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Runaway favorites UCLA receives 24 of 27 first-place votes by Pac-10 media
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- UCLA was an overwhelming pick to win the Pac-10 Conference men's basketball title on Monday in a poll of media. The Bruins received 24 out of 27 possible first-place votes and 267 points. They haven't won a conference title since 1997, which was Steve Lavin's first season as coach after replacing the fired Jim Harrick. "Being picked to win the league is a sign of respect for our program and players," Lavin said at Pac-10 media day. "Where you are in the preseason really doesn't mean a thing, you have to play the games. It's where you finish that matters most and all those other corny things." The Bruins open the season Nov. 19 against Houston in the Maui Invitational. If they advance, they could face Kansas and Duke. "That's a nice little challenge for us. We'd rather have the challenge early so we can see how we look," said forward Jason Kapono, who passed up the NBA draft to return for his junior season. "We know we have a chance to make it to the Final Four." Stanford, the three-time defending Pac-10 champion, earned one first-place vote and 222 points as the No. 2 pick. "That's more a sign of respect for what has been rather than what is," said coach Mike Montgomery, who lost four starters, including Jarron and Jason Collins. Southern California, coming off its first-ever final eight appearance in the NCAA tournament last season, was selected to finish third. The Trojans received 208 points. "I feel they can win this league," Stanford guard Casey Jacobsen said of the Trojans. "They have experience and multiple all-league players." Arizona, which shared the Pac-10 title with Stanford in 2000, was picked to finish fourth, earning two first-place votes and 200 points. "We have no clue at this time how we'll be. It all depends on the day," coach Lute Olson said. The Wildcats have no seniors for the first time in 57 years. They lost four players to the NBA draft from a team that finished runner-up to Duke for the national championship. California was selected fifth (161), Oregon was sixth (117), Arizona State was seventh (111), Oregon State was eighth (95), Washington State was ninth (57) and Washington was 10th (47). For the first time since 1990, the Pac-10 will hold a postseason tournament, March 7-9. The Staples Center in Los Angeles will be the host site for the next six years. The top eight teams in the regular season standings will play in the tournament. Olson remains adamant that the conference should not have a postseason tournament, which falls during exam week. "I don't think we're sending out the right message in terms of class attendance," he said. "The Pac-10 cringes every time I say that, but that's how I feel." Cal coach Ben Braun, however, welcomes the extra three games. "It's a chance for people around the country to see how good the Pac-10 is," he said. "It might provide an opportunity for a team on the bubble to get into the NCAA tournament."
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