The teams that thrived this season (Arizona, USC and UCLA) did not overhaul their rosters last spring and base their rotations on newcomers.
The Pac-12’s representatives in the NCAA Tournament — all three of them — have fairly distinct playing styles, roster makeups and coaching philosophies.
Which brings us to a preliminary, unscientific, potentially flawed Hotline theory: Pac-12 basketball has become overly reliant upon the transfer portal. But our theory is about more than the NCAA selection process. It’s about basic competitive success, both early in the season and throughout conference play. Cohesiveness and chemistry are vital to a successful season regardless of the ultimate destination
The Wildcats have three important transfers in Pelle Larson, Justin Kier and Oumar Ballo, but they are role players. Each member of Arizona’s starting five was on the roster last season and entered the program from high school, not via the portal. Colorado dabbles in the portal, but Tad Boyle rarely brings in more than one or two transfers season.Same with Washington’s perimeter unit.Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley has relied on the portal the past two years and encountered issues with chemistry.
Also, it’s fair to consider causation. Are teams successful because they didn’t rely on transfers, or did they not need transfers because they were successful .
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