1
Oregon — After ruining a 49-game home winning streak, the Ducks are the new leaders of the Pac-12 Conference. How they lost to UNLV and Oregon State by double-digits is quite interesting.
2
Arizona — How a team can make 11 of its first 12 shots and still lose is beyond me, but that did not stop the Wildcats. Last week, I said Arizona could not beat teams in California, but maybe it is just teams on, or near their level.
3
USC — The Trojans would be ranked higher than Arizona thanks to the head-to-head win, but they are unranked and Arizona is No. 23. Therefore, they are not yet ready to overtake the Wildcats in the poll.
4
Utah — Since losing to Oregon, the Utes have embarked on a five-game winning streak and rematch the Ducks Sunday. If the Utes win, Arizona can retain the top spot without it coming off as favoritism.
5
Colorado— The Buffaloes face Oregon on Thursd ay in what could be a great resume booster if they were to win. Hopefully, Mike MacIntyre is in attendance to see what two successful coaches look like.
6
Washington — The only consistency from the Pac-12 this season is Washington is better than the inconsistent California teams, but not as good as the top five. Beating Arizona this Saturday would shut me up and definitely strengthen Washington’s case for a tourney bid.
7
California — After beating Arizona, the Golden Bears dropped two on a road because they thrive on consistent inconsistency. Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown are going to have to step up if they want to be playing in mid-March.
8
UCLA — Nepotism beneficiary Bryce Alford had 28 points in a loss last week, while only having 12 in a 33-point blowout. If UCLA makes the tourney, Alford is either going 1-18 or hitting a game-winner to beat Oklahoma. Actually, those could both happen in the same game.
9
Stanford — What does the Cardinal have to lose by playing Christian McCaffrey at point guard? He could be the spark plug they need, and Stanford could market him even more. They could benefit from a two-sport scholar with a 3.31 GPA while he receives none of the profits.
10
ASU — Sun Devil basketball made national headlines last week thanks to an Olympic athlete who did not even attend that school. In other news, the Nevada football coach took a shot at the Sun Devil’s academics on Twitter, but deleted the tweet. They also beat Oregon State, but that was not important nor interesting.
11
Oregon State — I thought they would be able to contend with the perennial punching bag, but they got embarrassed in Tempe. On the bright side, Tres Tinkle looks like an actual coach’s son who earned his scholarship, so how can you not love the NCAA?
12
Washington State — Washington State’s last victory came against a then-ranked UCLA team, because of course it did. The team’s next opponent is Arizona and strange things have happened this year, so I will say Arizona had better watch out.
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