Pac-12 basketball: 5 bold predictions for 2020-2021 NCAA basketball season

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Arizona State Sun Devils. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /

Pac-12 basketball should be a wildly entertaining race for the 2020-2021 season as Oregon, UCLA, Arizona State and more have a shot at the crown.

For a couple of years there, Pac-12 basketball was more of an afterthought than it ever should be for such a historically rich conference. But the tides finally started turning last year as there were up to seven teams from the league that seemed in line for a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The conference is getting stronger and that will be on full display in the 2020-2021 season.

Oregon and UCLA are the clear favorites to win the conference but neither team is going to cruise unchecked to the Pac-12 crown. Arizona State might have one of the best teams in program history, Stanford and USC could be fearsome and the argument could be made that there isn’t a legitimately bad team in the entire conference.

So how will things play out in the league given what we see? Let’s dive into the landscape and figure that out as we make Pac-12 basketball predictions for some awards, the final standings and more.

Pac-12 basketball Player of the Year: Remy Martin, G, Arizona State

There is a huge influx of talent in the Pac-12 this season between strong freshman classes (three top-12 overall recruits are now joining the conference) and a loaded class of transfers. Subsequently, there is going to be a ton of talent in the league and some great performances. But maybe that’s to the credit of Remy Martin that he’s still the Player of the Year favorite despite that.

The senior guard for Arizona State was an outright star for the Sun Devils as a junior, averaging 19.1 points, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals per contest. He produces on both ends of the floor and is a bonafide playmaker. Perhaps just as important, he’s a fierce competitor who won’t go unnoticed for his efforts.

Going unnoticed will also be impossible for Martin when you consider the fact that he and the Sun Devils should be in the mix to win the Pac-12 this season.

When you combine the talent that Martin has displayed, his presence as an established player entering his senior year and the fact that Arizona State might enjoy one of the best seasons in program history with him as the unquestioned leader of the charge, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with a good argument as to why the guard isn’t a leading candidate to win Pac-12 Player of the Year.