Sports Illustrated says Pac-10 basketball is ‘cost-effective’

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Among the 50 findings in Sports Illustrated’s ‘Hoops Ideology Report’ included how different basketball conferences spent money.

SI concluded the Pac-10 is the most cost-effective league. Luke Winn writes, ‘It managed to be the strongest conference in ‘07-08 despite not having a single team even in the top 20 in spending.’

The Pac-10 had six teams make the NCAA tournament last year. This year, three teams rank in the AP’s Preseason Top 25.

That includes No. 4 UCLA, which ESPN’s Andy Katz predicts will make its fourth straight trip to the Final Four.

In that same video, Katz said five teams will make the tournament this year. USC, coming off a 78-55 victory over UC Irvine, is ranked No. 18.

Though they’ve lost O.J. Mayo, the conventional thinking is that the Trojans will have more depth this year.

Meanwhile, No. 15 Arizona State won its season opener against Mississippi Valley State.

And ESPN picked UCLA guard Darren Collison and USC forward DeMar DeRozan as first- and second-team All-Americans.

We’ll have a whole basketball season to find out if the Pac-10 can replicate last year’s success. But let SI’s study serve as a lesson learned that dollar signs don’t necessarily equate to wins.

-- Mark Medina