The conference lost its best three players from last season (Landry Fields, Quincy Pondexter, and Jerome Randle) and will be looking to crown a new champion this season (last season’s champ Cal lost four senior starters). Washington State finished in last place but could challenge for the league title this year as they return the most talented trio of players in the league. In other words, it is going to be a wild and wacky season out West. Here are three bold predictions for the conference on the left coast.
1. The conference will double its invites to the NCAA Tournament.
Okay this might not be saying much since only two teams (Cal and Washington) got invited to the big dance last season. I would be shocked if at least four teams don’t emerge from the league to see their names called on Selection Sunday. It was odd watching conference bluebloods UCLA and Arizona struggle last season, but they are a year older and appear ready to challenge Washington at the top of the conference.
2. Klay Thompson will be the leading scorer from BCS teams.
He stormed out of the gates last season averaging 25 points on 48% shooting in non-conference games before stumbling down the stretch in league play scoring only 16.3 points on 36% shooting. Reports out of the Palouse state that Thompson has worked hard to strengthen his body and improve his shot selection. He could approach 24 points per game if he attacks the rim more and doesn’t settle for long jumpers.
3. UCLA will win the conference.
Is that bold enough for you? The Bruins lost two of their top three scorers in Michael Roll and Nikola Dragovic but offense wasn’t the problem last season. The defense was so bad that Ben Howland had to abandon his trademark pressure defense and resort to a zone. Sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt could be the best defender in the conference and incomers Lazeric Jones, Tyler Lamb, and Josh Smith should help improve the team’s athleticism tremendously. Scoring might be a problem every now and then but Howland has a reputation as one of the best coaches in the nation and will have this team ready to play. Washington will have something to say about who wins the conference but they will miss Quincy Pondexter more than the experts think.