Pac-12 preview: With 5 ranked teams, final conference season could produce fireworks

The Pac-12 is seemingly saving the best for last.

After 108 years of existence, and 13 of this current iteration (with Utah and Colorado who were added in 2011), the conference is disbanding. But not without one final chapter for the memory books.

And it’s poised to be a great one.

The Pac-12 boasts five current AP Top 25 teams and three who are receiving votes. Competitive is an understatement.

Pac-12 outlook: A final hoorah with stacked conference

No. 2 UCLA is the favorite to win the conference, as the Bruins are currently undefeated (11-0) with wins over UConn, Florida State and Ohio State. UCLA’s stock rose in the offseason when senior guard Charisma Osborne chose to return, and former No. 1 recruit Lauren Betts transferred from Stanford to join the Bruins.

UCLA is a legit Final Four contender with a potent offense that includes five double-digit scorers — Betts (16.9 ppg), Osborne (14.5), Gabriela Jaquez (13.7), Kiki Rice (13.5) and Londynn Jones (13.4).

The Bruins will be challenged in their opening game of conference play, taking on No. 6 USC and star freshman JuJu Watkins (8 p.m. ET Saturday).

Watkins is another of the conference’s top players, coming in as the No. 1 freshman in the country and instantly making her mark. The guard scored 32 points in her debut against Ohio State and is leading the Trojans with 26.8 points per game. Watkins chose USC — her hometown school — over South Carolina and Stanford, something that has already changed the future of the program.

The Trojans have a lot of history, including back-to-back championships in 1983 and 1984, but recent squads haven’t gotten close to that kind of success. Winning the Pac-12 in its final season would be a great first step for a Trojans squad that hasn’t made it out of the first weekend of March Madness since 2006.

No. 11 Utah and No. 8 Colorado also face off on opening week. The Utes caught national attention when Alissa Pili dropped 37 points in a loss to South Carolina, and Colorado started the season in the spotlight after defeating defending champion LSU. Both teams are serious contenders in the Pac-12 and beyond.

Utah’s biggest challenge will be injuries, as the Utes play without second-leading scorer and dynamic guard Gianna Kneepkens who suffered a season-ending injury. Point guard Issy Palmer has also been out, with no timetable for return. Pili is averaging 23.8 points per game, but the Utes can’t expect her to have the kind of performance she did against South Carolina. If they can find secondary scoring without Kneepkens, then the Utes will continue to be dangerous.

For Colorado, experience is the biggest factor. The Buffs return their top five leading scorers from a team that made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003.

The Pac-12 boasts four top 10 teams in No. 2 UCLA, No. 6 USC, No. 8 Colorado and No. 9 Stanford. The Cardinal lost a lot to the transfer portal last season — most notably Betts — but they’ve maintained the same standard that the basketball world has seen for years, going 10-1 in nonconference games.

Washington, which opened the season with 11 wins in a row, Washington State and Oregon State are also getting votes in the AP Top 25 poll.

Under-the-radar player to watch

Colorado’s win over LSU was the topic of conversation around college basketball, but things cooled for Colorado after a lopsided loss to NC State a few weeks later. But even when the Buffs were the talk of the town, conversations surrounded their experience and defense, rather than individual players.

The Pac-12 has multiple Player of the Year contenders, including Pili, Watkins and Stanford senior Cameron Brink. Those three will command a lot of attention throughout the conference slate, but in conference play, Colorado’s Frida Formann should not be overlooked. She leads the Buffs in scoring with 15.4 points per game and opens up the team’s attack with her shooting. Formann makes 48.1% of her 3-pointers.

But perhaps the most impressive, and dangerous, thing about Formann is her penchant for showing up in big moments. She scored 27 points against LSU, making 7-of-11 3-pointers, and was equally dominant in a Sweet 16 loss to Iowa last season, keeping her team afloat with 21 points.

Yahoo Sports’ prediction to win the conference

Cassandra Negley: Utah

Eden Laase: Stanford

There’s no player in the Pac-12, and maybe in all of college basketball, as impactful on offense and defense as Brink. So while Stanford’s slew of transfers in the offseason made headlines, retaining Brink is enough to build a contender around. Brink alone commands the attention of every defense the Cardinal will face this season, but it’s her post partnership with Kiki Iriafen that has me leaning toward Stanford to win the conference.

Brink averages 19.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game, while Iriafen is posting 17 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Stopping one elite post is a challenge, but stopping two on the same team can be near impossible. Stanford’s one loss this season came when Brink was sick and sat out the entire second half.

Teams that could make noise in March

There’s a world in which UCLA, USC, Colorado, Utah and Stanford all make it to the Sweet 16, and I can see each of those teams in the Elite Eight as well, depending on matchups. But UCLA and Stanford have the best title chances. They both have complete teams, experience and elite posts to play around.