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With Oregon's loss in Sunday's Midwest Regional Final, the Pacific Ten conference concluded another men's basketball season. Here's a team by team look at what happened in 2001-2002, and a glimpse of what's to come next season in what traditionally is one of the strongest conferences in the nation.
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STANFORD CARDINAL (20-10) Lost in NCAA Tournament 2nd round
WHAT WENT RIGHT- Ask Cardinal fans, and they might say not much.
Expectations were high on the Farm this year. A 2nd round loss in the
tournament would probably be looked upon as a disappointing finish.
Casey
Jacobsen was superb however, and Curtis Borchardt was dominant in the
paint.
WHAT WENT WRONG- A supporting cast. Mike Montgomery had difficulty
getting
consistent play this year. At times, Stanford was almost unbeatable,
but
those times were few and far between. The Cardinal got blitzed by an
inspired Kansas team, falling behind 15-0 and never recovering.
BIGGEST WIN- Beating a very good Western Kentucky team in the first
round of
the NCAA tournament.
TEAM MVP- Jacobsen, who lit up Arizona State for 49, then 2 games
later put
41 on the Ducks. Ooops, while I was writing this, he just scored
again.
WHO'S LEAVING- This is the $64,000 question. If Jacobsen and
Borchardt go
pro, the Cardinal are in trouble. The only senior on the roster was
Tony
Giovachhi. Casey Jacobsen can replace his 3.8 PPG from the team bus.
WHO'S COMING- 6'10" Center Matt Haryasz. Just another in the long
list of
quality big men that Stanford produces.
WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT YEAR- So much of this depends on whether Jacobsen
and
Borchardt stay. We think they will. The Cardinal will have a
devastating
one-two punch, and with another year under everyone's belts, this team
should go deeper into the tournament. Maples Pavilion is traditionally
one
of the toughest places in the conference to play. Next year, the
locals
will have plenty to cheer about.
ARIZONA WILDCATS (24-10) Lost in NCAA Regional Semifinals
WHAT WENT RIGHT- The development of the Wildcat freshman. They
matured
quicker than anyone expected, including pre-season wins versus Maryland
and
Florida. A rebuilding year quickly transformed into another Pac Ten
conference tournament championship.
WHAT WENT WRONG- They got stuck in the loaded West region of the NCAA
tournament and were forced into playing defensive minded Oklahoma.
BIGGEST WIN- Defeating Maryland. To say that this raised some eyebrows
in
November would be an understatement.
TEAM MVP- Luke Walton, who didn't resemble last year's awkward
reserve. A
team devoid of leadership in October rallied behind the heady forward
who
led the conference in assists.
WHO'S LEAVING- Looks like Jason Gardner, who danced with the idea of
going
pro last year, has played his last game for the Wildcats. The rest of
this
talented crew is back.
WHO'S COMING- Hassan Adams out of Los Angeles might be the darling of
this
year's Pac Ten freshman. Chris Rodgers from Wilson HS in Portland is
another in the gems that Lute continues to pull out of the Beaver
state.
WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT YEAR- Dare I say it? National Championship? This
team
has been rumored by some of the more vocal and hairless college
basketball
analysts to be the pre-season number one. The Wildcats showed the
conference this year that Lute hasn't lost any steam. A balanced team
with
senior leadership in Walton will be very difficult to beat next season.
Also, the Wildcats play one of the best schedules in the country, and
that
toughens them come March.
UCLA BRUINS (21-12) Lost in NCAA Regional Semifinals
WHAT WENT RIGHT- The play of Dan Gadzuric. The physical presence
inside
helped the Bruins get hot and beat number one seed Cincinnati in the
2nd
round of the NCAA Tournament.
WHAT WENT WRONG- We're still trying to figure out how this team lost
12
games, including losses by 18 to Ball State and Pepperdine.
Inconsistency
has become the Bruins modus operandi the past 4 years, and 2001-2002
was no
different.
BIGGEST WIN- Defeating Cincinnati 105-101 in overtime in the NCAA
tournament. This was the Bruin team we all expected to see this
season.
TEAM MVP- It's hard to argue with Jason Kapono here. Shooting 45%
from
beyond the arc and leading the Bruins in scoring are enough to sell us.
WHO'S LEAVING- We hope Jason Kapono stays. Gadzuric, Matt Barnes and
Billy
Knight accounted for almost 40 points a game. If Kapono goes, now UCLA
will
have to replace 80% of it's offense.
WHO'S COMING- Evan Burns will see immediate playing time and get a
chance
to showcase his skills for UCLA next season. The 6'8" forward will be
one
of the conferences best newcomers.
WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT YEAR- If Kapono stays, the Bruins will drop off a
little, but not much. The talent is still there, but we wonder if
Steve
Lavin will ever be able to look back on a season and marvel about how
his
kids "overachieved". If Kapono does declare for the NBA draft, we'll
go out
on a limb and say that UCLA will be NIT bound. PG Cedric Bozeman will
have
to become a scorer for the Bruins to make it back to the NCAA
tournament.
His youth showed, but we love his overall talent.
Talk about this article on the message board.
Part III concludes with the Arizona State Sundevils, the Washington Huskies, the Oregon State Beavers and the Washington Cougars.
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