Nov. 23, 2012; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington Huskies running back Bishop Sankey (25) cuts the ball up field a against the Washington State Cougars during the first half at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

One of the most exciting times of the year for anyone with a gaming system is when the biggest sports games come out. EA Sports’s NCAA Football 14 is due to be released on July 9, but the top-10 players’ ratings on each team were released on Thursday. The five-minute video goes through each team’s roster and shows a screen of the team’s top-10 rated players in the game. Washington shows up at the 4:34 mark, if you’d like to skip ahead in the video.

Here are the top-10 players on the Huskies and their ratings, according to NCAA Football 14.

1. TE – Austin Seferian-Jenkins – 92 overall
2. SS – Sean Parker – 91 overall
3. HB – Bishop Sankey – 89 overall
4. WR – Kasen Williams – 89 overall
5. DE – Josh Shirley – 89 overall
6. LT – Micah Hatchie – 89 overall
7. DT – Danny Shelton – 87 overall
8. DT – Sione Potoa’e – 87 overall
9. MLB – John Timu – 87 overall
10. WR – Kevin Smith – 86 overall

The Huskies, as a team, are rated 91 overall (91 offense, 90 defense) — good enough to tie for second in the Pac-12 with Stanford and USC, behind Oregon (95).

A few of the picks surprise me, most notably the absence of Shaq Thompson. There are a few other players that could make a case to be in the top-10, but Thompson’s absence jumps out more than anyone, especially with Parker rated so highly. Playing next to each other for some time last season, Thompson looked just as impressive as Parker in the secondary. Maybe the move to linebacker hurt his rating.

As far as inclusions, Hatchie and Smith are my two biggest question marks. Both have shown to be reliable role players, but more deserving of a spot in the top 10 than Thompson, Travis Feeney or Marcus Peters? I would have to disagree. With a team rating of 91, it is possible that all these guys not included sit just outside of the top 10 with ratings around 84 or 85, too.

As far as team ratings go, here is how the whole conference stacks up:

1. Oregon Ducks – Overall: 95, Offense: 99, Defense: 92
2. USC Trojans – 91, 95, 90
3. Stanford Cardinal – 91, 91, 93
4. Washington Huskies –  91, 91, 90
5. UCLA Bruins – 88, 88, 87
6. Arizona Wildcats – 86, 86, 88
7. Utah Utes – 86, 84, 87
8. Arizona State Sun Devils – 84, 86, 83
9. Oregon State Beavers – 84, 86, 83
10. Cal Bears – 84, 86, 83
11. Washington State Cougars – 81, 83, 80
12. Colorado Buffaloes – 79, 81, 78

If you ask me, the team ratings discredit the player ratings a little bit. Rating ASU and Oregon State the same as Cal, as eighth-best team in the conference? That’s laughable, seeing as many are picking the Sun Devils to win the South and the Beavers to compete with Washington, Oregon and Stanford for the North title. Ranking USC as the second-best team in the conference with Stanford and Washington? Also laughable. EA may love the Trojans, but there is no excusing rating a team that is expected to win seven or eight games a 91-overall, with the second-best offense in the conference.

My version of the ratings go like this:

1. Oregon, 95 overall (good job, EA, you got this one right)
2. Stanford, 94
3. Arizona State, 91
4. Washington, 90
5. UCLA, 89
6. Oregon State, 88
7. USC, 88
8. Arizona, 86
9. Utah, 86
10. Cal, 83
11. Washington State, 80
12. Colorado, 78

There is quite a difference in rankings/ratings between mine and EA’s, but it is nice to see the Huskies highly rated. I know I’ll be picking up the game this summer and avenging the Apple Cup a couple dozen times before Husky Stadium opens August 31 versus Boise State (86 overall).

Oct 13, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; USC Trojans guard John Martinez (59) blocks Washington Huskies defensive tackle Danny Shelton (71) during the game at CenturyLink Field. Southern California defeated Washington 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier today, the watch list for the 2013 Lott IMPACT Award was announced. The list of 42 players around the nation included 11 from the Pac-12. Representing Washington are linebacker John Timu and defensive lineman Danny Shelton.

The award is named after former USC Trojan and San Francisco 49er, Ronnie Lott. It is more than just a defensive award, it is also an award based on character. IMPACT stands for: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

It is always nice to see two Huskies on an award watch list, but this seems even better, seeing as character and academics are taken into account. We all know Timu and Shelton are monsters on the field, but to be recognized for their character off of it many times means even more to the athletes.

After not having a player on the watch list last season, the Huskies have two this one. UCLA joins Washington as the only Pac-12 schools with multiple nominees.

The full list of Pac-12 players on the watch list is: Henry Anderson (Stanford), Anthony Barr (UCLA), Scott Crichton (Oregon State), Alden Darby (Arizona State), Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (Oregon), Jake Fischer (Arizona), Eric Kendricks (UCLA), Devon Kennard (USC) and Ed Reynolds (Stanford).

This year the Pac-12 makes up more than a quarter of the nominees and will try to win the award for just the second time. The only Pac-10/12 player to ever win the award was California’s Dante Hughes in 2006. Last season, Manti Te’o took home the award.

Sunday, the Pac-12 Network decided to broadcast the second straight Washington-Utah baseball game live from Husky Ballpark. This was a matchup between a 19-30 Washington team and an equally bad or worse 17-28 Utah team. There was no hype at the beginning of the season for these games, nor was there yesterday.

The other game Pac-12 Network decided was worthy for television was Arizona State-California. Admittedly, a better matchup than UW and Utah, but still not top-notch. ASU is a top-15 team, but Cal is below .500 and tenth in the Pac-12.

What games were not broadcast this weekend from the Pac-12? Conference leader and top-ten team Oregon State versus No. 19/21/25 Stanford (there are way too many college baseball rankings; I’ll use Baseball America from here on out, which lists Stanford at No. 25). Another great series took place in Los Angeles between the No. 8 UCLA Bruins and defending national champion Arizona Wildcats.

Not one of these games was televised, but Washington and Utah was? I would have rather seen Washington State-USC than Washington-Utah, let alone a couple of top-30 matchups.

One of the great features of Pac-12 Network is its live stream. A generally downgraded broadcast, sometimes put on by broadcast students, sometimes by radio voices or even Pac-12 broadcasters. This was not utilized efficiently by the network this weekend.

Instead of choosing to display the highest quality product it has, the Pac-12 put the spotlight on its lowest.

I wish I never had to be disgruntled about seeing a Husky sport, but there is simply better baseball being played by almost every other Pac-12 school right now. Utah, USC and Washington State are the only teams with worse overall or conference records. All four played this weekend and two were broadcast on television.

I don’t know if this is a calling-out of the Washington baseball program or if it is one of the Pac-12 Network, but I felt it needed to be said.

Lindsay Meggs and the Huskies have gotten some big wins this year, hopefully program changing wins. They swept a double header from Oregon State; they swept a very good Gonzaga team on the road; they beat Arizona 23-1! Unfortunately, before and after these impressive victories have been losses. A lot of losses.

Three losses to each UC Davis and Lamar to start off the season, an eight game losing streak before taking two from USC, another four-gamer before upsetting Stanford.

There are a lot of young contributors for this Husky squad, so one can hope Meggs is getting the ship turned around. They’ve overcome their early struggles to put together a pretty impressive stretch of baseball. If they’re getting the kinks out now, next season looks promising.

This season, however, I’d rather feast my eyes on Stanford-Oregon State or Arizona-UCLA. Even ASU-Cal, if I didn’t get Pac-12 Washington.

Oct 27, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies running back Bishop Sankey (25) celebrates his touchdown run against the Oregon State Beavers during the fourth quarter with Washington Huskies quarterback Keith Price (17) and Washington Huskies fullback Jonathan Amosa (48) at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

As seemingly everyone else is doing right about now, I decided to compile some power rankings now that Spring Practice is over and we wait for Fall Practice and finally for the season to get underway. It seems to be the consensus that the Pac-12 has two top-10 teams, if not top-5, in Stanford and Oregon. Unfortunately for the Dawgs, both those teams are in their division. After that, there is a second tier that contains Arizona State, UCLA and Washington. I think Utah, Oregon State and USC are just sightly behind those three with Arizona a little further back. Then, there are the bottom three that don’t really stand a chance to compete this season in California, Washington State and Colorado. Remember when the Cougs and hot, new coach Mike Leach were the favorite underdog to get to a bowl game last season? That optimism has faded away a little.

Because the rankings are totally objective, we’d love to hear your opinions either in the comments or on Twitter, @HuskyHaul! Also, make sure you “like” us on Facebook for even more Husky coverage and interactive goodies, too!

1. Stanford

It really is a toss-up in the top-two of the conference. You can’t go wrong either way as both are fantastic teams that have BCS dreams. I went with Stanford at No. 1 because they offer a more proven entity. Oregon is going through a coaching change and while Mark Helfrich should be able to take over seamlessly, it is never easy replacing a coach such as Chip Kelly. Once the Cardinal figured out Kevin Hogan should be the starter, things turned for the team. Josh Nunes (who is now retired due to injury) wasn’t able to take the team to the heights that Hogan can. Stephan Taylor is a huge loss, but David Shaw has been able to bring in players to fill the hole and the offensive line should be just as massive as it has been in the past.

2. Oregon

There is very much a chance that Oregon comes out on top this season, but I’m a little hesitant to crown the Ducks champions right now. Before I step onto the Helfrich train, I’m going to need to see a map of where it’s going. No matter whether the change takes a little time or not, Marcus Mariota will be running a Heisman campaign that will certainly lead to at least a 10-win season for the Ducks. For them to eclipse that mark and be Pac-12 champs, it depends on how smoothly Helfrich can take over for Kelly.

3. Arizona State

Sept. 22, 2012; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive tackle Will Sutton (90), defensive end Davon Coleman (43), safety Alden Darby (4) and linebacker Brandon Matthew (50) celebrate after beating the Utah Utes 37-7 at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Seeing Todd Graham take a team with less talent than Dennis Erickson had and turn it into a bowl game winner impressed me last season. The Sun Devils aren’t going anywhere; in fact, they have only improved. They lose Cameron Marshall, but he didn’t see the field much at all last season due to the arrivals of D.J. Foster and Marion Grice. Both should be dark-horse candidates for first team All-Pac-12. I’ve managed to write four sentences without even mentioning the dominant defensive line led by Will Sutton or star quarterback, Taylor Kelly. The only presumable weaknesses the Devils might face are at wide receiver (no worries, Chris Coyle can catch 60 passes from the tight end spot) and the secondary. If things play well for Graham and the Sun Devils, look for them in contention for a BCS berth when they are playing in the Pac-12 title game.

4. Washington

Ah, yes. My first gripe with the ESPN rankings. I said in my reaction that ASU, UCLA and UW could be rearranged in any order and make sense. In my mind, Washington is an eight- or nine-win team. With an improved offensive line that won’t be changed on a weekly basis, Keith Price can have some semblance of normalcy in the pocket and adding three four-star receivers to an already impressive group can only help the quarterback get back to his sophomore domination. Losing Desmond Trufant hurts a lot, but Marcus Peters seems ready to step up and fill that slot. This is Steve Sarkisian’s make-or-break year; if he can’t break the seven-win threshold, his job could be in jeopardy.

5. UCLA

One thing you’ll find in common with all the top teams: they all have a quarterback. UCLA might have one of the best, too, in Brett Hundley. I’m still not a big Jim Mora Jr. fan after seeing what he has done in the pros, but there are no questions that he led his team to an impressive season last year. Like Stanford, the Bruins lost their key running back in Jonathan Franklin, but expect Hundley to lead the offense while the offensive line and backfield try to find their identity. Projected first round draft pick Anthony Barr will lead the defense, but it is far from perfect as there are still some question marks in the secondary.

6. Oregon State

The Beavers won’t be catching anyone off guard this season, like they did last year. Mike Riley is one of the best coaches in the conference, if not the country. The Sporting News sure thinks so, ranking him 14th in the nation. Both Sean Mannion and Cody Vaz have made their cases to be the starting quarterback, but neither have proven to be dominant college quarterbacks. Even with the QB controversy, it’s hard not to like the Beavers after last season.

7. Utah

I was tempted to let the Utes jump Oregon State, but I’m not quite sold on them. I was also tempted to drop them below USC and Arizona. It just goes to show how much depth the Pac-12 has this season. Either way, Utah is a very solid team with a quarterback I like a lot in Travis Wilson. Like ASU’s Kelly, Wilson was a freshman starter; however, he didn’t put up quite the numbers Kelly did. He still showed signs of potential, especially in his 300-yard, 2-touchdown game against Arizona. If the Utes can find a way to replace Star Lotulelei, they can contend in a South Division that doesn’t have anyone standing out right now.

8. Arizona

November 10, 2012; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back Ka’Deem Carey (25) runs for 46 yards against the Colorado Buffaloes during the second half at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Two words: Kadeem. Carey. The loss of Matt Scott hurts, sure, but you don’t need a great signal caller when you have the best running back in the conference. Like Cal and Oregon State, the Wildcats will be rocking some fancy, new Nike uniforms and they can only hope to run like Phil Knight’s boys next season. Even at No. 8, the Wildcats are a near-lock for a bowl game, again presenting the depth that the conference has this season. Even USC at No. 9 has the ability to jump up and be a very good team next season.

9. USC

Like I said, the Trojans have a chance to be one of the top teams in the South and even compete for the title. There is simply not enough for me to put any confidence in them right now, though. In my opinion, Lane Kiffin is near the bottom of the conference in coach rankings and he doesn’t have a quarterback like Matt Barkley to lead the way for him. Along with Barkley went Robert Woods to the NFL. Those were two key pieces to the Trojan offense, leaving Marqise Lee to fend for himself with a first-year starter at quarterback.

10. California

And we’ve hit the drop off. All of the first nine teams in the rankings have realistic shots at seven- or eight-win seasons depending on how things pan out, but it will take a serious miracle for the Golden Bears to come close to that. After a few years of mediocrity under Jeff Tedford while possessing some of the top NFL talent in the conference, they decided to part ways and hire Sonny Dikes. After losing the one truly “sure” part of their offense in Keenan Allen, the Bears will need some players to step up in order to climb out of the cellar with WSU and Colorado.

11. Washington State

Sep 14, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback Connor Halliday (12) drops back to pass while UNLV Rebels defensive lineman Parker Holloway (90) rushes during the second quarter at Sam Boyd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Funny how much can change in year. Coming into last season, Mike Leach was going to be the savior of Cougar football. They were going to be the surprise team out of the Pac-12 and make a good bowl game! Oh wait. That didn’t happen? All the Cougs have to hold onto last season is an Apple Cup victory and wins over Eastern Washington and UNLV. They also lost to Colorado at home (on homecoming, nonetheless!). Jeff Tuel and Marquess Wilson always seemed to be the rocks in an ever-changing WSU program, but both are gone now. It looks like Leach will turn to Connor Halliday under center, a guy who took Tuel’s job and then gave it right back to him. It will be an interesting battle to see who can be worse: WSU or Colorado.

12. Colorado

Right now, I’m picking the Buffaloes to bring up the rear this season. A young team with a first-year head coach didn’t do so well last season. All that means they can only get better from here on out, though. An extra year of experience for everybody should mean more than one win next season. Unfortunately, Colorado plays in one of the best conferences in the nation and even three or four wins probably won’t keep them out of the cellar.

Sept 1, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Kasen Williams (2) makes a reception against the San Diego State Aztecs during the third quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

• 1. USC
• 2. Washington
• 3. Oregon
• 4. Washington State
• 5. Oregon State
• 6. UCLA
• 7. Utah
• 8. Stanford
• 9. Arizona
• 10. Arizona State
• 11. California
• 12. Colorado

Here is what she wrote about the Huskies:

Austin Seferian-Jenkins may be a Heisman finalist dark horse. He is that good. Last season Seferian-Jenkins had 69 receptions for 852 yards and seven touchdowns. More please.

Kasen Williams was the league’s seventh-leading receiver with 77 catches, 878 yards and six touchdowns.

Quarterback Keith Price wasn’t very consistent last season but the offensive line’s woes didn’t help. Still, Price’s passing game mostly consisted of the five-yard dink.

That may change with the addition of these incoming freshmen 4-star receivers: Darrell Daniels, John Ross and Damore’ea Stringfellow.

It’s a little early to call this corps the best in the Pac-12 but it has serious potential.

Like ESPN yesterday, Horne gives the Huskies some serious props, but this time, they rank No. 2, rather than No. 5.

The biggest discrepancies between the wide receiver rankings and the power rankings are Washington State, Stanford and Arizona State. Horne says the Cougars have the fourth-best wide receivers, while still being the second-worst team. Stanford was No. 1 in ESPN’s rankings, but only No. 8 in Horne’s and ASU ranked fourth in ESPN’s, but third-to-last in Horne’s.

With the departure of Keenan Allen, Cal dropped significantly and rank just ahead of the lowly Buffaloes. New head coach Sonny Dikes will have his hands full his first season.

USC also lost a major contributor in Robert Woods, but still having Marquise Lee, they stuck in the first slot. Their major problem will be the man throwing the ball to the wideouts.

The Huskies kept their core of Kasen Williams and Austin Seferian-Jenkins, but lost a key role player in Cody Bruns. The additions of Darrell Daniels, John Ross and Damore’ea Stringfellow more than make up for Bruns, however. If they perform up to expectations, there is no doubt that the Huskies will compete to have the best wide receivers in the conference, if not the country.

July 24, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian talks to the media during PAC-12 Media Day at Universal Studios Hollywood. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Miller and Gemmell rank the schools as follows

1. Stanford
2. Oregon
3. Arizona State
4. UCLA
5. Washington
6. Oregon State
7. USC
8. Arizona
9. Utah
10. California
11. Washington State
12. Colorado

And here is what they wrote about the Huskies

The Huskies welcome back 20 starters for the re-opening of a renovated Husky Stadium. It’s fortuitous that this looks like coach Steve Sarkisian’s best team. The biggest question was whether quarterback Keith Price would bounce back from a poor 2012 season. His strong spring, as well as improved play from the offensive line, hints that this could be a Top-25 team.

It sounds like the Pac-12 bloggers are pretty high on the Dawgs this season, just not high enough to rank them in the top quarter of the conference. Surprisingly, the rankings aren’t North-heavy, as many people think the conference is.

Cal and WSU are the North representatives in the bottom of the rankings. The Bears always seem to have quality talent and underperform, but now have less talent, so maybe they will exceed expectations.

ASU is a team that is going to surprise a lot of people this season, even after surprising some last season, too. Like they state in the article, both ASU and UCLA return 16 and 13 starters, respectively. Both those numbers pale in comparison to the 20 the Huskies return, however.

Obviously, both these teams are very talented, but seeing as the arguments used for ranking them so high are based upon returning starters, it surprises me that UW isn’t ranked higher. No. 5 would probably be accurate for any of the teams ranked three through six, including Oregon State.

The top of the conference is pretty set with Stanford and Oregon being top-5 teams (unfortunate for UW!) and the bottom as well, with Colorado and WSU being the cellar dwellers once again.

Between them, there seems to be two categories. The “high-middle” and “low-middle” teams. Those groups are comprised of ASU, UCLA, UW, Oregon State and USC in the “high-middle” and Arizona, Utah and Cal in the “low-middle.”

I think all those teams are going to battle and be fairly evenly matched throughout the season, but the “high-middle” teams have a better chance at gaining elite status similar to Oregon or Stanford, while the “low-middle” have a better chance at falling to the level of WSU or Colorado.

Overall, after the dust of spring practice has settled, I think Miller and Gemmell did a very accurate representation of the conference. ASU, UCLA and UW could be rearranged in any order and make sense. The same can be said for Oregon State, USC and Arizona, I think.

We’ll release our version of the post-spring practice power rankings later this week.

Shortly later, it was reported that the commitment was given by defensive end Don Hill. Hill hails from Boise, Idaho, and Timberline High School. While at Timberline, Hill also played tight end on the other side of the ball, but will play defensive end at Washington.

“I felt really comfortable with the program as a whole, with the coaches, the school, the football team and what they had to offer me with the education and the football side of it,” Hill told The Idaho Statesman.

Last season, Hill recorded 70 tackles and seven sacks as a junior at Timberline. That prompted Scout to give him a three-star rating; Rivals and ESPN have not rated him yet.

He generated mostly local interest, receiving offers from Boise State, Idaho, Utah and Washington State. According to The Idaho Statesman, Florida State and Stanford also showed interest in the 6’4″ defensive end.

He joins wide receiver Rahshead Johnson (Cabrillo HS, Long Beach, Calif.) and fellow defensive end Tui Talia (Diablo Valley CC, Pleasant Hill, Calif.) as the third commitment for Sarkisian’s Class of 2014.

The 2013 class was ranked as high as No. 13 by Scout. That class didn’t include a single JC player, but this one already does just three commits in.

1. Husky Stadium – Washington Huskies

Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

I hate to sound like a homer here, but there is no doubt in my mind that Husky Stadium is the best place to watch a football game in the Pac-12. It is one of the best venues in the nation, let alone the conference. There would have been a little hesitation if not for the renovations being done to the stadium. It has always had one of the best views in college football, where you can tailgate from Lake Washington and see the mountains from the stands. Until the renovations, the stadium itself was a little downtrodden, but with a practically brand new structure, you will get to enjoy one of the best venues in college football, Husky fans.

2. Folsom Field – Colorado Buffaloes 

Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

It is a shame that such a bad team plays in such a beautiful stadium. Like Husky Stadium, Folsom Field is known for its breathtaking views. Also like UW, Colorado’s stadium is one of the oldest in the conference. It opened in 1924, just four years after Husky Stadium. Attendance has never been Colorado’s strong point, but with a capacity of only 53,616, it allows intimacy. Between the brick façade and the mountainous surroundings, Folsom Field is one of the most picturesque stadiums in the Pac-12. Hopefully they will soon field a product up to par with the stadium.

3. Autzen Stadium – Oregon Ducks

Mandatory Credit: Jim Z. Rider-USA TODAY Sports

Really, the biggest complaint about Autzen Stadium is its location off of campus. There are not many reasons to visit Eugene, Ore. other than to see a Ducks football game. Those tickets are hard to come by, however, as with the recent success of the program have come sellout crowds. All of top-10 attended games at Autzen have come since 2007. In that time period, Oregon had a 21-game home win streak. Until UW returns to its perch atop the Pac-12, Oregon will the crowd noise battle. The atmosphere combined with the unique architecture of the venue makes it one of the tops in the conference.

4. Rice-Eccles Stadium – Utah Utes

Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

The two newcomers’ stadiums fall in the top-four of the list. While they may not bring top-tier talent (but Utah is pretty good), they definitely bring great stadiums to see a football game. The renovations made to Rice Stadium resemble those of Husky Stadium; they tore down much of it, but left the stands behind the south end zone. It was remodeled into an Olympic-quality stadium, as it was used for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. 11 years later and it still stands as a state-of-the-art college football venue. It has definitely fared better than some other Olympic stadiums.

5. Stanford Stadium – Stanford Cardinal

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

This is probably the nicest stadium in the conference; unfortunately, the people of Palo Alto don’t realize this. That, or there aren’t more than 30,000 football fans in Northern California. This, and Husky Stadium have long been my favorites in the conference, but the big difference is the atmosphere. Unfortunately for Stanford, that is a big part of college football. The program has seen a lot of success over the last few seasons, so maybe some fair-weather fans will come out of hiding and occupy Stanford Stadium, but until then, it can only be seen as an average experience for a fan. Sadly, that’s from the fans’ own doing, not the university or the team.

6. Los Angeles Coliseum – USC Trojans

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Leet-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Coliseum comes with a lot of history, but so a lot of Pac-12 stadiums. What differentiates the others from the Coliseum is that they have recently been updated or stand in great areas. Being that USC is located in a pretty bad part of town, going to a USC football game isn’t necessarily the safest evening activity to do around Los Angeles. When you get there, though, the crowd is normally rocking and it is hard to name a program that has had more success than the Trojans in recent memory.

7. California Memorial Stadium – California Golden Bears

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Another Pac-12 stadium getting recent renovations, Memorial Stadium is in one of the nicest areas of the entire country in Berkeley, Calif. Tightwad Hill remains one of the most recognizable locations in college football. Between the location, history and new, modern amenities, it is a very nice venue to experience a college football game. Unfortunately, the product on the field hasn’t been the best and like Stanford Stadium, it struggles to draw big, loud crowds.

8. Rose Bowl – UCLA Bruins

 Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

One might think that a Nation Historic Landmark might find itself higher on the list, but the Rose Bowl simply doesn’t live up to the standards of newer Pac-12 stadiums. Like Rice-Eccles Stadium, it has hosted the Olympics, twice actually. Unlike the home of the Utes, those Olympics came in 1932 and 1984, rather than 2002. Due to that, the Rose Bowl hasn’t been renovated in recent years and has fallen behind the curve. The fact that Bruins fans usually only fill up about two-thirds of the 91,136 seats doesn’t help for atmosphere of the game, as it is usually noted as one of the least intimidating venues of the conference. It is due for renovations in the upcoming years and with those, it will certainly move up, but until then, it is just a National Historic Landmark.

9. Sun Devil Stadium – Arizona State Sun Devils

Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Located adjacent to Tempe Town Lake and between two buttes, Sun Devil Stadium is in prime location. It also might be one of the most generic stadiums in college football. Luckily for the Devils, they have one of the most entertaining intros, consisting of the cheer squad leading the team onto the field and a fireworks show that will make you jump if you’re not expecting it. ASU fans are known for being fair-weather and Sun Devil Stadium is usually only about three-fourths full. The student section is always going wild, though and with its pristine location and upcoming renovations, Sun Devil Stadium will soon be a premier college football stadium.

10. Reser Stadium – Oregon State Beavers

 Mandatory Credit: Jim Z. Rider-USA TODAY Sports

Like Eugene, there aren’t a lot of reasons to visit Corvallis, Ore. other than Beavers football. Unfortunately for the Beavers, they haven’t seen nearly as much success as the Ducks have and Reser Stadium has taken a hit, attendance-wise. The newly-renovated grandstands make it ten times better than it was before, but it still lacks the modern elements and surrounding locations that some of the better stadiums in the Pac-12 have.

11.  Arizona Stadium – Arizona Wildcats

Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Another stadium under recent renovation, Arizona Stadium is consistently one-third or one-half empty, making those renovations go to less use. Even after the upgrades, it is not a top facility in the Pac-12. The entire venue is rather average and the fan experience grades low, combining to make it the No. 11 stadium in the conference.

12. Martin Stadium – Washington State Cougars

Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

While most of the regional teams’ stadiums have ranked fairly similarly, the Washington schools are polar opposites. Husky Stadium ranks No. 1, while Martin Stadium rounds out the rankings at No. 12. It is located in Pullman, which is less-than-convenient for anyone that isn’t a WSU student. Even after some renovations in the last few years, it is still light years behind the top stadiums of the conference. The 33,522 seats rank last in the Pac-12 and while it makes for an intimate setting, there are no grandstands or overhangs to contain the noise. Between the location and the downtrodden facilities, it will take a lot for Martin Stadium to escape the bottom half of the rankings.

January 12, 2013; Stanford, CA, USA; Washington Huskies forward C.J. Wilcox (23) drives to the basket during the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion. Washington won 65-60. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports.

Big news on Montlake today as about-to-be senior guard, C.J. Wilcox announced that he would return to Washington for his senior season.

He was a projected second round pick in the NBA draft and rumors had been swirling recently that he was leaning toward declaring. He proved the rumors false, though, as he informed Lorenzo Romar that he would be teaming up with Nigel Williams-Goss and Andrew Andrews to form one of the most formidable backcourts in the Pac-12.

After UW was eliminated from the NIT by BYU, it was reported that Wilcox was “50/50” on returning for next season. Each time the situation was updated it seemed to stay the same, but it was reported last week that Wilcox had been interviewing agents and had one foot in the NBA waters.

Luckily for the Huskies, those waters seemed a little cold for the sharpshooter and he hopped right out and into the Huskies boat.

With Wilcox returning for next season, the Huskies most likely will not have anyone taken in the NBA draft. That will be just the second time that has happened since 2004, the year before Nate Robinson left school.

Wilcox thinks that he can improve his draft projections by playing on a healthy foot all season and slide into the first round. By playing on a team that should win more than 18 games, he will improve his draft stock even more.

He was the make or break factor to the 2013-2014 Huskies squad. If Mike Moser decides to join Wilcox at UW, it will be hard to name a team better than the Dawgs in the Pac-12. Colorado and Arizona come to mind, but it will be a tight race at the top between the three in a much-improved Pac-12 next season. It will be a fun race now that the Huskies have their MVP back for his senior season.

The Catholic Schools See the Light

This week, the 7 Catholic non-football schools of the Big East got together to discuss their possible departure from the Big East to form their own basketball conference. The Big East has been one of the most powerful and media-hyped basketball conferences in the nation for years. I’ve written here at “The Husky Haul” previously about them getting more hype than they deserve. But, their strategic presence in the major media markets like New York City, New Jersey, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Providence, Chicago, and Milwaukee have made them an attractive conference for ESPN to hype and advertisers to entice.

But, with the disturbing emergence of the mega-conferences, everything has been thrown into disarray. When Boston College, Miami, and Virginia Tech all headed south to the ACC, that was a major blow. With Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Louisville, and Syracuse heading to the ACC as well, plus Rutgers to the Big Ten they have been deprived of nearly all of their most famous and successful football programs. It’s no secret that UConn wants out and so does Cincinnati.

In response, the Big East has desperately scoured Conference USA looking for replacements. South Florida, Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, SMU, and Temple have joined the fray. To keep their football conference intact, they have moved all the way to the Pacific coast with the addition of Boise State and San Diego State in football. East Carolina also doesn’t inspire much excitement as a football-only member.

But, Tulane, the Green Wave of New Orleans appears to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Tulane is neither a powerhouse in football or basketball. It brings with it a relatively small media market and they are only a minor component of that market with LSU dominating the state. The Catholic schools, which get most of their revenue from basketball, saw adding schools like Tulane as only depleting their RPI and strength of schedule. It is unlikely ESPN would be that excited about showcasing that Villanova-Tulane game, or Central Florida or SMU for that matter.

But, it goes beyond Tulane. The Green Wave are just a symptom of the bigger issue. If and when UConn jumps ship to the ACC or Atlantic 10 or wherever, who will replace them? What about when Cincinnati joins the Big 12? Will they continue to have to raid Conference USA? Is Rice next? Tulsa? Middle Tennessee State? Will they have to venture into the Missouri Valley Conference or Horizon or Summit League for future members?

The seven Catholic schools have something increasingly rare in this conference realignment armageddon…tradition. They have long established rivalries, common interests, common academic standing, similar student bodies, and similar demographic environments. So, now rather than resign themselves to playing large mediocre state-schools from across the country, they can band together for their interests and quality basketball.

If they can convince a couple of other Catholic non-football schools to join them, they could create an all-Catholic urban league that would have ESPN’s attention in the heart of the basketball season, fans from across the country rooting for the little schools fighting against the behemoths of the mega-conferences, and surely an automatic spot in the NCAA tournament.

Candidates to join them include Xavier, Saint Louis, and Creighton. I could even see Notre Dame rethinking their ACC plans to at least contemplate if this new league might be a good fit. Some have also mentioned Gonzaga and St. Mary’s, but I think those two are better served staying in the nearly all-Catholic West Coast Conference. Not only are their travel concerns and regional rivalries, but the two Catholic conferences could also arrange for a scheduling partnership to expand their influence coast-to-coast.

So, what lessons could the Pac-12 learn from a Catholic-10 Conference?

The first lesson is do not mess with the rivalries and do not dilute the talent pool. There are some that will argue that adding Utah and Colorado has already done that to some degree. The conference grabbed the two best academic, athletic, media market, and demographic  institutions available in the region. There is no one left. The battle that erupted about conference divisions and keeping rivalries intact (especially for access to the Los Angeles market) informed the conference presidents that adding more schools just for the sake of money and media exposure would be a mistake in the long term.

Additional instability that might result from lowering their standards to let in lesser academic institutions from mediocre media markets might result in one or more of the schools to decide that the grass in greener elsewhere. If Boise State and San Diego State can decide that it is worth it to fly across the country to play in the Big East, what would stop a USC or Oregon from seeing dollar signs and greater media exposure in the Big Ten, SEC, or Big 12.

Sound ridiculous?

Again, if mega-conferences no longer see geography as boundaries, even larger mega-conferences become possible. Perhaps in 2020 we will see a 32-team mega-league from coast-to-coast. If you value tradition and rivalries like I do, then the Pac-12 needs to say no to further expansion.

The past two years have produced some of the most exciting basketball games in recent conference history. In 2010-2011, the Dawgs knocked off Arizona early behind a phenomenal effort by Isaiah Thomas in the friendly confines of Hec-Ed. Arizona fought hard throughout the season and raised their ranking from 25 to 13 when the two teams next met. Husky fans hardly need to be reminded of the controversy that marked the end of the second meeting of the season. Derrick Williams “blocked” a last second shot by Darnell Gant and the Wildcats went on to win 87-86. The third meeting of the year gave us the infamous “Cold-Blooded” call by Gus Johnson that gives me goosebumps to this day. The 2011-2012 season featured another pair of great Cat and Dawg battles opening first in Tuscon where the Dawgs, clad in all black, faced another sold out, whiteout crowd yearning for payback after I.T.’s game winner in the Pac-10 tournament title game. The Wildcats left disappointed as vengeance and karma came roaring back as Tony Wroten blocked the potential last second, game tying lay-in by Josiah Turner. The Huskies flushed the Cats away in the second meeting of the season with a 77-69 victory.

March 4, 2012; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Nick Johnson (13) against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the first half at Wells Fargo. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE

The Wildcats bring in another stellar recruiting class to bolster their preseason rankings up to #12 in the nation, just ahead of #13 UCLA. Arizona racked up 6 new players with 3 of the 6 being ranked in the top 3 slots for their position. The Wildcats looked poised to make another run at the Pac-12 title and should certainly be considered a front-runner coming into the season.

2012-2013 Recruiting Class:

Jacob Hazzard: 5-11 165lb

The most unknown and least likely to make an impact for the Wildcats this coming year. As a high school player, Hazzard was mainly recruited by a variety of Division III schools, but instead chose to walk-on at Arizona. During his final season at Loyola, Hazzard averaged 12 points per game and 40% from 3-point range. I doubt we will see much of Hazzard outside of blow-outs.

Matt Korchek: 6-10 225lb

Korchek is a JC transfer who will be redshirting this season. As a Junior college player, Korchek averaged 15 points and just over 6 rebounds per game this past season and will be looking to learn and develop as a player in the coming year, hoping to compete for playing time next season.

Gabe York: 6-1 170lb

York is a four-star recruit who was well pursued by Washington before his eventual signing with the Wildcats. With Kyle Fogg and Brendon Lavender out due to graduation, there is plenty of opportunity for York to prove himself a capable guard deserving of major playing time. York is a shoot first guard who has struggled with his passing game at times. His great range allows him to be a danger on the offensive side of things, but his lack of effort on the defensive end leaves something to be desired. Like most freshmen, defense is an issue that can quickly be cured by a coach like Sean Miller. Expect York to compete with Nick Johnson for playing time.

Brandon Ashley: 6-8 215lb

Ashley is the epitome of a bored high school player. When reviewed in his Scout and ESPN profiles the writers comment in length as to his talents and skills. They also comment on his tendency to play in spurts as so many talented athletes do before they enter the realm of Division 1 basketball. While he may not be the next Derrick Williams dropping bombs outside the arc, he does have the ability to hit from solid mid-range to complement his inside game. With a bit of focus on his footwork near the basket, Ashley could become a favorite for Freshman of the Year (assuming Shabazz Muhammad of UCLA is ruled ineligible by the NCAA).

Kaleb Tarczewski: 7-0 240lb

The literally big star of Arizona’s latest recruiting class is a very dangerous player with talent to boot. Tarczewski has some nice hook moves in the post, but lacks the range to turn and shoot much outside the block. On top of his ability to score in the paint, Tarczewski is a tremendous rebounder who uses his bulk well to gain position and his length to get above the rim. His shot blocking ability is developing into a very useful addition to his skill set. As with Ashley, Tarczewski has one glaring weakness that should be easily corrected with some coaching: his temper. At times, Tarczewski’s temper can drive him to humongous games, but it has also been known to backfire on him as his head gets out of the game resulting in poor performances. Regardless of his temper, no team will be able to overlook Tarczewski’s presence on the floor.

March 10, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard Spencer Dinwiddie (25) guards Arizona Wildcats forward Solomon Hill (44) in the second half of the Finals of the 2012 Pac 12 Tournament at the Staples Center. Colorado won 53-51. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Key Returners:

Solomon Hill: 6-7 220lb

Hill is the leading returning scorer and rebounder for the Wildcats, having averaged 13 points and just under 8 rebounds a night. Hill is a very skilled player who is already being considered as a serious contender for Pac-12 Player of the Year. With the potential to average a double-double on the season, I agree with that sentiment. Hill has always caused the Huskies problems due to his strength, speed, and shooting ability scoring on average 15 points per game, including a monster 28 point night last season.

Nick Johnson: 6-3 200lb

After a very respectable freshman season averaging 9 points, 3 rebounds, and a 1.25 assist-to-turnover ratio, Johnson looks to improve his impact on the game with additional focus on his passing game. Johnson will be pressured to play at his best with junior Jordin Mayes and freshman Gabe York hot on his tail. Johnson’s struggles last season often arose from his youth and inexperience with such high level competition. With 2011-2012 under his belt, one has to imagine that Johnson will continue to improve on his hyped recruit status as a highschooler.

Predictions:

The Arizona Wildcats should have themselves a very solid season with such an ample amount of talent at their fingertips. The Wildcat non-conference schedule has a few solid opponents in Texas Tech and #10 Florida that, if won, should help bolster the strength of the team and the conference; something that is much needed after last year’s miserable performance. I’m betting on Arizona coming into the conference season with a 9-1 record, their lone loss coming against Florida. That being said, the home court advantage could help the Wildcats push to 10-0. Come conference play I am expecting a 15-3 finish, with losses coming to UW, UCLA, and a third unknown.

The Wildcats should make the Sweet 16 and push towards the Elite 8 as well. While UCLA is being touted as the cream of the conference, I believe Arizona will seize the regular season Pac-12 title simply due to Ben Howland’s lack of control at Pauley Pavilion that will be their ultimate downfall. Arizona may also take home the Pac-12 Tournament title with a great post season run.

Go Dawgs!

Last season the Huskies played at Utah and Colorado only while getting to play Cal and Stanford at Montlake only. We discussed last summer at how this could be a huge advantage as Cal and Stanford looked to be in the top half of the conference while Colorado and Utah were new with a lot of holes. As it turned out, Colorado became an extremely good squad and you could argue that a few opportunities for road victories against Cal and Stanford could have been exactly what the Dawgs needed to make the Big Dance.

The schedule this season is opposite of what it was last year in terms of the home/away series. The Huskies will host Utah and Colorado while heading down to the Bay Area for their only meeting with Cal and Stanford.

At first look it seems like a bad draw. Stanford could be greatly improved with a lot of returning pieces and Cal is always tough to beat at Berkeley. However the opportunity to get two big road wins is probably worth the extra risk of the loss if that makes any sense. Key wins were something that UW needed badly last season and this could be a chance to give an extra boost to their RPI/resume against teams that are beatable on the road. Also, it will be nice to avoid the altitude in Colorado and Utah while also introducing them to the best student section in the league. Go get ‘em Dawg Pack.

The next thing to look at is how the Huskies’ schedule fits with the way that Romar teams develop; slow and late. It looks like there’s some good news and bad news in regards to this point.

The bad news is that UW starts it’s season off with it’s first 5 of 7 games on the road. That’s probably not the best thing for a young and developing team whose coach historically struggles during it’s first half of the season. They kick things off in Pullman against a Coug team that should definitely be improved over last year and then they head straight to the Bay Area. That’s not a kind first three games.

The good news is that the Dawgs play Arizona and UCLA (the consensus two best teams) four times in their last eleven games. Hopefully that means they will be peaking and can challenge them for the Pac-12 title. That’s all you can really ask for when it comes to conference play. As you’d expect when you open with 5 of 7 on the road, the Huskies finish with 5 of 7 at home which may come in handy. Especially with the final game being against UCLA.

Other than that, the schedule is what it is. Win more games than everyone else and you make it the big dance. That is, and should always be, the goal.

The best news about this year’s Pac-12 season has nothing to do with the regular season at all. The Pac-12 Tournament’s new location in Las Vegas should be the start of an annual trip that I know I will be partaking in. I hope to see all of you there as well. Bet it all on Purple! Bow Down.

Oregon State Beavers guard Ahmad Starks. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

This year in the Pac-12 the teams have less proven “super-stars” but yet as a whole the conference will be stronger. There is a lot of talent in the Pac-12  and someone at the end of the year will hold up the award for the conference’s best player. I decided to go through and give each team their best player (or my opinion of their best) and rank them. Therefore, while there are some teams that will have multiple candidates for the award, I picked just one. For example, Solomon Hill is not on this list but he might be a legit contender in the end.

These are my very early preseason candidates for the conference player of the year award.

12. Arizona State- Jahii Carson

A red-shirt freshman from Arizona State may have to be the big-man on the roster as it is a completely re-tooling and re-loading roster. He does have some good talent and he has had a year to get better and learn the system. However, when compared to other players on this list, he still has a ways to go.

11. Oregon State- Ahmad Starks

Another team that is reloading. They will miss their star from last year, Jared Cunnigham, and other guards will need to step up in this system. Starks could be the leading scorer for the team by mid-season. However, similar to Carson, on this list he has more work to do.

10. Arizona- Nick Johnson

There is a lot of talent on Arizona, especially young talent. I thought about Solomon Hill but I really think that Johnson will take a huge step forward and he was already impressive last year. Johnson has a knack for scoring and he will help lead this team, the ball will be in his hands a lot.

9. Oregon- EJ Singler

He can score, and he will have to lead this team.

8. Stanford- Chasson Randle

Randle was the leading scorer last season for the Cardinal and should take another step forward this season. He will have the help of Aaron Bright and Stanford will rely on his hot hands.

7. Utah- Aaron Dotson

Utah will look like a different team next season. They have some big time play-makers coming in. I doubt they are going to compete for the crown but they will surprise a lot of people. Part of that success will come from Dotson. He is a pure-scorer and can hit from deep or take it to the rack. When he is motivated, he will score.

6. USC- Jio Fontan

The Trojans will also look like a completely different team, having their starters back again. Fontan is explosive and a very skilled scorer. He can also distribute the ball with ease and accuracy. Fontan has a shot as the Pac-12 best player but it needs to be seen.

5. Washington- CJ Wilcox

You know what Wilcox can do. He can shoot from three, and last season he added to his arsenal the ability to take it to the hole. He needs to do more of that to be really considered in this race. There is a chance that another Husky could emerge too (Mark Mclaughlin, Abdul Gaddy) but most likely Wilcox is going to be the one in the mix.

4. Washington State- Brock Motum

Motum showed that his motor is constant. He can shoot and he can play with his back to the basket. He is hard to defend and may have a legitimate shot at the Pac-12 player of the year award.

3. California- Allen Crabbe

Crabbe was the go-to-guy last season for the Golden Bears outside of Jorge Gutierrez and he will now be the focus point of the offense.

2. UCLA- Shabazz Muhammad

The top ranked recruit in the Pac-12 is also a contender for the Pac-12 player of the year award because of his ability to take-over basketball games. He should be a one-and-done player and a potential top 10 pick if he continues to dominate the way he did in high school.

1. Colorado- Andre Roberson

This is one of those guys that will make or break his career on this season. He can be one of the top picks in the NBA Draft next season if he continues to tear it up on the hardwood. However, if he takes a step back that could hurt both his player of the year chances and his draft stock. He is impressive on defense and on offense. The Buffs will really utilize his decision to come back to Colorado for another year and he has my very early prediction as Pac-12 player of the year.

Huskies guard Abdul Gaddy (0) and center Aziz N’Diaye (5) fight for position with Washington State Cougars forward Brock Motum (12) during the second half at the Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum. The Huskies defeated the Cougars 59-55. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-US PRESSWIRE

Is pre-season middle of the pack in the Pac-12 ok? Flying under the radar acceptable? Despite the success of the program over the years, the Husky basketball team is picked by many of the pre-season pundits to finish somewhere in the middle of the pack. The typical questions like, “Who will replace the scoring that was lost?” and a “light” recruiting class, have placed the Huskies squarely under the radar, at least as far as national talk goes. But is under the radar such a bad place to be? No, if a few key things fall into place.

Pre-season predictions are just that; pre-season. A lot of the pre-season hype is based recruiting classes, which sometimes don’t pan out. By the time pre-season predictions come out, teams haven’t even began practices. Further, you have to wonder how much the national media pays attention to the Pac-12, given the perception of the conference being “down” over the last few years. Finally, one thing pre-season predictions don’t take into consideration, and really can’t, is team chemistry. Talent is one thing, but the last I checked, basketball is still a team sport, and teams win championships.

Team Cohesion

There was talk, particularly at the end of the year when fan frustrations were at their peak, that the Huskies didn’t have the chemistry necessary to succeed. With no insider information at my disposal to either confirm or deny that assertion, I’d have to agree; not chemistry internally, perhaps, but on the court. This was exacerbated, no doubt, by the teams’ immaturity, but regardless, they failed to win the games they needed to. For the majority of the team, with another year under their belt, expect on-the-court chemistry to improve and roles to be, perhaps, more defined. All in all, an improved team identity.

Defensive Buy-in

It goes without saying – defense, in the Romar system, leads to easy offense. Last year’s team was too slow to the ball, missed key assignments and just generally broke down at key defensive moments, leaving the average fan scratching their head, as teams with lesser talent were able to find the “easy” shot. For the Huskies to exceed the rather blase expectations set by the media, they cannot rely on offense alone. Aziz N’Diaye will be the anchor down low that we’ve come to expect, but the Huskies will need an improved defensive effort on the perimeter to shut opponents down and win the close games.

Distributing the Ball

Eyes will be on Abdul Gaddy, returning for his senior campaign, sharing duties as a team captain and deservedly so. Look for Gaddy to be more ball-dominant as the team’s floor general. If forwards Desmond Simmons, Martin Breunig and Jernard Jarreau demonstrate the ability to knock down the open shot, they could contribute to a compelling offensive set of pick and roll / pick and pop ball. We know he can distribute, but Gaddy’s also shown a knack for getting to the rim during the summer league season, which will bode well both for him and for shooters on the perimeter.

The Pac-12 will be much more competitive this year. Can the Huskies exceed pre-season expectations? Yes, if they can locate early that elusive team cohesion, adopt a defense-first mentality and develop an offense that shares the ball. Don’t be surprised if the Husky bite takes a chunk out of the middle of Pac-12, and contends for another title.

Mar 24, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonalds High School All American guard Shabazz Muhammad (15) poses during a photo shoot for the 35th McDonalds High School All American Game to be held at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

The Pac-12 had once again some impressive hauls for the Men’s Basketball 2012 recruiting class. Three of the teams even made the top 25 in recruiting rankings; UCLA, Arizona, Colorado.

I took the time to peruse through the classes, compared the classes, and am going to write my thoughts on how much of an impact each class will have on the team success. One thing I did not look into and possibly can in a future article is transfers into the program for 2012. For example, Washington had two transfers in Perris Blackwell and Gilles Dierickx. Those players will not be included in this breakdown.

I ranked them in (my) order of top 2012 recruiting classes.

UCLA

In my opinion, it’s not even close. Arizona has a great class and you can read that below but UCLA’s is far and away the best in the conference and debatable for the best in the country.

• Shabazz Muhammad is the second best player in the country behind Nerlens Noel. Some may even consider him the best prospect in the 2012 class. It is close. He will make a huge impact right away at UCLA and will look to the NBA lottery after the year is over. He can score at will, and just is an incredible slasher to the basket. He could easily be UCLA’s best scoring threat next season.
• Kyle Anderson is another impressive 2012 recruit. He is a 5-star “point-forward”. He is really smart with the basketball, and makes good passes. However, he is 6-8 and isn’t quick enough nor does he have an amazing jumper to handle the ball as much as he did in college. My guess is that he takes about half to all of the season to get acclimated to college ball.
• Tony Parker is a 5-star big man with a likeness to Josh Smith. He is a great scorer around the basket, can even play some solid defense. He isn’t going to be in shape right away. However, with Smith and Parker to rotate in and out when the opposite is tired could only help UCLA.
• Jordan Adams is a 4-star shooter. He is mainly known for his ability to drop in shots from behind the 3-point line. He will have spot duty off the bench unless Coach Ben Howland can convince him to go with the red-shirt route. Not that he can’t play right away but there is a log-jam ahead of him.

Overall, UCLA’s class is the most impressive in the Pac-12. That being said, I think they still disappoint on the season. They may finish in the top 3 but I see team chemistry being another big factor for the Bruins. They will win some big games and lose some games they shouldn’t. Sound familiar?

Arizona

Arizona has another top 5 recruiting class. They added five players to their class and they all show great potential.

• Brandon Ashley is the headliner in this class. One of the stars at Findlay Prep and an impressive scorer and defender from the post. He is a 5-star player and should have an immediate impact at Arizona. He may take a little to adjust but he will be starting out of the gate.
• Kaleb Tarczewski is a big goofy 5-star Center. He is 7’0 player but mainly is rated so high because of his potential not current ability. Don’t get me wrong, he can play, but he won’t do anything impressive his first year at Arizona. He needs work but shows flashes of impressive ability.
• Grant Jerrett Another 5-star Center. They probably hauled them both in because Jerrett is more polished and ready to go but Tarczewski projects better long-term. I could see Jerrett playing more minutes in the freshman campaign than Tarczewski.
• Gabe York is a 4-star scorer. He can score by driving or shooting from deep. Husky fans should know his name because UW was in the mix for him before he chose Arizona. He is good but he reminds me of Josiah Turner in terms of what goes on mentally. York may need some time to adjust to college and the college game.
• Matt Korcheck is a JC commit that I know nothing about. However, he is another big-man for Arizona.

Overall, Arizona did what it needed to do, improve in the post. They didn’t perform up to standards last season because of drama and lack of depth at the big-man positions. Jesse Perry had to be the catch-all down there. Angelo Chol should be better next season and Arizona may be the team to beat.

Colorado

The Buffaloes had one of their best recruiting classes to date. They were able to land some big time players.

• Xavier Johnson is an athletic forward (4-star on Scout) that will help Colorado especially as a freshman on the defensive end.
• Wesley Gordon and Josh Scott are big centers that Colorado was in desperate need of, especially at the talent level of these two. Both are in-state kids and both will need to get stronger before they are effective.
• Chris Jenkins a long athletic forward from Michigan. Rated a 3-star by Scout.
• Xavier Talton is an in-state PG who will help provide some depth at that position. (3-star)
• Eli Stalzer is probably going to be a red-shirt. He is a shooting guard. (2-star)

Overall, Colorado had an impressive class. A class that will help them more in 2013-2014 than now. Almost all of their recruits will need some time to develop. However, this provides some good depth and some help on defense, which is what Colorado loves.

Stanford

The Cardinal has a slightly smaller class with only three commitments but they landed three that could be immediate impact guys.

• Roscoe Allen is the guy with probably the most upside in this class. He is a guy that has an impressive ability to shoot from deep at his 6’9 forward size. If he can learn some more back to the basket moves, he will be a solid player for Stanford. (4-star)
• Grant Verhoeven is another guy that Washington fans should recognize. He was being recruited by UW towards the end but decided to go to Stanford. He is a 6’9 Center that simply just doesn’t stop working. He is a guy that Stanford will use immediately because of how bad Verhoeven will want it and how hard he will work in practice.  (4-star)
• Chris Sanders is the guy that may use o red-shirt. He is a 3-star shooting guard that could use a year to develop. However, if they decide to play him next year he can come in and play spot-duty.

Stanford had a decent class and they increased their team height a lot with this class. With more size they should be able to put up a few more wins. In my opinion, this class doesn’t put them in the top-5 in the Pac-12 but places them just outside of it.

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