Power Ranking the Likely Starting Lineups of All Pac-12 Teams

The Pac-12 is a wide open league with no dominant team in 2011-12.

Many of last year's top players (Derrick Williams, Isaiah Thomas, Klay Thompson, Tyler Honeycutt, Nikola Vucevic, to name a few) are gone.

Plenty of opportunities will exist in the upcoming season for players to step up and get things going for their respective teams. 

This is NOT my prediction for the Pac-12 standings. Especially at the top end of the conference, the depth of teams will have a significant impact on how teams do record-wise. 

Here's a power ranking of each of the starting lineups from the Pac-12

12. Arizona State Sun Devils

Arizona State basketball is trying to get itself back on track.

After three straight 20-plus win seasons, the Sun Devils struggled last year to a 12-19 record (4-14 in the Pac-10).

Again this season, head coach Herb Sendek needs to find ways to overcome ASU's lack of star power. 

Junior guard Trent Lockett (2010-11 second-team All-Pac-10) was a bright spot, averaging 13.4 points in 2010-11 after averaging 6.7 in his freshman season.

Sophomore forward Kyle Cain (6'7", 210 lbs - 5.4 ppg; 5.5 rpg) is a steady frontcourt contributor.

Junior center Ruslan Pateev (7'0", 249 lbs - 3.0 ppg; 2.0 rpg) showed signs last season of promise.

Arizona State fans will love mighty mite freshman PG Jahii Carson (5'11", 160 lbs). He will hopefully help the Sun Devils open up their sometimes-stagnant offense.

Another freshman, Jonathan Gilling, a 6'8" forward from Denmark, could provide some decent shooting from downtown.

11. Utah Utes

After two straight losing seasons, Utah hired Larry Krystkowiak to get things started in the Pac-12.

The Utes have only four returners as leading scorer Will Clyburn was one of eight players—yes, eight—to transfer.

Senior PG Josh Watkins (14.5 ppg; 2.5 rpg; 3.5 apg) will attempt to ride herd over a team that will highlight mostly new faces to Salt Lake City.

Man-mountain center David Foster (7'3", 255 lbs - 2.9 ppg; 5.2 rpg) needs to become more of an offensive threat.

Three JuCo transfers, Javon Dawson (6'7", 260 lbs), Cedric Martin (6'4", 190 lbs) and Dijon Farr (6'6", 200 lbs) could all see immediate action as starters as the Utes transition to a new level of competition in the Pac-12.

10. Oregon State Beavers

Head coach Craig Robinson's seat may not be hot yet, but the Beavers need to get things headed in a better direction in 2011-12.

Oregon State went 11-20 (5-13 in Pac-10) in 2010-11, but they return four of their five starters.

Junior guard Jared Cunningham (6'4", 182 lbs - 14.2 ppg; 3.1 rpg; 2.1 apg; 2.8 spg) excels at both ends of the court.

OSU could go with a three-guard lineup.

Sophomore PG Ahmad Starks (5'8", 153 lbs - 7.8 ppg; 1.5 apg) looks to push the tempo in the open court.

Roberto Nelson (6'3", 188 lbs - 7.5 ppg; 1.5 apg), former top 100 recruit brings toughness to the Oregon State perimeter.

Joe Burton (6'7", 280 lbs - 7.0 ppg; 5.6 rpg; 2.4 apg) will take on anyone in the middle. A good passing big, Burton led the Beavers in assists.

Devon Collier (7.0 ppg; 4.4 rpg) will continue to elevate his game in his sophomore season. 

9. Colorado Buffalo

Colorado will be searching for someone to fill the huge hole left with the departure of NBA draftee Alec Burks, four-year starter Cory Higgins and Levi Knutson.

However, this CU team does not lack talent or experience as they open the first season in the Pac-12.

Andre Roberson looks to be the Buffs next star. As a freshman, Roberson scored 6.4 ppg and pulled down 7.8 rpg.

Seniors Marcus Relphorde (11.5 ppg; 4.3 rpg; 2.3 apg) and Austin Dufault (7.0 ppg; 4.1 rpg) give CU two more strong, frontcourt options.

Senior guard Nate Tomlinson can fill it up from beyond the arc (46.3 percent in 2010-11).

Sophomore PG Shannon Sharpe brings toughness to Colorado's backcourt.

8. Washington State Cougars

The Cougars return three starters, and head coach Ken Bone is ready to lead the Cougars as they start a new chapter.

Washington State needs to find their next go-to guy after the departure of NBA draft pick Klay Thompson and DeAngelo Casto.

Reggie Moore (pictured; 9.1 ppg; 3.0 rpg; 3.4 apg) is a steady floor general.

Faisal Aden (12.7 ppg; 3.2 rpg), Marcus Capers (5.8 ppg; 4.4 rpg) and Abe Lodwick (3.5 ppg; 4.1 rpg) will see increased roles in the Cougar attack.

The Cougars also add Mike Ladd, an outside scoring threat/transfer from Fresno State.

JuCo transfer D.J. Shelton (6'10", 228 lbs) gives WSU their most legitimate inside option.

7. USC Trojans

This was going to be a season of transition for the Trojans anyway. But when Jio Fontan tore his anterior cruciate ligament last month, USC's season got that much more challenging.

Fontan averaged 10.5 points a game as a junior. No one else who returns to the Trojans even averaged double-digits last year.

As always, head coach Kevin O'Neil will have USC playing a tough brand of physical basketball.

Sophomore guard Maurice Jones (9.9 ppg; 3.2 apg) is more than capable of stepping up into the moment.

A pair of true freshman may get their chance to immediately contribute on the perimeter.

SF Byron Wesley (6'5", 210 lbs) reminds some of a smaller Ron Artest (or should I say Meta World Peace).

Alexis Moore (6'2", 180 lbs) is fearless in going to the basket.

The Trojans will rely heavily on three big transfers, Aaron Fuller (6'6", 230 lbs - 9.7 ppg; 6.2 rpg for Iowa in 2009-10), Dewayne Dedmon (7'0", 255 lbs; coming off a redshirt season) and James Blasczyk (7'0" transfer from Texas A&M and Lee College in Texas).

Both Fuller and Dedmon need to be double-double guys right off the bat.

6. Oregon Ducks

Head coach Dana Altman has not wasted time jump-starting the Oregon basketball program.

Last year, the Ducks went 21-18 and were the CBI Champions.

Altman brought in two talented transfers, as well as another top-level recruiting class that will position Oregon to move into the top half of the Pac-12.

Louisiana Tech transfer Olu Ashaolu (6'7", 228 lbs - 14.2 ppg; 9.4 rpg) and Wake Forest transfer Tony Woods (7'0", 245 lbs) will both be eligible immediately.

Junior forward E.J. Singler (pictured; 6'6", 210 lbs - 11.4 ppg; 5.7 rpg) is the top returning scorer.

Senior guard Garrett Sim is a steady backcourt leader.

Incoming freshman Jabari Brown (No. 7 SG in the nation) is a pure shooter with NBA range.  

5. Stanford Cardinal

This could be Johnny Dawkins' breakthrough season at Stanford.

He's done a good job of recruiting and his Cardinal teams have gained some great experience. Now they just need to put it all together on the court.

Stanford has a formidable front line.

Josh Owens (6'8", 230 lbs) led the team in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and blocks (29), while ranking second in scoring (11.7 ppg) and steals (25).

Sophomore wing Anthony Brown (6'6", 200 lbs - 8.7 ppg; 3.2 rpg) and Dwight Powell (6'9", 227 lbs - 8.1 ppg; 5.2 rpg) have all the tools to be Stanford stars.

Dawkins also has options in terms of who will bring it in the backcourt.

Jarrett Mann (4.9 ppg; 3.2 rpg; 4.2 apg) and Aaron Bright (5.1 ppg; 2.0 apg) are solid floor generals. Freshman PG Chasson Randle has a scorer's mentality and the skills to back it up. 

4. Arizona Wildcats

No one can subtract a player of Derrick Williams' caliber and get better.

But Arizona may have as much if not more depth than any other team in the conference.

So what they lack in proven star power, they definitely make up for with the ability to throw so many talented players at you in numerous combinations.  

Senior guard Kyle Fogg (8.1 ppg; 2.6 apg) is ready to step up and be a main scoring option.

Solomon Hill (8.0 ppg; 4.7 rpg; 1.7 apg) has all the tools to become a fantastic SF.

Jesse Perry (6.6 ppg; 4.4 rpg) is your classic blue-collar player—he just gets things done.

But what could thrust the Cats starting lineup into the stratosphere is a fab-four freshman class.

Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson (both ESPNU five-stars) may be one of the best incoming backcourt tandems in the country.

PFs Angelo Chol and Sidiki Johnson (both four-stars) add size and strength along the U of A front line.

Head coach Sean Miller will have the "challenge" (nice challenge to have) of sorting out who will start.

My guess is that he will play no less than nine players interchangeably and not see much of a drop-off anywhere.

While I am rating the Cats starting lineup as No. 4, they may sneak up and take the first Pac-12 title as a TEAM.

3. Washington Huskies

The outlook for Huskies basketball just recently got brighter when they found out that PG Abdul Gaddy was cleared to get back on the court.

Gaddy (pictured) tore the ACL in his left knee during practice this past January, ending what had started out as a promising sophomore season.

True freshman Tony Wroten (No. 5 PG in the nation) will slash and create from wherever you put him.

Sophomore wing Terrence Jones (7.9 ppg; 2.8 rpg) is ready to have a breakout season.

The biggest question marks for UDub are in their frontcourt.

Azia N'Diaye (7'0", 260 lbs - 4.6 ppg; 5.6 rpg) will be counted on in the middle.

Head coach Lorenzo Romar can pick from one of three newcomers to fill the PF position: Jernard Jarreau, Martin Breunig or Shawn Kemp, Jr.

2. UCLA Bruins

UCLA is facing a unique challenge in the 2011-12 season. While Pauley Pavillion is being renovated, Ben Howland's squad will play no true home games.

The Bruins will play 14 of 18 homes games at the L.A. Sports Arena, while the remaining four will be played at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

On the court, UCLA will draw from a lot of frontcourt talent to get things done.

Reeves Nelson (13.9 ppg; 9.1 rpg) and Josh Smith (10.9 ppg; 6.3 rpg) give Howland an excellent place from which to build his inside-out attack.

Howland could "go huge" by starting one of the Wear twins (David or Travis; 6'10" forwards who transferred from UNC) also on the front line.

Lazeric Jones (9.1 ppg; 2.1 rpg; 3.6 apg) will run the point. Jerime Anderson (5.1 ppg; 2.6 apg) will start at the two after serving a two-game suspension.

1. Cal Bears

Mike Montgomery's 2011-12 Bears are the most talented and experienced squad he has put on the floor since coming to Berkley.

He returns his top three scorers from last year.

Last year's team MVP Jorge Gutierrez (pictured; 14.6 ppg; 3.8 rpg; 4.5 apg) is an excellent floor leader.

Red-shirt senior Harper Kamp (6'8", 245 lbs - 14.6 ppg; 5.6 rpg) is a force to be reckoned with in the middle.

2011 Pac 10 Freshman of the Year Allen Crabbe (13.3 ppg; 5.5 rpg; 2.0 apg) is an excellent wing who can score in so many different ways.

Brandon Smith (6.3 ppg; 2.4 rpg; 3.9 apg) is the final piece to Cal's perimeter attack. 

Sophomore forward Richard Solomon (6'10", 220 lbs) may be ready to take on the world.