Pac-12 Basketball Power Rankings
1. California
There’s a reason why doubting the Golden Bears and picking the Washington Huskies over them is dangerous for your health. The Huskies 82-57 loss against the Oregon Ducks was downright embarrassing, and their inability to play up to a team ranked a spot lower on the rankings shows that this team is still too inconsistent to hold the top spot. Meanwhile, Cal took care of business this week and are one of the top 15 teams in the country in KenPom’s efficiency rankings. Just because they play in the Pac-12 doesn’t mean that they aren’t a good team. They are the class of the Pac-12, and their big three are all in the conference’s top ten leaderboard in win shares.
2. Arizona
What did you expect from an Oregon Ducks blogger? The Huskies? No, we just killed them by 25, and we’re right behind them in these rankings. The Wildcats are the only other Pac-12 team in KenPom’s top 40, and they deserve it with their combination of decent offense and strong defense. The young players are finally starting to come into the fold, and this team is peaking at the right time. And, the best part is, they haven’t even peaked yet. Washington is just barely behind ‘Zona, but it’s time for a team that used to be outside the top half to get their due credit.
3. Washington
It’s time for the hate from Huskies fans to roll in from the comments section. Unless, of course, you’re a more measured fan who realizes that Arizona is the better team right now. Since when did they lose by 25 against a rival? Not this year. Look, the Huskies are almost in a tie with Arizona and are 10-3. Lorenzo Romar’s job shouldn’t be called into question yet, but the next couple of games will mean a lot for a team currently riding the bubble. The ice they skate is getting pretty thin, but they sure as heck aren’t ready to swim.
4. Oregon Ducks
So, you beat your second most hated rivals 82-57 at home, when they were arguably the best team in the conference. And your reward is, a fourth spot in the power rankings? Such is the nature of the Pac-12. UW is still more talented than Oregon, and they are also more efficient. Those two facts aren’t going away, and it would be far too reactionary to slide the Ducks over the Huskies at this point. Washington just can’t beat Oregon at the Matt Court. The Ducks keep winning, and E.J. Singler keeps rolling. It’s time to stop betting against this team, and their questionable loss against Colorado should be chalked up as a “quality loss” in a difficult road environment.
5. Colorado
The Buffs are a much better version of the Washington State Cougars, in that, they crush at home but stink it up on the road. Their only two road wins were against two of the three worst teams in the conference, and those three are as bad as it gets. Colorado should still be regarded as a decent team, but they are nothing more than that.
6. Stanford
This is a toss-up between the Cardinal and the Bruins, but Stanford still has the slight edge in overall efficiency. Both teams are opposites in one way, because Stanford is great defensively but poor on offense. The Bruins, meanwhile, can’t defend Norm from Cheers on an Iso, but they can score like crazy. Stanford is beginning to fall, but the bottom of the top-half is their stopping point, for now.
7. UCLA
UCLA hasn’t shown anybody anything this year, and they are as inconsistent as it gets and have a bunch of team chemistry questions. This was supposed to be a better year for Ben Howland’s squad, but I don’t want to harp on this team too much. It’s like trying to tell Todd Coffey to stop running out of the bullpen or demanding that Bruce Dickinson stops with those terrific, intricate wails and vocal techniques (sorry, Iron Maiden fan listening to “The Trooper”). Things aren’t going to change.
8. Oregon State
For those of you who don’t know enough about our biggest rival, Pac-12 points per game leader (18.8 PPG) Jared Cunningham is a guard, not a freaking forward. Please guys, get your facts straight when talking about the conference’s most dynamic player. The Beavers did beat the Ducks, at the Matt Court no less, but that’s the high point for this 5-8 team. They could hit the top half if UCLA and Stanford keep falling, but they aren’t going anywhere else.
9. Washington State
If you can’t win on the road and are the fourth least efficient team in the conference, then you obviously don’t deserve anything higher than ninth. Colorado has road struggles, but they are also 9-4.
10. Arizona State
Now, onto my favorite part of the Pac-12 rankings. Wait, that’s like saying Valentine’s Day is the great holiday ever and isn’t just a simple excuse to buy a chick a box of chocolates and be cliche; it’s more. Haha, yeah right. There’s no point in making this sound better, because the bottom three teams in the Pac-12 stink. They’re terrible. They can’t play. I feel bad for the Sun Devils for all this team has gone through. The Trojans are actually more efficient than the Sun Devils, but Arizona State actually has multiple wins.
11. USC Trojans
This is based on efficiency alone, which basically means that this is based on their tough defense. Because, well, they just can’t score. And oh yeah, they have only won one game in conference play. This has been a long year, and the end of Kevin O’Neill’s tenure with the program cannot come soon enough.
12. Utah
This team may have two wins, but they play terrible basketball. I mean, these guys lose 73-59 if the game has 65 possessions, which is just horrible. For those of you who are more of the stat-sheet, cerebral type, that’s .902 PPP and 1.127 PPP against for the Utes. Forget wins, this team is the bottom-feeder of a conference that shouldn’t be called a “Big 6” for the remainder of this college basketball season.
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