From Rivals.com:
Preseason picks (Pac-10 predicted order of finish)
1. UCLA*
2. USC*
3. Arizona*
4. Washington State*
5. Stanford*
6. Oregon*
7. Washington#
8. California#
9. Arizona State
10. Oregon State
*-NCAA
#-NITTeam on the rise
USC - The Trojans' run to the Sweet 16 in the 2007 NCAA Tournament was no one-year fluke. Coach Tim Floyd and his staff are stockpiling the program with the kind of talent normally reserved for elite programs. The Trojans landed the nation's No. 3 recruiting class for 2007, a group led by longtime prep phenom O.J. Mayo. The Trojans have received a commitment from the No. 2 overall prospect in the class of 2008, guard Demar DeRozan from Compton, Calif. The Trojans are also in the hunt for the No. 1-ranked prospects from the class of 2009 and 2010, Renardo Sidney and Jeremy Tyler. Both came to USC's Galen Center, which opened last season, for midnight madness. If the Trojans stay this hot on the recruiting trail, soon there will be two powerhouse college basketball programs in Los Angeles.
Best offensive playerO.J. Mayo, USC - If the NBA hadn't put a new age limit into place last year, Mayo already would have played in his first NBA game by now. Instead, the 6-5 guard brings his polished game to the Trojans, who are desperate for offense after losing three double-digit scorers (Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt and Lodrick Stewart). A dangerous scorer, Mayo is a good outside shooter (ignore his 4-of-17 shooting performance in the 2007 McDonald's All-American game) who can also attack the basket and get to the free-throw line. Mayo, who will turn 20 before the season begins, also has great vision and has the potential to be a good distributor.
Freshman sleeper
Angelo Johnson, USC - Five-star prospects O.J. Mayo and Davon Jefferson have garnered nearly all of the attention when it comes to UCS's 2007 recruiting class, but Johnson could also play a key role. The Trojans coaches were elated to learn that the lightning-quick 5-10 point guard, who was part of the 2008 class, became eligible in September. With guard Daniel Hackett out with a broken jaw that may force him to miss some games, Johnson may be asked to start immediately. Even when Hackett returns, expect Johnson to be a significant part of the rotation.
Nice breakdown of the conference. I think the Angelo as the "freshman sleeper" pick is spot on since he'll see a lot of valuable PT early with Hackett out. Also, I see Hackett's future at the 2/3 spot where he can take bigger players off the dribble, which means Angelo could very well be the starting PG come conference play. He'll also be valuable defensively matching up against Darren Collison (UCLA), Tajuan Porter (Oregon), and the rest of the quick point-guards in the conference.
