddle scored 20 but the Cougars were overtaken in the latter stages of the game by Southern California which went on to win 76-66.
*In a stunning upset the Utah Utes made up for a so-so season by beating second-place UCLA 75-72 when the Utes’ PG Dexter Britton sunk a 3 on the last possession of the game.
*Stanford spurted ahead by 21 points and then cruised to an easy 78-68 victory over Arizona State. SG Matt Gottlieb dropped in 21 points for the Cardinal.
*Washington stomped California 84-51 behind the scoring of SG Yorgos Kasomoulis who finished with 24 points.
*Colorado got 21 points, 6 assists, and 10 rebounds from SG Jason Greer as the Buffaloes buried Washington State 94-73.
*UCLA got back on the win track by beating Southern Cal 90-71 as SG Shannon Greenleaf scored 23 points.
*Both SF Nick Minor and PG Tyrone Singletary scored 20 points (Minor also had 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks) to lead Oregon to a 93-70 thrashing of Utah.

UCLA’s loss this week gave Arizona a 2 game cushion over the Bruins with Oregon, Colorado and Southern Cal 4 games behind the Wildcats. Colorado has a 4-game win streak. Oregon State now has lost 7 straight games and resides in the cellar

The Pac-12 Player of the Week was SG Jason Greer (32 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) of Colorado and the Freshman Player of the Week was Washington’s SF Marco Richardson (22 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists).

The most significant injuries this week were sprains. Arizona State’s Jani Krimmel sustained a sprained wrist missing one game thus far with the prospect of missing 2-3 more games. Oregon’s Nick Minor and Utah’s Dereck Strange both sprained their toes and are expected to miss a couple games.

Sidebar Note: Coach Trey Porter’s South Florida squad won its 2nd American Athletic Conference game. This time it was a victory on the road over East Carolina by a score of 81-71. Sophomore SG Robert Smith scored a career high 25 points for the Bulls. Smith is averaging 12.1 ppg and hitting 50% of his FG attempts, 43% of his 3’s, and 87% of his FT attempts this season. After the game Coach Porter said, “Robert had a fantastic game. He shoots well but doesn’t have a true scorer’s mentality, often passing up shots he should take. So hopefully, games like this will begin to get him to put up more shots.” South Florida is now 2-10 in conference play. They are in 11 place, 2 games ahead of last place Tulane and 2 games behind 10th place Houston.

[PointGuard]

Week 7:

*UCLA got 24 points and 8 rebounds from C Kevin French and 20 points by PF Marquis Penney as the Bruins ran away from Washington State 95-74.
*Stanford, led by SG Matt Gottlieb’s 29 points, crushed Oregon State 82-54.
*Colorado easily got by Southern California finishing the game with a 92-77 win. Buffaloes’ C David Boyd scored 23 and grabbed 10 rebounds.
*#6 ranked Arizona was upended in overtime by California 80-75. The Golden Bears defense held the Wildcats to just 5 points in the OT period.
*SF Pat Voskuhl scored 24 points to lead Arizona to a come-from-behind 75-72 win over Utah. The Utes’ C Nick Poge had 27 points and 9 rebounds as well as 2 steals and 3 blocks.
*In a game that was close throughout, Oregon barely edged Washington State 74-69. There were 13 lead changes and 9 ties in the game.

UCLA crept to within a game of 1st place Arizona in the standings with 4 conference games yet to play. With away games at Oregon and Colorado (both are tied for 3rd place), UCLA appears to have a tougher remaining schedule than Arizona. Oregon State’s losing streak extended to 9 games while Colorado’s win streak few to 6 games. Arizona dropped to #7 in the polls.

C Nick Poge (49 points, 14 rebounds) of Utah was the Pac-12 Player of the Week. The Freshman Player of the Week again was SG Yorgos Kasomoulis (38 points).
Arizona State’s Philip Stephenson strained his knee and will miss at least 2 games.

Arizona’s C John Rencher was named as a quarterfinalist for the Norton Award.

Sidebar Note: Coach Trey Porter seems to have energized his South Florida Bulls late in the season and possibly has begun to right what was a sinking ship. The Bulls pulled off yet another road victory, roughing up Wichita State by a score of 73-64. South Florida led for all but the first few minutes of the game and at one point was ahead by 22 points. SG Robert Smith had another excellent game with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. South Florida has now won 3 of their last 6 games. While not great, it’s a big improvement how they were doing earlier in the season. Unfortunately, Robert Smith, who has scored 64 points in the Bulls’ last 3 games, sprained his finger and is likely to miss a couple games.

[PointGuard]

Week 8:

*Colorado’s five starters all scored in double figures, but Arizona State’s SF Pat Voskuhl pumped in 25 points and hauled down 8 rebounds enabling the Sun Devils to hold of a fast-closing run by the Buffaloes in the last 10 minutes of the game. Arizona State won 91-82.
*Utah’s C Nick Poge also scored 25 and had 8 rebounds as the Utes crushed California 90-54.
* the first 5 minutes, Arizona rapidly pulled away from Southern California enroute to a bruising 87-51 beatdown of the Trojans. Wildcats’ C John Rencher scored 22 and had 15 rebounds and 5 blocks.
*C Kevin French’s defense which held his opposing center to just 2 points while French scored 17 and dominated the boards with 19 rebounds helped UCLA pound Washington 75-45. The Bruins’ PG Drew Black added 20 points while dishing out 7 assists.
*Southern California dominated California in the first half to build a 43-28 halftime advantage and then cruised through the 2nd half to finish with a 79-69 victory. The Trojans’ reserve guard Sam Silva and Cal’s PG Andre Bush both scored 21 points.
*Even though SF Dereck Strange scored 24 points for Utah, Colorado led the game throughout and came away with a 76-69 victory, led by C David Boyd’s 13 points and 15 rebounds.
*#7 Arizona continued their late-season up-and-down play by being blown out by Arizona State 68-51. C Roy Cage hit for 27 points while also garnering 15 rebounds for the Sun Devils.
*Oregon State broke a 10 game losing streak by edging Washington 70-65 on the Huskies home court.

UCLA blew a chance to tie Arizona for the lead in the Pac-12 standings when they fell to Oregon 77-69 even though the Bruins’ C Kevin French had 19 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks. SG Andrew Kincade led Oregon with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Oregon took sole possession of 3rd place and is now just 2 games behind Arizona and one game behind UCLA.

With 32 rebounds to go along with his 36 points and 7 blocks, UCLA’s C Kevin French was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week. Oregon State C Todd Malloy (28 points, 15 rebounds) was the Freshman Player of the Week.

The past 10 days have been rough for Arizona State as 4 players have suffered a variety of injuries, most serious being Mike Carney’s broken finger which will sideline him the rest of the season. Southern Cal’s Chris Waterman broke his leg and will also be out the rest of the season. The Trojans’ Peter FINGER sprained his FINGER and will miss the final 2 games of the regular season (ya just can't make up these things ).

[PointGuard]

Week 9:

*California opened a 12 point lead in the first half but by the break was only ahead of Arizona State 40-39. The Sun Devils clamped down defensively in the 2nd half and steadily pulled away to win 75-62. C Roy Cage scored 31 points and pulled down 11 boards for Arizona State.
*C John Rencher scored 23 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked 5 shots to bring back Arizona from and 8 point halftime deficit to defeat Colorado 73-57.
*Following a close first half, Utah stormed out to a 19 point lead midway through the 2nd half before Southern California roared back. The Trojans just came up short in a madcap final few minutes, losing to Utah 72-70.
*UCLA’s SG Shannon Greenleaf poured in 26 points while PG Drew Black had a double-double (10 points and 10 assists) as UCLA destroyed Stanford 99-66.
*UCLA then dropped their final game against Colorado by a score of 87-64. Colorado’s C David Boyd hit for 25 points while taking down 12 boards.
*Arizona State’s C Roy Cage continued his solid senior season by scoring 22 points and pounding the boards for 17 rebounds as Arizona State demolished Washington 81-58.
*Oregon won their 7th straight game by drubbing Southern California 88-66. SF Nick Minor scored 25 points for the Ducks.

While the conference didn’t have any weekly awards, Arizona State’s C Roy Cage 53 points and had 28 rebounds in the Sun Devils final two games this week.

Sidebar Note: With SG Robert Smith missing a game and then being limited and subpar in his next 3 games, South Florida stumbled through their final 4 games of the regular season. That made Coach Trey Porter’s initial head coaching season’s record and undistinguished 6-21 and 3-15 in their conference. The team finished in 11th place in the 12 team American Athletic Conference.

[PointGuard]

Conference Review:

Arizona (#6 in the polls) won the Pac-12 crown. Oregon’s strong finish pulled them into a tie with UCLA for 2nd place with Arizona State using a 6 game win streak to finish 4th. Colorado was 5th in conference play but had a strong 19-9 overall record. Those 5 teams stood out from the other seven teams in the Pac-12.



Oregon was the highest scoring team averaging 79.6 ppg. The Ducks hit 49% of the FG attempts and 40% of their 3’s. Arizona was far and away the strongest defensively, holding their opponents to just 60.9 ppg while keeping limiting their opponents’ shooting to just 38% on all FG attempts and 32% of 3-point attempts. The Wildcats also averaged +8.7 in rebounding. The best team with respect to turnovers was Arizona State which averaged just 12.6 topg while their opponents had 16.9 topg. Oregon’s players were the best ball-hawks averaging 9.1 spg while the Ducks opponents only had 5.9 spg. Arizona’s players averaged 8.3 bpg whereas the Wildcats opponents blocked just 6.1 bpg of Arizona’s shots.