Pac-12 Men's Basketball Media Days // Media Guide

SAN FRANCISCO – ARIZONA, a popular pick as the nation’s preseason No. 1 team, has been chosen the favorite to win the 2017-18 Pac-12 Conference men’s basketball title in a vote of media members who cover the league.

Arizona, the national frontrunner according to Athlon, Blue Ribbon Sports and Street & Smith’s preseason publications, was a near unanimous Conference favorite, receiving 22-of-23 first-place votes and 273 points to land atop the preseason poll. The Wildcats return three starters including 2017 Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player Allonzo Trier from last year’s Pac-12 regular-season co-champion and Pac-12 Tournament title team.

It marks the 15th time Arizona has been the league’s predicted winner dating back to 1989-90, including the fifth time in the past six seasons. The Wildcats have backed up the billing on nine occasions, most recently in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

USC was picked to finish second for its highest-ever preseason Conference ranking. The Trojans, buoyed by the return of all five starters from last year’s team that won a school record 26 games, received the other first-place vote and totaled 251 points as the predicted runner-up.

UCLA, which returns a pair of double-digit scorers and adds two McDonald’s All-Americans, was slotted third, followed by 2017 NCAA Final Four participant OREGON in fourth. STANFORD, anchored by four returning starters including the Pac-12’s top returning scorer in Reid Travis, was picked fifth.

ARIZONA STATE rounded out the top six of the preseason poll, breaking into the top half for the first time since being picked fourth prior to the 2010-11 campaign.

UTAH, OREGON STATE, COLORADO, WASHINGTON, CALIFORNIA and WASHINGTON STATE completed the predicted order of finish.

Media have correctly picked the Conference winner 15 times in 25 tries, while the winner has been accurately chosen in 17 of the 28 all-time preseason votes.

The Pac-12 will carry considerable momentum into the 2017-18 campaign after sending a record seven teams to the 2016 NCAA Tournament and finishing with three teams in the top 10 in the nation in 2017, culminating with OREGON’s appearance in the Final Four in April.

2016-17 Pac-12 All-Conference performers Trier (Arizona), Travis (Stanford) and Chimezie Metu (USC) headline the list of the league’s top returners. Additionally, nine NBA Draft early-entry candidates elected to return to Pac-12 programs for the 2017-18 season, highlighted by Rawle Alkins (Arizona), Bennie Boatwright (USC), and Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh (UCLA), boosting the Wildcats, Trojans and Bruins in early national top 25 poll projections.

The Conference also is slated to add 19 freshmen rated in the ESPN Top 100, the second-most of any league in the country, highlighted by five McDonald's All-Americans, tied for the most in Conference history.

The 2017-18 season will begin on Friday, Nov. 10 with 10 games as part of Pac-12 Networks’ Full Court Friday as well as UCLA battling Georgia Tech in the 2017 Pac-12 China Game on ESPN.

Pac-12 regular-season play begins on Friday, Dec. 29 and culminates March 7-10 with the 2018 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, which broke several attendance records in its debut season at T-Mobile Arena in 2017.

2017-18 PAC-12 MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON MEDIA POLL

Team (First Place Votes) Points 1. Arizona (22) 273 2. USC (1) 251 3. UCLA 223 4. Oregon 203 5. Stanford 182 6. Arizona State 146 7. Utah 129 8. Oregon State 125 9. Colorado 112 10. Washington 71 11. California 46 12. Washington State 33

PREVIOUS PAC-12 MEN'S BASKETBALL POLLS

Year Predicted

Winner Actual

Finish Actual

Winner Predicted

Finish 2016-17 Oregon 1st (TIED) ARIZONA / Oregon 2nd / 1st 2015-16 Arizona 3rd (TIED) Oregon 4th 2014-15 Arizona 1st arizona 1st 2013-14 Arizona 1st Arizona 1st 2012-13 Arizona 2nd UCLA 2nd 2011-12 UCLA 5th (tied) Washington 4th 2010-11 Washington 3rd Arizona 2nd 2009-10 California 1st California 1st 2008-09 UCLA 2nd Washington 5th 2007-08 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st 2006-07 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st 2005-06 Arizona 4th (tied) UCLA 3rd 2004-05 Arizona 1st Arizona 1st 2003-04 Arizona 3rd Stanford 2nd 2002-03 Arizona 1st Arizona 1st 2001-02 UCLA 6th Oregon 6th 2000-01 Arizona 2nd Stanford 2nd 1999-00 Arizona 1st (tied) Arizona /

Stanford 1st /

3rd 1998-99 Stanford 1st Stanford 1st 1997-98 Arizona 1st Arizona 1st 1996-97 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st 1995-96 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st 1994-95 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st 1993-94 California 2nd (tied) Arizona 3rd 1992-93 Arizona 1st Arizona 1st 1991-92** Arizona 3rd UCLA 2nd 1990-91** Arizona 1st Arizona 1st 1989-90** Arizona 1st (tied) Arizona /

Oregon State 1st /

3rd

**The Pac-12 polls were decided in a vote among league coaches (1990-1992).