The Pac-10 is always a premier conference in the college basketball world. With the conference struggling in football this season, it is even more important to have a great season in basketball to stay on the national level.
The conference that sent six teams to the NCAA Tournament, and could have sent seven, graduated a lot of top notch players, seven of which were taken in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft and five more were taken in the second round.
Losing this many great players obviously will affect the league, but with great recruiting most teams are looking to stay at the top.
This is a look at one of the most important positions on the court, point guard. Floor generals are bringing the ball up and setting up the offense and without a good player running the point teams are in for a long season. Every starting point guard is ranked in order from the best to worst.
1. Darren Collison, UCLA
Last season, Collison, a senior, led the Bruins in minutes per game and was second in scoring at 14.5 ppg on a team that had three players drafted, including two in the top five. He is lightning fast and can be an immediate game changer with his quick hands on defense averaging almost two steals a game. His role will be even more crucial as the team graduated four of their top six in scoring.
However, he will not be alone as UCLA brings in one of the best recruiting classes in the country with a group of players who will be asked to play immediately. Should Collison continue his growth as a player and show the composure he always has had, UCLA should be a contender to go deep into the tournament once again.
2. Taylor Rochestie, Washington State
With Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low on the team last year it was easy to look over Rochestie. The 6'1 senior will be without his top two scoring threats from a year ago, meaning he will have to look for his shot more on offense.
That could end up being a good thing.
He was first in the Pac-10 in assist/turnover ratio last year and was the top shooter on the team from beyond the arc shooting an unbelievable 43 percent. The team could take a while to gel, with seven true freshman on the team making the play of Rochestie even more important if the Cougars want to return to the Big Dance for the third straight year.
3. Mitch Johnson, Stanford
Brook and Robin Lopez are both in the NBA, meaning Mitch Johnson will most likely be asked to score more for the Cardinal this season. It is not a role that he is comfortable with as he led the team in minutes, but was only fifth in scoring last season.
What he does bring to the team is his play making ability.
He led the conference in assists at 5.2 per contest, and averaged 0.8 steals per game. His back court partner Anthony Goods returns making them the most experienced guard combination in the country.
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