Pacific 10 Race: Huskies Favored, but Beavers Gaining

Before the college basketball season started, I was asked to handicap the Pacific 10, a task made only a little harder by the fact that I had seen no Pac-10 games last season. I did what any sportswriter would do. I consulted the usual magazines, talked with a few friends and picked all the favorites.

The teams have been playing for five weeks. Here’s how they look now:

1. Washington (8-2)--Considered an overpowering pick before the season, less so now. Lost to Georgia Tech and at BYU. The conference’s only top 20 team, 15th in the AP poll, 13th in UPI. Detlef Schrempf has been terrific, though.

2. Oregon State (9-1)--The Beavers lost by 17 to Hawaii, but otherwise have been better than expected. A.C. Green is averaging 20.2, shooting 56.2% and leading the conference with an 11.2 rebound average. The whole squad is shooting 54.8%. Walt Hazzard said: “Everybody talks about Washington. I’ve seen them, and Oregon State right now is a better team.”

3. Arizona (9-3)--After a 7-0 start, the Wildcats lost to Missouri, Minnesota and New Mexico. Craig McMillan, the highly touted freshman, is starting at off-guard, but with little impact so far.

4. USC (6-3)--The Trojans played well in losses to Memphis State and Duke. Derrick Dowell, at 6-6, is averaging 8.4 rebounds, which puts him behind only Green and Schrempf. The Trojans are outrebounding opponents by 7.3 a game.

5. UCLA (3-5)--The Bruins have the Pac-10’s only losing non-conference record, even if they came by it honestly. To get higher than this, they’re going to have to look better than they’ve looked. Even Hazzard is a little cautious.

“Some of the teams are going to get off to good starts,” he said. “Some will develop as the season goes along. I don’t know which category we fit into.”

Or if there’s a third category.

6. Oregon (7-6)--The Ducks were thought to be better but a hard schedule--losses to Illinois, Minnesota, after leading by 13, and Cal, after leading by 12--helped undo them. Don Monson is still experimenting with his lineup.

7. Stanford (8-2)--A surprise, even if Tom Davis did schedule everyone this side of the Little Sisters of the Poor. Hazzard is beside himself with admiration and wants only Davis’ telephone book. Kent Seymour, a 6-7 senior from Long Beach Poly who barely played until now, has already blocked 27 shots, tying Kimberly Belton’s school single-season record.

8. Cal (8-2)--Another surprise. Everyone knew guards Kevin Johnson and Chris Washington were something but 6-8 freshman center Leonard Taylor, suspected of being only 6-7, has given the Bears some muscle. He averages 12.5 points and 7.2 rebounds.

9. Arizona State (5-5)--Still another surprise, since the Sun Devils were supposed to be coming. Lost to Toledo, Texas El Paso, North Carolina, Florida and Miami of Ohio. Chris Sandle, a freshman from Long Beach Poly, has played well, though.

10. Washington State (8-2)--The Cougars reeled off seven victories in a row en route to their record. The biggest surprise of all, since the Cougars were thought to be in desperate shape. Joe Wallace, a 6-7 sophomore, is averaging 18 points a game and had 31 as WSU upset then-unbeaten Nebraska at Lincoln.