Pac-10 Teams At A Glance
 

UCLA: Plus — Pac-10 Player of the Year Arron Afflalo, right, who may be leaving early for the NBA, was honored for his superb defensive play as well as his 17 points a game. Minus — Starting center Lorenzo Mata shoots a Shaq-like 37 percent at the free-throw line. Etc. — Fourth-ranked UCLA is 22-0 in Los Angeles since last February.

Washington State: Plus — Third in turnovers (10.5) and 12th in defense (58.6) in the latest NCAA Division I statistics. Minus — Leading scorer Derrick Low (13.5) has topped his average once in nine games since burning Oregon for 37 on Jan. 27. Etc. — Ivory Clark and Daven Harmeling, starting forwards most of the season for the 11th-ranked Cougars, have combined for 12 points and 14 rebounds the past three games.

USC: Plus — Hold opponents to 38.6 percent shooting, which ranks seventh in the latest Division I stats. Minus — Have lost back-to-back games for the first time. Etc. — Sweet-shooting junior Nick Young (17.5 ppg) is talking about turning pro.

Oregon: Plus — The 16th-ranked Ducks are the only team in the country with three wins over Top 10 teams. Minus — Yielded more than 70 points in half their league games. Etc. — All five starters average 11 or more points.

Arizona: Plus — The unranked Wildcats have three of the league’s top eight scorers; no other team has more than one player in the top 10. Minus — The Wildcats open with similarly explosive Oregon, the only other Pac-10 team with as long an active winning streak (three games). Etc. — Olson expects sophomore forward Marcus Williams (16.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg) to enter the NBA draft.

Stanford: Plus — Standout point guard Anthony Goods is expected to play for the first time since turning an ankle Feb. 11 at Washington. Minus — Lost rematches with the top three Pac-10 teams (UCLA, WSU and USC) after winning the first meetings. Etc. — Frosh twins Robin and Brook Lopez rank 1-2 in the Pac-10 in blocked shots, and the Cardinal averages a league-record 6.1 blocks.

Washington: Plus — Beat three Top 12 teams and twice lost by four to Top 10 teams. Minus — Own 17-2 home record, 1-10 road record. Etc. — Would meet Washington State in the quarterfinals; the Huskies are 0-4 against WSU the past two seasons.

California: Plus — Lead the league in free-throw shooting percentage at 77.3 (third in Division I). Minus — Ninth in the league in free-throw attempts. Etc. — Have lost 10 of 12, including the last four (longest active losing streak in the conference).

Oregon State: Plus — Beat higher seeds in the first round of the last two Pac-10 tourneys. Minus — Ninth or 10th in the league in most team statistics, including 59.6 percent free-throw shooting (319th of 325 Division I teams). Etc. — Three losses of 40-plus points.

Arizona State: Plus — Slow-down offense and active zone defense can cause problems. Minus — Lost 15 straight before going 2-2 the last four games. Etc. — Eleven losses by six points or less.

See more at www.kitsapsun.com