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Scandals aside, Arizona and USC sit atop the Pac-12 basketball preseason media poll, which was released Thursday morning.

The Wildcats received 22 of 23 first-place votes and 273 points to be chosen as the favorite to win the Pac-12 this season. This is the 15th time Arizona has been selected No. 1 on the preseason poll, including five times in the past six seasons. They’ve backed up the claim nine times, most recently in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

ASU breaks into the top half of the poll for the first time since being picked fourth prior to the 2010-11 season.

ASU insider Doug Haller had this to say about the Wildcats heading into this season: “The Wildcats make a strong case for the nation’s preseason No. 1 team. Top to bottom, this might be Sean Miller’s most talented squad, certainly one that looks capable of reaching the Final Four. That’s assuming, of course, nothing else comes out of the FBI probe involving former assistant coach ‘Book’ Richardson, a situation that likely will hang over the program all season.”

The complete poll

1. Arizona

2. USC

3. UCLA

4. Oregon

5. Stanford

6. ASU

7. Utah

8. Oregon State

9. Colorado

10. Washington

11. California

12. Washington State

You can see ASU insider Doug Haller’s preseason poll here.

Check back for more from Thursday’s Pac-12 media day in San Francisco.

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