1. Arizona: The Wildcats have finished in the top two of the Pacific-10 Conference since 1996-97, and that won’t change this season. Despite a lack of depth, Arizona has surged to the top of the conference. Andre Iguodola (with a league-leading 6.3 assists per game) helps pace the offense while Hassan Adams is fourth in the Pac-10 in scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game. If the Wildcats slip from grace, it wouldn’t be so bad after all. They won the 1997 national championship after going 11-7 in conference play.
2. Stanford: No matter what the prognosticators say about Mike Montgomery’s teams, they have a tendency to start strong. That has been the case this season. The Cardinal jumped to an 11-0 start, including wins over then-No. 1 Kansas and then-No. 15 Gonzaga. Matt Lottich has been a pleasant surprise for Stanford, averaging 13.5 points per game. Justin Davis provides size up front — he’s 6-foot-9 — and is seventh in the Pac-10 with 7.5 rebounds per game.
3. UCLA: Relegated to the bottom half of the conference before the season by the media and coaches, the Bruins have surprised many, turning in a 6-3 record to start the season. UCLA needs to learn consistency, though, losing to UC Santa Barbara and being taken into overtime by Loyola Marymount during nonconference play. First-year head coach Ben Howland never finished worse than fifth in four years at Pittsburgh. Chances are that streak will continue this season.
4. Oregon: Easily the No. 3 team in the conference before Aaron Brooks’ injury, the Ducks are the fastest team in the Pac-10. Luke Jackson is one of the most talented players in the conference and has proven, to a point, that he can shoulder the offensive load. Ian Crosswhite is coming into his own and has shown that he can be one of the top five big men in the conference. Oregon’s season will come down to how well the team can gel in Brooks’ absence.
5. Arizona State: Ike Diogu may be the best player in the Pac-10 this season, and he’s just a sophomore. The Garland, Texas, native is averaging 23.7 points and nine rebounds per game. The problem for the Sun Devils is that he constitutes too much of their offense. Steve Moore averages 16 points per game for Arizona State in a secondary role. Fifth, however, is a respectable position in a conference that could send as many as six teams to the NCAA Tournament.
6. California: Once considered the third-best team in the Pac-10, California has fallen on hard times, evidenced by a 55-50 loss to lowly Washington State last week. Amit Tamir is a talent for the Golden Bears, but a slow start hindered him and California. Head coach Ben Braun has one of the brightest minds on the West Coast, but he will need help in pulling this team out of a season-long slump. So far this season, the Bears have lost to Air Force, University of Nevada-Las Vegas and Cal Poly.
7. USC: A second-place finish two seasons ago is a distant memory for head coach Henry Bibby and the Trojans. USC has been inconsistent to start the season, especially in losses to Brigham Young, Cal Poly and Western Michigan. Desmon Farmer averages 17.7 points per game, good for third in the Pac-10, and Jeff McMillan is third in the conference in rebounding at 9.5 per game. It will take more though for the Trojans to break through into NCAA Tournament territory. Can you say NIT?
8. Washington State: First-year head coach Dick Bennett has them believing in Pullman. Long considered conference doormats, the Cougars have not finished in the top five in the Pac-10 since a tie for fifth in 1995-96 and have also failed to win the conference crown since Arizona and Arizona State joined the league for the 1978-79 season. Still, Bennett and Marcus Moore should vault the Cougars into the Pac-10 Tournament.
9. Oregon State: The word is that the Beavers have improved, but to what extent? Their most impressive win came against Willamette, and Oregon State nearly lost to Sacramento State (they won by 3) on Dec. 22. Chris Stephens does give the Beavers a glimmer of hope. He averages 15.8 points per game for a team that shoots 42 percent from the field. Second-year head coach Jay John is still in the process of turning this program into a winner, but is still at least a few years away.
10. Washington: Really, what was the point of firing Bob Bender a few years ago? Granted, the Huskies had not done anything under Bender since the 1998-99 season when they went to the NCAA Tournament, but it’s not much better under Lorenzo Romar. He led them to a 5-13 conference ledger last season and led Washington to a 5-5 overall record to start this season. That includes consecutive losses to California and Stanford, by 16 and 15 points respectively, to start the season.

— Hank Hager
Games to watch
Stanford at Arizona (Jan. 10 — Fox Sports Net): This early conference tilt pits the
conference’s top two teams. Hassan Adams against Matt Lotich is a top matchup.
California at Arizona State (Jan. 10 — FSN): Even though this one doesn’t have the same intrigue as the Wildcats and the Cardinal, it features two potent offenses.
UCLA at Stanford (Jan. 22 — FSN): Can the new-look Bruins defeat their California contemporaries. This will be an early-season test for UCLA and head coach Ben Howland.
Oregon at Arizona (Jan. 25 — CBS): It’s always a party when these two teams get
together. Without Luke Ridnour, it will be a test for Luke Jackson and the Ducks.
Arizona State at Washington State (Jan. 29): Ike Diogu and the Sun Devils visit
Pullman, which could be a dangerous place now that Dick Bennett is roaming the court.
Arizona at California (Feb. 5 — FSN): The Golden Bears always play tough at home, even in a down season. This game should show the Wildcats where they are nationally.
Oregon State at Oregon (4 p.m. — FSN): Because it’s the Civil War. Because no Oregon player has ever lost to the Beavers. Because Luke Jackson will face OSU for the last time.
Arizona at Oregon (Feb. 19 — FSN): The second matchup of the season in what is
becoming one of the top rivalries in the Pac-10. This one always gets interesting.