1 Oregon — The No. 15 Ducks find themselves as the only undefeated ranked team left in the Pac-12 Conference and already boast a solid resume win over then No. 20 Baylor. The only logical explanation is that Joe Young was holding this team back from reaching its potential last year.
2 Arizona — An overtime victory over Santa Clara and a tough loss to Providence at the Wooden Legacy knocks the No. 19 Wildcats down from the top spot. With a game against No. 13 Gonzaga on Saturday, Arizona better get its head in the game if it wants to come out victorious.
3 Utah — Their 90-66 loss at the hands of Miami knocked the Utes out the top 25, but they responded by winning their next two games. Matches against Wichita State and No. 7 Duke in the next two weeks will be a great measure of Utah’s potential this season.
4 California —The proclaimed up-and-comers out West now find themselves unranked after two early-season losses. On a side note, Tyrone Wallace is building a solid case for player of the year with his strong outings, averaging 18 points, five rebounds and four assists per game.
5 Washington State — Surprisingly, the Cougars are one of two undefeated teams left in the Pac-12. They face Gonzaga on Wednesday, so we shall soon see if Washington State is fool’s gold or a legitimate threat.
6 Colorado — After beating Northern Colorado on Sunday, the Buffs’ basketball team has already won more games than Colorado’s football team. Basketball head coach Tad Boyle has them off to a quietly impressive start, while football head coach Mike MacIntyre’s mouth writes checks that his team cannot cash.
7 Oregon State — A tough loss to Valparaiso puts the Beavers at 4-1 on the season with No. 4 Kansas looming over next week. Maybe Oregon State’s basketball team can help Beaver fans forget football season and look forward to over 20 wins.
8 USC — Although the Trojans lost to Monmouth on Sunday, the victor’s bench celebrations made it a victory for the rest of us. USC’s win over then No. 20 Wichita State was supposed to be a resume booster, but the Shockers are shocking everyone in the wrong way this year. A loss to then No. 23 Xavier also dampens the Trojan’s young season.
9 ASU — The Sun Devils are 4-2 on the season and look to keep improving as the year progresses. It shouldn’t be hard after that opening night loss to Sacramento State, but Bobby Hurley has them thinking they could be dark horse NIT contenders in Tempe.
10 Washington — After losing to Gonzaga by 16, the Huskies do not face a ranked opponent again until they head to Tucson on Jan. 14. Andrew Andrews is quietly having a great season, averaging 21 points and seven rebounds per game, but he will need wins to gain proper recognition.
11 UCLA — The Bruins are barely above .500 at 4-3 early in the season and face No. 1 Kentucky this week. UCLA is hoping it doesn’t have flashbacks of last year’s 83-44 demolition at the hands of the top-ranked Wildcats. Who would have thought having your son, Bryce Alford, lead the team in shots and minutes would not be a strong game plan?
12 Stanford — While nerd nation may be the conference’s savior on the gridiron, the Cardinal are the bottom of the barrel on the hardwood. With the Cardinal still having an outside shot at the College Football Playoff, it can wait until next month to start complaining about its basketball team.
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