Basketball: Pac-12 Preseason Media Poll Revealed
On Wednesday, the Pac-12's Media Day for men's basketball tipped off in San Francisco, as college basketball season takes one step closer to beginning.
The first order of business? Assembling media votes for the preseason media poll, which resulted in the following:
Pac-12 Preseason Media Poll
1. UCLA (32 first-place votes)
2. Oregon (2)
3. USC
T-4: Arizona, Oregon State
6. Colorado
7. Arizona State
8. Washington State
9. Stanford
10. Utah
11. Washington
12. Cal
UCLA appears to be strong favorites to again win the conference, although the program has not won the Pac-12 tournament since 2014.
The Sun Devils are seventh in the preseason polls, as not many media members are confident in head coach Bobby Hurley's squad following their absence from the NCAA tournament last season.
With core players such as Marcus Bagley (a preseason All-Conference selection), Luther Muhammad, Jalen Graham and highly-touted freshman Enoch Boakye on the roster, ASU is set to be potential contenders in the conference.
Boakye, a freshman center who reclassified from 2022 to 2021 following his de-commitment from Michigan State, is expected to counter ASU's typical strong backcourt with a physical presence in the paint.
“I dealt with Coach Hurley directly and we built a great relationship,” Boakye said to SI All-American. “The situation is just perfect for me, and they really had a sense of urgency for me. They told me they really need me and being able step right in and have the opportunity to contribute is something that really sold me.”
The Sun Devils will play a scrimmage game vs. St. Katherine on Monday, Nov. 1 prior to officially beginning their 2021-2022 season with a home game against Portland on Tuesday, Nov 9.