For some time now the PAC 12  has been joke of the Power 5 leagues. A lot of that has to do with football but it extended to the hardwood too.  However, I think that things could be shifting as the top programs have gotten off to solid starts. Now is the time to start staying up late and including them in your college basketball picks.

It Starts Up Top…With Washington

I am going geographically here. The Huskies won the league last season, it actually wasn’t even close.  They lost all of their key contributors to graduation and the pros. However, they have reloaded with two five star recruits in Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels, and a five-star transfer in Quade Green, formerly of Kentucky.  That trio is as talented as any in the conference and there are not many in the country better. So far the results are a 2-0 start including an upset of a ranked Baylor team.

The Land of the Rising Sun

Arizona won only 17 games last year, the first time they had won less than 25 since the 2009-10 season. There is some murkiness with the FBI probe but that hasn’t stopped coach Sean Miller from bringing in a nice talent haul once again. Nico Mannion is one of the most exciting players in the country and is worth staying up late for while Zeke Nnadji is already proving to be a competent big. Miller is a good coach and can fill around those two freshmen as needed to get the Wildcats back to the big dance. They are 2-0 SUATS so don’t forget about them when you are making your college basketball picks.

From On High

Colorado was the only team to have a couple of players on the preseason All-Conference team.  Those were PG McKinley Wright and forward Tyler Bey. Wright is an underrated guard who can score and distribute while Bey uses an NBA ready body to be effective all over the floor. Colorado might have be at the top of the recruiting rankings but they have enough talent and more than enough experience to be a factor in the league this season.

Don’t Forget About SoCal

UCLA brought in Mick Cronin to coach the Bruins this season. Mick is a good coach but the reaction was pretty ho-hum. Not much flair there but he has UCLA off to a 2-0.  The thing about Cronin is that you know he will get the most out of his team. If he can match that with the way that some of his predecessors could recruit they might get really good quickly. The opposite is true of Andy Enfield. He has been able to bring in talent to USC but has struggled to turn it into wins.  They are off to a 3-0 start thanks to strong play along the front line. The heat is on Enfield to finally do some damage in the league and in the tournament. People want to see his model wife in the stands of some games that matter. USC and UCLA are not going to win the league but their strength makes this league so much tougher.