CBS Sports Jon Rothstein Very High On Utah's Timmy Allen

Is this the year Utah finally breaks through and gets back to the NCAA Tournament — this first time since the 2015-16 season.

According to CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein, in his annual Pac-12 Preseason Preview with College Hoops Today he named Utah forward Timmy Allen to his preseason all-Pac-12 first team.

This shouldn't come as much of a shock considering Allen was named to the all-Pac-12 second team last year after he averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

⚡️Timmy Allen named to @pac12 All-Conference Team.

1️⃣7️⃣.5️⃣ PPG
7️⃣.3️⃣ RPG#GoUtes🏀🔴 #Pac12Hoops
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) March 9, 2020

He finished last season with six double-doubles, showcasing all-around play-making ability in games against UCLA (13p, 8a, 7r), BYU (27p, 5r, 5a) and USC (21p, 10r, 3a). But there were also times when Allen struggled from the field, particularly when teams packed the paint against him as his lack of any sort of jumpshot hindered his game towards the end of the season.

While his production drastically rose from his freshman season, Allen's shooting percentages dropped dramatically as he shot 44.1% from the field and 21.1% from three-point territory.

Joining Allen on the preseason first team are Remy Martin, Arizona State (Preseason POY); McKinley Wright, Colorado; Chris Smith, UCLA; and Evan Mobley, USC.

In his article, Rothstein goes on to release Pac-12 power rankings, 15 Impact Freshmen and 10 Breakout Candidates.

Pac-12 Power Rankings — according to Rothstein
1.) UCLA
2.) Arizona State
3.) Oregon
4.) Stanford
5.) Arizona
6.) USC
7.) Colorado
8.) Utah
9.) Washington
10.) Cal
11.) Washington State
12.) Oregon State

Utah has a very strong nucleus returning with Allen and fellow starters Rylan Jones, Alfonso Plummer and Branden Carlson. Add in valuable bench pieces in Riley Battin, Mikael Jantunen and Jaxon Brenchley as well as two big-time freshman in Ian Martinez and Pelle Larsson and things are looking up in Salt Lake City.

Among them 15 breakout freshmen that Rothstein listed, two of them play for the Utes; Martinez and Larsson.

Martinez, the No. 59 prospect in the country, is a 6-foot-3 shooting guard who should help fill the void left by recent transfer Both Gach this past offseason. He also has the ability to run the point guard position, sparring incumbent starter Jones.

"We are excited to add a guard like Ian, who has a great combination of athleticism, skill and IQ," Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said on the Utes athletic website. "Ian has a had a great couple years of development and continues to improve his physical strength, which will allow him to be an excellent player at Utah."

Larsson is expected to provide instant depth and could challenge for a starting spot at the small forward position — moving Allen to the power forward spot. He's one of the top young players in Europe, and rated as a four-star prospect across multiple recruiting boards.

"Pelle is an outstanding lead guard with great size, versatility and IQ," Krystowiak said. "He shined this summer in the European Championships and solidified himself as one of the premier guards in Europe. We believe his international experience and opportunity to play in the Swedish pro league will help make his transition to the college level smooth."

Lastly, Rothstein chose Utah's Alfonso Plummer as a breakout candidate — and this should be the least surprising choice of all considering he finished last season on an absolute tear.

Plummer ended last season by setting a Pac-12 record with 11 made three's in Utah's 71-69 loss to Oregon State in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament. He averaged 18.8 points per game over his final six games, knocking down 55.8% (29-of-52) of his three point attempts over that span.

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