College basketball is on the horizon, and one conference to watch will be the Pac-12. They were underrated during the regular season, but an elite performance in the NCAA Tournament turned the heads of every college basketball fan. They were a part of many major upsets, and one of the worst teams in the conference made it to the Final Four. If the Pac-12 can repeat that kind of success, they will easily be the deepest conference in college basketball. This will make it hard for any team to win the conference, but there are plenty of candidates.
One candidate is Oregon. The Ducks won the Pac-12 for the second straight year and made it to the Sweet 16 before losing to USC, a conference rival. Dana Altman will have his team ready, but can they win the Pac-12 for the third straight season? There will be plenty of competition, and the conference will be in the spotlight thanks to their NCAA Tournament run. With +3300 odds, they have an outside shot of winning the national championship. Here’s what we know and why their path is so challenging.
Oregon will always have a high floor with Atlman as the head coach. He has lifted the program to new heights, and he appears to be improving every year. While the Ducks haven’t reached the Final Four since 2017, they have been contenders in the conference for the past three seasons. In 2022, replacing Chris Duarte will be very important. He averaged 17.1 points per game before leaving for the NBA Draft. He was one of the best players in the conference last year, and his experience and production will be hard to replace.
Oregon’s recruiting class lacks depth, but they did sign five-star center Nathan Bittle. They also bring in two transfers who can contribute early this season. With so many players graduating, the roster will be noticeably different. This will make it hard to win the conference, but they will still have one of the best coaches in the Pac-12. Oregon will have a solid team, but what about the rest of the competition?
Oregon’s odds to win the conference depend on their competition. Teams like Stanford and USC will be near the top of the standings, and each team will be tough to beat. However, UCLA is easily the toughest opponent in the Pac-12. For all intents and purposes, this will be a two-team race for the Pac-12. What makes UCLA so dangerous? For starters, they have experience. With Johnny Juzang coming back from a Final Four run, UCLA has high hopes for the upcoming season.
UCLA will have one of the best rosters in the conference, and they have a proven coach. They will be hard to beat, and Oregon will have to go through them if they want to win the Pac-12. Also, Oregon has one of the worst recruiting classes in the conference. Plenty of teams will rely on young players to carry their teams, and the Ducks don’t have that luxury. While UCLA is the main competitor, any team can surge up the standings with a few freshmen standouts. So, Oregon definitely has a chance to win the Pac-12. How likely is that to happen?
When you bring back multiple contributors from a conference-winning team, you always have a shot to win the conference again. The only reason Oregon isn’t the top contender is because of UCLA’s surge last year. Since they’re bringing back almost their entire roster, they have to be the frontrunners. That level of experience will go a long way in a tough college basketball season.
Still, Oregon is a true threat in the conference. They may not be the frontrunners, but they have enough experience. If they get hot at the right time, they can make a deep run and have a chance to return to the Final Four. College basketball is hard to predict, but Oregon remains a conference contender and a solid overall team. Even if they lose the Pac-12, they should be near the top of the standings at the end of the regular season.