There are freshman stars seemingly everywhere in the Pacific 10 Conference and an impressive record by the league against nonconference teams.
But here is perhaps the best indication of the Pac-10's resurgence: UCLA is unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the nation a season after playing for the NCAA title, and hardly anyone is giving the Bruins a chance of running the table, least of all UCLA Coach Ben Howland.
"I can't imagine anyone going through conference without at least three or four losses. That will probably be the winner," Howland said.
UCLA isn't even a prohibitive favorite, not with Arizona, Washington and Oregon also in the top 25 -- which by the way, gives the Pac-10 one more ranked team than the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The challenges start quickly for the Bruins with a No. 1-vs.-No. 14 showdown Sunday with Washington at Pauley Pavilion -- not that anyone should dismiss upstart Washington State, which upset a Gonzaga team that had beaten North Carolina.
"It's going to be a wild ride," Washington Coach Lorenzo Romar said. "Good luck to those who feel they can predict who's going to finish where."
On that cautionary note, here's a closer look at the teams in the Pac-10, in predicted order of finish:
1. UCLA (11-0)
Take point guard Jordan Farmar, center Ryan Hollins and forward Cedric Bozeman from a Final Four team and you get ... a Bruins team that's doing fine, save for free-throw shooting problems. Darren Collison is handling the job at the point, and with Josh Shipp back after missing most of last season because of hip surgery, UCLA added something besides a year of maturity for the other players.
2. ARIZONA (9-1)
Chase Budinger -- pronounce it with a hard "g," as in budding star -- is one of those freshmen we were talking about. The red-haired former volleyball star is averaging 17.4 points, just a sliver behind Ivan Radenovic's team-leading average. No. 7-ranked Arizona hasn't lost since dropping a three-point game at Virginia in its season opener and is coming off a victory over Memphis, its first ranked opponent. Point guard Mustafa Shakur, a senior, is finally playing closer to expectations.
3. WASHINGTON (10-1)
Don't feel sorry for the Huskies with three freshmen and two sophomores in the starting lineup. Seven-foot freshman Spencer Hawes looked like an NBA player when he dominated Louisiana State star Glen Davis last week and finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds with a blend of finesse, drives and defense. Forward Quincy Pondexter, a redshirt freshman, is plenty good too. Aside from a 20-point loss to Gonzaga, this is a team with impressive potential.
