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Ranking the strength of schedule of Pac-10 men's basketball teams
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UCLA coach Ben Howland/AP Photo Reed Saxon
Early-season tournaments make it difficult to determine which Pac-10 team has the toughest nonconference schedule because it is impossible to know for sure who each team will play.
The strength of schedule for UCLA, Arizona State, Arizona and Cal could vary considerably based on how things shake out in their tournaments.
Washington looks like the only Pac-10 team with a reasonable chance to be unbeaten when conference play starts.
Here are our strength-of-schedule rankings, with the qualifications noted:
1. UCLA -- The Bruins venture outside southern California only once in nonconference play and that is against unranked Notre Dame. But UCLA plays a pretty good Portland team in Anaheim and then will play either No. 11 Butler or No. 25 Minnesota. The Bruins could also play No. 8 West Virginia in that event. There is no question that UCLA will play No. 1 Kansas and No. 18 Mississippi State, though, with the former game at Pauley Pavilion and the latter in Anaheim.
2. Cal -- The Bears will play a pretty good, but unranked Syracuse team (the Orange lost an exhibition game to Division II LeMoyne) in New York, then will play either No. 6 North Carolina or No. 16 Ohio State. The Bears also play No. 1 Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, so the Bears could wind up with the toughest nonconference schedule.
3. USC -- The Trojans have only three tough games, but they are doozies -- No. 3 Texas and No. 22 Georgia Tech on the road and No. 10 Tennessee at home. Seven of the Trojans' first nine games are at home, so it should still have a decent nonconference record.
4. Arizona -- The Wildcats' schedule is not as tough as it has been in the past, but it still has some challenges. The toughest is a road game against No. 17 Oklahoma, but Arizona also plays some pretty good unranked teams -- Gonzaga, BYU, Wisconsin and San Diego State -- and might play Maryland or Vanderbilt in a tournament.
5. Arizona State -- The Sun Devils' schedule could be a tough one if it gets to the Preseason NIT semifinals, because it would play No. 9 Duke and might also play No. 12 Connecticut. If it loses before it gets to New York, though, Baylor and San Diego State will be the Sun Devils' toughest nonconference challenges.
6. Washington State -- With games against No. 18 Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, Baylor, Gonzaga and LSU, the Cougars' nonconference schedule looks tougher than it really is. Pitt, LSU and Baylor are not top-25 material this season, and Gonzaga is not as good as ususal either. It is still a challenging slate for WSU, which will do well to win any of those games.
7. Stanford -- The Cardinal's schedule will take a step up if it beats Virginia in Cancun to earn a shot at No. 4 Kentucky. Even if it loses to Virginia, the Cardinal will have a challenge on its hands from Cleveland State. A home game against Oklahoma State and road games against Northwestern and Texas Tech would make this a tougher schedule than Arizona State's if the Sun Devils avoid Duke and/or UConn.
8. Washington -- The Huskies play 11 of their 13 nonconference games at home, including games against Portland and Texas A&M. The one road game is against Texas Tech, and Washington's toughest nonconference game is a neutral-court game against No. 20 Georgetown in Anaheim. The Huskies have a shot to be unbeaten heading into Pac-10 play.
9. Oregon State -- The Beavers play a bunch of decent teams away from home -- Texas A&M, George Washington, Texas Tech and Nebraska -- so the schedule may be tougher than it appears. However, not many of Oregon State's games are gimmes, so its nonconference record should be a good indicator of its team's ability.
10. Oregon -- The Ducks play no ranked teams in nonconference play, with their toughest games being road games against Missouri and Portland, both of whom are decent, but neither of whom is close to being ranked. Oregon's record may look pretty good heading into conference play.
For more Bay Area college sports, see jakestakeonsports.com.
See also:
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