Pac-12 Basketball Media Day: Bruins picked to win league

According to a poll of media who cover Pacific 12 Conference basketball, UCLA is going to win the league in 2011-12. That's according to the poll, which was released Friday.

Media have correctly picked the league winner 12 times in 19 tries -- a decent record, no doubt. The media have also been on the money five of the last seven times when UCLA did win the league crown.

So, that said, you can trust in us, always. (Full dislocure: The Times didn't vote in this poll.)

It also helps that UCLA returns three starters, including one of the only two returning first-team all-league selections from last season in forward Reeves Nelson (13.9 points per game, 9.1 rebounds per game). 

But it was a narrow vote.

UCLA, ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press poll, earned 14 first-place votes while California, picked second and ranked 24th, had 13 and Arizona, picked third and ranked 16th, had 11. 

Following up those three were Washington, Oregon, Stanford, USC, Oregon State, Arizona State, Colorado and Washington State (which were both tied for 10th place) and, finally, Utah.

Here's the poll itself, with first-place votes in parentheses: 

1. UCLA (14)              421
2. Cal (13)                 405
3. Arizona (11)          404
4. Washington           355
5. Oregon                  282
6. Stanford                255
7. USC                       194
8. Oregon State          188
9. Arizona State         148
10. Colorado              119
      Washington State 119
12. Utah                     74  

-- Baxter Holmes 

Photo: UCLA logo.