Pac Men

Did you hear that? That was the last major conference media day, which means tip-off is closer than ever. So let's dive into the news from Wednesday.

1. The scoop out West

Wednesday was the last power conference media day as Pac-12 coaches and staff gathered in San Francisco. UCLA took first place in the media poll for the second straight season. Arizona and Oregon look like the biggest threats to the Bruins' hopes of winning the conference title in 2022-23. And how about Stanford with a first-place vote?!

So, what were the main takeaways from media day? 

• Marcus Bagley is finally healthy! The former top-50 recruit and Arizona State legacy (grandson of the legendary Joe Caldwell) dealt with injury after injury, which limited him to 15 total games in two seasons. If he's healthy, he's a difference-maker thanks to his smooth shooting stroke. 

• Craig Smith says "It's time to put the 'Runnin'' back into 'Runnin' Utes.'"  

• California forward Lars Thiemann reaffirms the goal is to win the title, despite how unlikely it is. 

• Dana Altman doesn't think Pac-12 basketball is in trouble when USC/UCLA bolt to the Big Ten in 2023-24.

• Andy Enfield called USC freshman Oziyah Sellars the "Best shooter in our program." The 6-foot-5 wing should help space the floor, an area where USC struggled last season. 

2. Something's Bruin out West

You might know the set-up. From The Almanac:

Scoff at UCLA if you wish. Yes, they were viewed as a disappointment last season, but injuries and COVID derailed many programs last year. But a 4-seed and a Sweet 16 appearance — not to mention nearly toppling UNC in that game — point to a solid season. And this season should be just as productive, especially when you have two stalwarts in Jaime Jaquez Jr. (a preseason All-America selection in The Almanac) and point guard Tyger Campbell.

Campbell was perhaps one of the biggest surprises last season. Teams would leave the undersized point guard alone on the perimeter and dare him to shoot. But the experienced guard made them pay, as he started splashing down perimeter jumpers to the tune of 41 percent from deep. 

The 5-star freshman duo of Amari Bailey and Adem Bona will be essential to the Bruins reaching their potential. Bailey will look to replace some of the scoring output Juzang provided, while Bona is a little more dynamic than Myles Johnson and Cody Riley. Neither of the two former Bruin bigs displayed big-time athleticism, but that's the calling card of Bona's game. 

For the full UCLA preview (and 1,300 words on every single team in America) purchase The Almanac for just $19.99.

3. Taking stock in the MAC and Big South

The reigning Big South champ is once again the team to beat. Meanwhile Winthrop and UNC Asheville trail behind at second and third, respectively, in the preseason poll that was released Wednesday.

Asheville's best Chet Holmgren-impressionist, Drew Pember, took home preseason player of the year honors — he averaged 15.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks last season. You can see the rest of the first-team selections here.

For the MAC, 2022 regular-season runner-up Kent State is the pick to win in 2023.

The Golden Flashes won 14 consecutive games before losing to Akron in the conference title game in March. They return 10 players from last year's 23-11 squad, but they'll be pushed by Toledo (which returns four starters) and MAC tourney champ Akron.

All three placed players on the preseason first-team, which you can see here. Also of note: former 5-star prospect Emoni Bates was a second-team pick. 

4. A stud for NC State 

NC State has its first (well, technically second, more on than in a bit) commit for the class of 2023.

Dennis Parker Jr. is a 6-7 wing out of Richmond, Va., and chose the Wolfpack over Georgetown and Oklahoma State. The Wolfpack once had Robert Dillingham as a 2023 commit before he switched his pledge to Kentucky, which makes Parker the only committed player in next year's class.

Parker told On3.com: “I talk to Coach Keatts a lot and Coach Levi [Watkins]. They’ve been big on me since my freshman year, I have nothing but respect and love for them. They have a good plan for me; they see me as kind of a Dereon Seabron-type, but think I can be better."

Being better than Seabron seems like a pretty big reach, considering he took the ACC by storm despite the Wolfpack's ghastly win-loss record. If Parker is a Seabron-type of player, then NC State could make some serious noise in the ACC soon.

Parker's a Top 100 recruit with great length and a nice mid-range game and should be an asset for Kevin Keatts' program. Probably.

Here’s why this is interesting: if NC State fails to make the NCAA Tournament once again, it could spell the end of Keatts’ tenure. It's not an absolute, but the conversation will be discussed. Two seasons ago, fellow ACC coaches Josh Pastner and Brad Brownell had extremely hot seats before making the NCAA Tournament and saving their jobs for at least two more seasons.

At the very least, the Pack Faithful will hope he leads to more wins than Dennis Smith Jr. did.

Also in recruiting news:

• St. John's added JUCO All-American Yaxel Lendeborg, a 6-9 forward in the class of 2023.

5. Julius Erving award questions

In today's edition of "What is happening with these preseason awards," here's an example of multiple players on the "small forward" list that don't currently or have ever played the position. 

Notably, three players, Jalen Wilson from Kansas, Tyler Wahl from Wisconsin and Kevin Obanor aren't small forwards. Each member of that trio slots in at the 4 for their respective teams. The notable names here are Cam Whitmore (Villanova), Julian Strawther (Gonzaga) and Pelle Larsson (Arizona). Larsson is an under-the-radar candidate for the Erving award... and he actually plays the 3! 

Links as you marvel at Giannis Antetokounmpo. Again.

• Jose Perez, the preseason MAAC POY, says he's heard from 19 schools since entering the transfer portal on Tuesday. Teammate Omar Silverio also says he's entering the portal as well.

• Kansas sophomore point guard Bobby Pettiford says he's 100% heathy for the first time since high school.

• The NCAA issued clarifications for its interim NIL guidelines. Not all the guidelines make sense, though.

• Nevada's Hunter McIntosh is out for 3-4 months with an injury, opening the door for freshman Trey Pettigrew to potentially start.

• After a national title appearance, Hubert Davis agreed to a new six-year deal with UNC worth $16.7 million.

THE DTF PODCAST

The most surprising part of preseason polls

We're still days from the first tip-off, so Terrence Oglesby, Rob Dauster and John Fanta spent a few minutes dissecting the AP poll and the computer ratings that dropped last week.

It's not the usual stuff, though. Have a watch.

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