Cal picked 4th, Stanford 10th in Pac-12 men’s basketball preseason poll

Cal picked 4th, Stanford 10th in Pac-12 men’s basketball preseason poll Cal, featuring All-America candidate Ivan Rabb, was picked fourth in the Pac-12 preseason media poll, which was announced Friday at Pac-12 Media Day. Stanford, under first-year coach Jerod Haase, was picked 10th. Oregon, last year’s regular-season and conference tournament champion, received 23 first-place votes and 320 points from the 27 media members who cover the league. Stanford returns 10 of its top 11 scorers from a year ago, including Reid Travis, who averaged 12.8 points and 7.1 rebounds in the first eight games before being lost for the season to a leg injury. The Cardinal also welcome back point guard Robert Cartwright, who missed the entire 2015-16 season with a compound fracture of his right arm. Oregon, which returns four starters, were the preseason pick for the first time in the 28-year history of the poll. UCLA, which also returns four starters and adds McDonald's All-Americans Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf, was picked to finish third. Colorado, also with four starters back, was picked fifth. Washington, featuring heralded freshman Markelle Fultz, was sixth. The winner has been accurately chosen in 16 of the 27 all-time preseason votes. Last season the Pac-12 had a record seven teams in the NCAA Tournament. Five other Pac-12 teams received votes. Conference play begins Dec. 28 and climaxes with the Pac-12 Tournament at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas March 8-11. Pac-12 preseason media poll Team (first-place votes) UCLA USC Oregon State Arizona State Washington State