Picks, predictions and projections in the Pac-10
By Dave Charbonneau,
Steve Mims
and Scott Simonson
Oregon Ck&y l mt* >i*1
When the 199.1 college basket
ball season began, it looked like
the rm e in the Pacific- It) Confer
once would be an easy one to
handicap
Arizona. UCLA and California
appeared to (*• legitimate title con
tenders. and USC. Washington
State and Arizona State would be
competitive and have chani.es for
an NC.AA berth. Ontgon. Oregon
State. Washington and Stanford
were thought to have little chance
to escape the cellar
The conference season is onlv
one week old, but already some
surprising results an* forming. The
Cardinal has been the biggest sur
prise, racing out to a 7-2 non-con
ference record before beating
Washington and Washington State
last weekend USC is also off to
a quick start thanks to a nipt ake
non-c onfurence schedule that
included Tennessee-Mart in.
.Sacramento State and Howard
On the down side is Washing
ton State, which opened 9-1 before
losing three of four, including its
first two l\n 10 games However,
the (’.ougars got off to a slow start
last year as well, opening 0-1.
before finishing 9-9
The rest of the conference has
gone according to plan, but that is
sun- to change as well as the i on
feretti egets into full swing. Head
ing into the second week of
conferem e play. Emerald sports
editor Steve Mims and sports
reporters Dave Charbonnoau and
Scott Simonson have spent many
hours devising team capsules and
lorecasting the fates of eai h team
Arizona: 1-0 in (he Pac-10, 12
1 overall — The sixth-ranked
Wildcats are off to
another great start
with their only
ft loss coming to
™ No. 7 Kentui kv
on a last-second tip-in.
However, running up an
impressive non-conference unci
even conference record is no
longer enough to silence the crit
ics in Tucson. Arizona has run up
a combined record of 48-1 1 the
past two seasons, but both years
ended with first-round NCAA
tournament upsets, to bast Ten
nessee State in 1992 and Santa
(dura in 199.1.
We've won five of tile last six
Pm.-10 titles," Arizona c oach Lute
Olson said “There is no way you
can satisfs some fans. It's too bad
people want to judge a season by
one game."
This year's edition of tin* Wild
cats features the top backcourt in
the conferenc e, if not the nation,
in 5-foot-11 point guard Damon
Stoudamire and senior Khalid
Reeves
Reeves and Stoudamire are not
the onlv forces on this team, as
Olson bus a solid and deep t ast
around them Center Joseph Blair
and forward Rav ()wes are tough
up front along with swingmen
Reggie (.ears Joe Mi Lean and
Dylan Rigdon
Mims' Forecast - Another sea
son of cruising through the Pac -
10, but then look out for Coppin
State come tourney time No, mai
ls'. this poor postseason streak
can't continue, can it? Doubtful,
but if Olson continues to down
play the mammoth importance of
success in the tourney as the quote
above denotes, it may.
When March Madness hits. !
expec t Arizona to be hearing the
ghosts of tournaments past, but it
should persevere through the ear
tv rounds onh to fall in the Swift
It*
Charbonnrau's Forecast — I'll
(40 with a s<«< ond rnuml ousting
Arizona is the best team in the
I’m it), and that has as much to
do w ith Olson as am of his plov
ers Although the importance of
coaching is highly overrated in the
college ranks. Olson is one of the
few com hes in the land, along
with Bobby Knight and Ku k Piti
no. who has an tint anny ability to
take whatever he has and make it
a winner
That's not to say he's short on
talent this year Stoudamiro and
Kif ves are the (tost hat ki ourt duo
in the land, hut at NC.AA time, it s
going to take more than that to go
anywhere One of the front-line
players is going to need to step up
and become a strong ftm e lustause
every team in the nation knows
Arizona's strength lies in the lit
tie guvs
l.ove to sis' it Lute Olson, the
best-dressed coach in nation,
show up for a game with tlinf-dav
stubble. Levi s and a I slnrt that
reads "My team lost m the first
round of the ll)>) I NCAA tourna
ment, and all I got was this lousy
T-shirt
Simonson s runs asl — Arizona
won't low) mi the first round of the
NGAA lournainent this time
the VV'iIdi .its ire devoting their
whole season to making sure that
doesn't happen. This isn't the
most talented team l.ut« Olson has
assembled, hut he unquestionably
knows how to i oaeh in the Pai
HI
It comes down to the Tuts
home-and-home series with
l TI.A and (ial. Mi Hale ( enter is
still the toughest plat e to play in
the conference; the Bruins lost by
19 there last year 'Zona swept
l'(!I A and split with Gal last sea
son Give the Wild* ats the inside
trai k for the conference champi
onship, but they won't get past the
third round of the tournament
Arizona State: 0-1, 5-5 — mil
^ Frieder's filth your in
Tumpe begins a lot like
Imcmise of injuries
tainty is t>-foot-0 renter Mario Hen
nett, who suffered a serious knee
injury in July 1002 Bennett aver
aged 12.5 points jier game in 1941
92 when he was named to
numerous all-freshman teams and
was named team MVP Bennett
hit for 27 points in a 77-75 loss to
St Louis last weekend.
Mario has been out tor 22
months." Frieder said. "He's not
where he was before the injury,
but that will come back gradual
ly."
(iuards Man ell (lepers has Is-eit
lost for the season, but Frieder is
hopeful of having red shirt fresh
man Quint \ Brewer back soon
The Sun Devils knew they could
count on senior Stevin Smith,
who is averaging nearly 17.5
points per game, but have gotten
improvement from forward Kon
Riley and immediate help from
junior college transfer Isaac Bur
ton.
Mims’ Forecast — Last year
Frieder took an undersized and
undermanned Sun Devil squad to
1 h wins, but can he do it again?
No The big key to Arizona State
is they have no reserve guards on
scholarship. Smith is a big-time
scorer and he is getting help this
year, but there is just not enough
depth to get them through the con
ference season.
If Bennett returns to form, this
team is (letter than expected, hut
his fourth did. with
many question marks
that is Iim) big of an if " Tlt»» lies!
bet is (hat Bennett slums flashes
of bis obi self, lull will mivs sunn'
games and show the wear of a
knee injury in others Vet. take
hope Hill, this is what everyone
said Inst year and sour team
proved them wrong
t Jiartamneaus tons ,tst — Ari
zona State may In* the most fun
team to ss.itih in the Pat-10
Although Smith s three point
at iurai s has fallen a little com
pared to last year, you have to
believe he will regain his tom h
and return to form as the lw long
range shooter ill i.onfereiu e
If that doesn't hapfien. howev
er. the Sun Dei ils can forget the
I tout season
A lot also depends on how
effective Hennett will lie this sea
son Kriedor’s comments ahout
taking it slow with Hennett seem
to suggest that he's sat rifii mg this
season with the just wait til nest
year ' stam e
If Krieder takes the reins off
Honnutt and ho stays hoalthy. tti«>
Sun Ih}\ ils i ould finish ns high
.is fourth Bo< iiuso tho f’m 10 is
in an "up vi'ttr. itvim a fifth pluco
finish i ouhl gut Annina Statu into
thu NCAA, but it will lie a short
stint if thoy inako it
Hum's Hoping: Michigan
(Friudor's forntor loam) kicks thu
li\ mg i r.i|i out Arizona Statu in
the first round of thu NCAAs
Simonson’s Kortn ast Hood
Turn to PICKS. Paeje 14
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