Who’s the Favorite?

With the college basketball in full swing, UCLA, Cal, and Arizona all have a legitimate chance to win the conference. By Kristina Callahan

Cal Bears
The Cal Bears won their second game of the season against George Washington 81-54. What may seem like a blow out was a close game in the first half. During the second half Cal used a 23-0 run to sink the Colonials. Many media outlets favor Cal to win the Pac-12 this year. Bob Clark from The (Eugene, Ore.) Register-Guard believes that the Bear’s mature demeanor will help propel them to the top.

“I like Cal. The experience, the grit of a Mike Montgomery team. I think it will win out with so many other teams counting on freshmen or transfers.”

Austin Peay is up next to the Bears and they will try and prove that they do belong on top of the Pac-12.

UCLA Bruins

UCLA’s backcourt may be in question but there are no concerns about the Bruin frontcourt. The depth that the Bruin’s have could boost them to the top. With the possibility of 5 big men getting minutes, Jeff Faraudo from the Contra Costa Times favored UCLA over both Arizona and Cal.

“I picked UCLA barely over Cal and Arizona. The Bears have returning talent, Arizona has new talent. The Bruins' backcourt has questions, but no team in the Pac-12 can match the frontcourt depth of Joshua Smith, Reeves Nelson, Anthony Stover, and twins David and Travis Wear. If Ben Howland had a sense of humor, he'd start all five together one night just to get a reaction.”

Joshua Smith could be a favorite to win the Player of the Year if he had lost weight over the summer. That doesn’t mean that he couldn’t have an outstanding year and become the biggest POY in league history to win the honors.

Arizona Wildcats
With the loss of Derrick Williams to the NBA, Arizona is going to rely on their three starters from last year’s regular season championship team. As of right now, the Wildcats are ranked 16th in the AP poll. Freshman guard Nick Johnson has played a big role already in Arizona’s exhibition games and their season opener. Coach Sean Miller believes that he will make big contributions this season.

“He has to be one of the best freshmen in our conference. He has just been rock solid since he came here. He has a maturity beyond his freshman year.”

If Nick Johnson can carry his Wildcats on his back and play like an upperclassman, Arizona could have a season like last year.