Scouting the Pac-12's top basketball talent

The Colorado Buffaloes received some welcome news Monday morning as the Pac-12 Conference released its all-conference teams for the 2019-20 men’s basketball season.

McKinley Wright IV and Tyler Bey led the Buffaloes to a 21-10 regular-season record and the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament and were rewarded with a number of honors.

Wright was first-team All-Pac-12 and made the Pac-12 Defensive Team.

Bey was the conference defensive player of the year, made the Pac-12 Defensive Team and also made the All-Pac-12 second-team roster.

Those are the only two Buffaloes to earn honors, but it’s worth studying up on the Pac-12’s top talent before the conference tournament begins Wednesday.

Player of the Year: Payton Pritchard, G, Oregon

Pritchard led the league in both scoring (20.5 points per game) and assists (5.6 assists per game) while leading the Oregon Ducks to the Pac-12 regular-season title.

Pritchard, a senior point guard, joins an impressive list of former Conference Players of the Year, including Gary Payton (Oregon State in 1989-90), Damon Stoudamire (Arizona, 1994-95), and Jason Terry (Arizona 1998-99).

While Oregon enjoys their first-round bye in the conference tournament, Pritchard still holds the key to a Pac-12 title. His ability to score from anywhere on the court, as well as find shooters open around the arc, has led to Oregon’s high ranking and projected high-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Freshman of the Year: Zeke Nnaji, F, Arizona

Buffs fans are all-too-familiar with Zeke Nnaji from their Jan. 18 matchup in which Nnaji grabbed a double-double while bullying the Buffaloes in the post.

Nnaji’s strong game against Colorado was no outlier, either, as he averaged 16.3 points per game on 57.3% shooting as well as grabbing 8.6 rebounds per game.

He also led the conference with 14 double-doubles, ranking third nationally for a freshman. Nnaji anchors the Wildcats frontcourt and will be a key part of their attack this week in Las Vegas.

Defensive Player of the Year: Tyler Bey, G/F, Colorado

It was clear from the beginning that this season would be a special one for Tyler Bey.

From earning five double-doubles within the first six games, Bey has established himself as the conference’s premier defender while still expanding on his offensive efficiency.

Of Bey’s 12 double-doubles this season, he is first the conference in rebounding while averaging 9.0 rebounds per game. He is also scoring 11.1 points per game to go along with 1.53 steals per game (fifth in the conference) and 1.2 blocks per game (sixth in the conference).

While earning an award as the Pac-12’s best defender, Bey is also one of the most well-rounded, showing versatility in his post offense while not shying away from guarding the opposing team’s best player. He ranks eighth in the nation with his defensive rating of 85.0 and he joins Andre Roberson as the only Buffaloes to win this award.

Most Improved Player of the Year: Chris Smith, F, UCLA

Chris Smith was pivotal in leading UCLA’s comeback this season, as his 13.1 points per game led the team on its way to a Pac-12 runner-up finish.

While doubling his scoring output from last season, he also set career bests in rebounding, assists, steals, and every major shooting category.

Smith was a large part of the Bruin’s 2-0 mark against the Buffs this season, as he averaged 22 points in those two outings to pair with averaging 4.5 rebounds and an assist. His versatility and leadership are keys to the Bruin’s making a run in the conference tournament and ultimately a chance to dance, so his play this week will be telling of UCLA’s chances.

Sixth Man of the Year: Alonzo Verge Jr., G, Arizona State

Alonzo Verge Jr. defines making the most of his minutes, ranking 14th in the league in scoring with his 14.6 points per game while still being a reserve in the rotation.

Of the 28 games the Sun Devils played this season, Verge came off the bench in 19 of them while starting in nine. Off the bench, he averaged a Division I-leading 16.8 points per game, compared to just 9.9 in the starting lineup.

Having such a weapon coming off the bench just displays ASU’s talent in their starting-five, a clear indication of their No. 3 seed in the tournament. If Colorado takes care of business in the first round against Washington State, the Buffs will take on the Sun Devils for the third time this season.

Colorado is 2-0 in those matchups, with a margin of victory of +17.

Coach of the Year, Mick Cronin, UCLA

Mick Cronin was able to revive a dying UCLA Bruins team that started the season 8-9 behind a 1-3 start to conference play.

This is Cronin’s third Coach of the Year award, with one coming in 2006 (Ohio Valley Conference, Murray State) Racers and the other coming in 2014 (The American Athletic Conference, Cincinnati Bearcats).

After starting slowly, UCLA went on a run behind using seven underclassmen to finish second in the conference with a chance at an NCAA Tournament bid.

All-Pac-12 First-Team

Colorado’s McKinley Wright earned his second first-team bid this season behind an impressive season of averaging 14.2 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, and 5.1 assists per game.

The full list of players making the First-Team bid are:

• McKinley Wright, G, Colorado
• Oscar da Silva, F, Stanford
• Remy Martin, G, Arizona State
• Zeke Nnaji, F, Arizona
• Payton Pritchard, G, Oregon
• Tres Tinkle, F, Oregon State
• Chris Smith, G, UCLA
• Onyeka Okongqu, F, USC
• Isaiah Stewart, F, Washington
• CJ Elleby, F, Washington State

All-Pac-12 Second Team

Tyler Bey, while earning ranks as the conference’s premier defender, falls into the Second-Team tier. The entire list is as follows:

• Timmy Allen, F, Utah
• Tyler Bey, G/F, Colorado
• Matt Bradley, G, California
• Nico Mannion, G, Arizona
• Jonah Matthews, G, USC

All-Pac-12 All-Freshman Team

No Buffaloes made the All-Freshman team:

• Nico Mannion, G, Arizona
• Zeke Nnaji, F, Arizona
• Onyeka Okongwu, F, USC
• Isaiah Stweart, F, Washington
• Tyrell Terry, G, Stanford

All-Pac-12 All-Defensive Team

Both Bey and Wright cracked the list on the All-Defensive team, showing the emphasis Coach Tad Boyle has placed on developing his players on both ends of the ball:

• Tyler Bey, G/F, Colorado
• McKinley Wright, G, Colorado
• Kylor Kelley, F, Oregon State
• Jonah Matthews, G, USC
• Bryce Wills, G, Stanford