No. 1 — Arizona
(21-4, 10-2 Pacific 10 Conference)
Not much has changed since last week — the now-No. 12 Wildcats took care of business against the Sun Devils, but perhaps should be wary of how sluggishly the offense was executed in the first half. That won’t fly against the Washington schools.
No. 2 — UCLA
(18-7, 9-3 Pac-10)
The Bruins looked ill-prepared when they came to McKale Center, but that must’ve been a fluke. The second-hottest team in the league, UCLA is 9-1 in its last 10 games, the sole loss being at Arizona.
No. 3 — Washington
(17-7, 9-4 Pac-10)
Simply put, the Huskies are nearly impossible to beat at home, yet very mortal on the road. After being swept at the Oregon schools, UW got back to its winning ways in Seattle, Wash., by easily dispatching Cal — by 32 points, nonetheless — and Stanford.
No. 4 — Washington State
(17-8, 7-6 Pac-10)
Four teams in the Pac-10 are a win or a loss away from being .500 right now. Of those teams, the Cougars are the only one above average, so we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Plus, any time Klay Thompson is on the roster, that team has the star advantage.
No. 5 — Oregon
(13-12, 6-7 Pac-10)
They’re supposed to be devoid of talent, but the Ducks are fighting night in, night out. Forward Joevan Catron is coming into his own and leading the team picked to finish dead last in the league into a potential finish in the top half.
No. 6 — Stanford
(13-11, 6-7 Pac-10)
Struggling early in the year, the Cardinal is hanging in there as its leading scorer, Jeremy Green, has found his stroke, scoring in the 20s during the last four games. A win at Washington State is impressive and an 11-point loss to UW isn’t anything shameful.
No. 7 — California
(13-12, 6-7 Pac-10)
A three-game slide to Arizona and the two Washington schools isn’t so bad. But being blown out of Hec Edmundson Pavilion by 32 before a stinging four-point loss at WSU is a step in the wrong direction for the Golden Bears’ egos, if anything.
No. 8 — Southern California
(13-12, 5-7 Pac-10)
Like ASU, the Trojans have terrible offensive statistics. Unlike ASU, they have a semblance of talent. A split at home against the Oregon schools is fine, but it’s not going to help USC climb out of the hole they’ve dug themselves.
No. 9 — Oregon State
(9-15, 4-9 Pac-10)
Aside from a Feb. 3 win against UW, the Beavers haven’t been able to come out victorious in what are usually close games. Having gone 1-6 in the past seven games, maybe a win against Oregon next week can put the fire out.
No. 10 — ASU
(9-15, 1-11 Pac-10)
It doesn’t get much easier for the Sun Devils. They play the Washington schools then travel to UCLA the week after. Their saving grace might be the last Pac-10 game of the year — a home game against Oregon State.
— Kevin Zimmerman
