Pac-10: Prime Time in Palo Alto
By Albert Lin, CNN/SI
Madsen's intensity reflects on the entire Cardinal squad.
(Jonathan Daniel/Allsport) | |
| Projected Order of
Finish
|
| Team | Comment |
| 1. Stanford* | Final Four team returns
everybody but one role player. |
| 2.
UCLA* | Top freshman crop keeps Bruins
strong. |
| 3. Washington* | Size, speed and
experience. |
| 4.
Arizona* | Young but, as always,
athletic. |
| 5. California* | The sleeper team in the
country? |
| 6.
Arizona
State** | If Rob Evans could win at Mississippi
... |
| 7. USC
| Should be stronger program than it
is. |
| 8.
Oregon | Downtown Terik
Brown? |
| 9.
Washington
State | Top two players
gone—Carlos Daniel graduated and Rodrigo de la Fuente turned pro in Spain. |
| 10.
Oregon
State | Come back, Corey
Benjamin. |
*NCAA Tournament lock;
**NCAA Tournament bubble team/NIT
bound. |
|
| |
|
|
All-Conference
Team
|
|
Baron Davis, G, 6' 2", Soph., UCLA
| | 1997-98 Stats: 11.7 ppg, 5.0
apg |
|
Bobby Lazor, F, 6' 9", Sr., Arizona State
| | 1997-98 Stats: 16.8 ppg, 7.8
rpg | |
Arthur Lee, G, 6' 0", Sr., Stanford
| | 1997-98 Stats: 14.5 ppg, 4.6
apg | |
Todd MacCulloch, C, 7' 0", Sr., Washington
| | 1997-98 Stats: 18.6 ppg, 9.7
rpg | |
Mark Madsen, F, 6' 8", Jr., Stanford
| | 1997-98 Stats: 11.7 ppg, 8.2
rpg
|
|
|
Player of the
Year
|
| Mark Madsen, Stanford
| | Big-time bruiser is as physical as they come; plus he is a
great
competitor.
| |
|
Coach on the Hot
Seat
|
Eddie Payne, Oregon
State
4th year, 1997-98 record:
13-17
| | Carson Cunningham transferred two years ago, Corey Benjamin
turned pro and J.B. Bickerstaff transferred after last
season. Who's
left?
| |
|
Newcomer of the
Year |
| Dan Gadzuric, C, 6'10", 240, Fr.,
UCLA
| | Very raw, but so physically mature that he can't help but
make an
impact.
| |
|
Top Three
Storylines to Watch
|
| Huskymania
| | Washington has its strongest team in years. Could the
Huskies possibly win the league
title for the first time since 1985?
|
| Baby
Bruins
| | Five impact freshmen along with a rehabilitating Baron
Davis could mean some early growing pains for
UCLA.
| | Braun and
Brains
| | Can hot coach Ben Braun work his magic and make California
a contender once
again?
|
|
| The Bandwagon |
| Stanford |  |
Everybody's
back—everybody who matters—from last year's Final Four
club |
| Jerome Moiso | | Underpublicized Guadeloupe native (via France)
should be a force for
UCLA |
| Arizona |  | Couldn't return to Final Four with five starters
from 1997 title team. Only one
remains |
|
|
Games to
Watch |
|
Washington vs. Connecticut (in
Chicago), Dec.
1
| | UW's Huskies just have to stay
close.
|
|
UCLA vs. Oklahoma State (in Anaheim, Calif.), Dec.
5
| | Defensive-minded Cowboys could frustrate young
Bruins.
|
|
Stanford vs. Temple (in Oakland), Dec.
29
| | Fundamentally sound squads face off in substance-over-style
battle. |
|
Connecticut at Stanford, Feb.
6
| | Could be a 1-vs.-2
matchup. |
|
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