Pac-12 Power Rankings
1. California Golden Bears
The Golden Bears are firmly entrenched at the top of the power rankings, and they are a legitimate team that could do some damage in March. Cali is among the twenty most efficient teams in college basketball, and they are clearly the class of this conference. They are the only consistent team in the Pac-12, and California is also about as talented as the Washington Huskies. Teams in the conference lack one- or both- qualities, but the Bears have star power and can actually win games with that talent.
2. Washington Huskies
The Huskies have the talent, and they are finally starting to get the wins (7-2, tied for the conference lead). It’s nearly impossible to place these Pac-12 teams, but the Huskies talent and strength in conference play has them near the top.
3. Oregon Ducks
Their loss against Oregon State was the last thing this team wanted, and it hurts both their pride and standing in the conference. Their efficiency numbers are mediocre at best, and the Ducks are one of the more lucky teams in the conference. Stanford’s luck has run out on them, and the Ducks need to improve their defense. The Ducks aren’t even in the top 100 in Ken Pom’s rankings, and something has got to give here. By the way, I love Dana Altman; he’s done an excellent job this year.
4. Stanford Cardinal
Their luck is running out on them, and their weak offense is starting to show. The Cardinal aren’t nearly as strong defensively as they were at the beginning of the season, and they just can’t score enough points. This has shown in their 5-4 conference record, but they are still a decent team.
5. UCLA Bruins
The Bruins are a solid team with a good offense and have talent in Joshua Smith, Lazeric Jones, and Travis Wear. However, they are still far too inconsistent to be any higher than this and need to win on the road. The bottom line is that this team is merely average, but they have the upside to become a top 50 team in the country (51st in KenPom’s rankings).
6. Arizona Wildcats
Yes, I am as crazy as you thought, but hear me out on this one. Are they really that bad? They are the third most efficient team in the conference according to Ken Pom, and the Wildcats are the second best team in the conference according to Sports Reference’s SRS. The ‘Cats play some tough defense and aren’t as bad as everyone says they are.
7. Oregon State Beavers
I hate having to put a good offensive squad so low, but such is the nature of their poor defensive displays. The Beavers could shoot up these rankings and are peaking at the right time. Their victory over Oregon was huge, and it showed that they can win on the road and make key defensive stops. The Beavers have two star players in the other-worldly Jared Cunningham and the brutally efficient Devon Collier. Arizona is about to fall on this scale if OSU can continue to build on their recent success.
8. Colorado Buffaloes
The Buffs may be 6-3, but I am not a fan of this team, and this is where they deserve to be ranked. KP has Colorado at 88th in his efficiency rankings, and their decent defense doesn’t make up for a middling offense. They are about as mediocre as it gets overall, and there isn’t anything interesting about this bunch as a whole. So, why am I talking so much about a team that can’t buy a road game?
9. Washington State Cougars
The bottom three in this conference is so ugly, that all you have to do is play ugly on the road and win big at home to stay out of the bottom three. Wazzu is horrible, and their atrocious defense is a testament to this. They are actually quite solid offensively and are a different animal at home, but therein lies the problem. You can’t succeed if you play dead on the road.
10. Arizona State Sun Devils
This is truly a “ranking by default” scenario, and their KenPom ranking of 213 doesn’t instill any confidence. The Sun Devils are a poor team, and nothing can dispute that. They are terrible offensively and even worse on defense, but they are better than USC and are significantly better than Utah.
11. USC Trojans
USC plays terrific defense. I mean, these guys know how to shut it down. However, they are a dead team offensively and their only conference win came against Utah. If it wasn’t for the Utes, this team would be dead last in the Pac-12 power rankings. Instead, they are second-to-last and trending downwards with the loss of star Dewayne Dedmon. He was their star player and excelled on defense and was solid offensively. Without him, this team went from awful to beyond awful. They have better efficiency numbers than ASU, but the loss of Dedmon means that they are worse than those numbers indicate.
12. Utah Utes
Oh dear, this team is truly a train wreck with an SRS of -11.4 (!). They don’t even belong in this conference, even if the Pac-12 is terrible this season anyway. Utah is lucky that they can play football, because this team is among the worst basketball teams in the country. They are the 312th most efficient squad in the country, and it is a label that they, hopefully, don’t wear proudly. I don’t get why Eamonn Brennan thinks that USC is worse, but it may have something to do with his belief that Pac-12 fans don’t have to wipe snow off their cars. Uh dude, just because California is the best team in the conference doesn’t mean that we all don’t exist. Brennan is a great basketball writer, but the Pac-12 isn’t his niche. Someone needs to get him back to writing about the Big Ten.
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