Pac-12 Basketball Power Rankings
1. California
Throughout the tumultuous Pac-12 conference play, the California Golden Bears have been the one constant to be comfortable about in this conference. They play solid, efficient basketball and should be ranked in the AP top 25. They are getting closer to that monumental threshold, but it annoys me when a pure east coast guy simply writes off the Pac-12 as “bad” and uses it as the only argument to keep Cal out of their top 25. The worst five teams in the conference are hopeless, but Cal has the 24th best SRS in the country and deserves some credit for playing good basketball. They were horrible back in non-conference play, but this team is a lot more efficient than they were back then. Cal is 18th in Ken Pomeroy’s efficient rankings; give them their due.
2. Washington
The Huskies will face three road games, but they have put themselves in a position to succeed after defeating the Arizona Wildcats (previously #2 on the list). While the Huskies are not as consistent as one would like them to be, they are 12-3 in Pac-12 play and one eight of their last nine. Of course, that loss came against the Oregon Ducks on a road rivalry game that they have traditionally struggled with. Still, this team is extremely talented and contains three players who could go in the first round of the NBA Draft next year. Their in-state rivalry game against Washington State will take them to the most hostile road environment in the conference, and their performance in that game will be telling.
3. Arizona
Why did the most tournament seasoned team of the top four have to make things difficult by dropping one to UW 79-70? It was a tough road loss against a determined Huskies team that played behind the crowd and averaged 1.20 PPP. That’s insane. The Huskies went crazy, especially Terrence Ross who hit 25 points and added five steals. His three-ball wasn’t working (1-8), but he still managed to shoot 58% from the floor. Anyway, UA will play against two terrible teams and UCLA, so they will win out. They better hope that UW struggles with Wazzu and the Bruins.
4. Oregon
Forget that they are only the 67th most efficient team in the country per Pomeroy, and focus on the 10-5 conference record. One of those losses that transpired this week is what we call a quality loss, because the Oregon Ducks were winning against Cal on the road. The Golden Bears pulled through with an emotional final five minutes to win 86-83, but the fact that the Ducks played up to the top team in the conference in the country is more than encouraging. Pomeroy picked Stanford to win at home, Oregon usually loses there, but the Ducks took care of business in a 68-64 victory. And then there’s that win over UW that everybody- including me- keeps bringing up. This team may not be efficient, but they win.
5. Colorado
Tad Boyle is the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, and that is an irrefutable point. What he has done with this team is phenomenal, and their 10-4 record speaks volumes about his work. This team is like Oregon, except they are less talented and less efficient (79th). Despite the record, the Buffs are not a tournament team. CU plays solid basketball, but they aren’t going anywhere. Unless, of course, they upset California. Their schedule looks tough with games against Stanford, Cal, Oregon, and OSU coming up.
6. Stanford
It took a lot of thinking, but I decided to keep Stanford in the 6th spot. They may not be as efficient as UCLA, but I don’t feel like bumping the Bruins into the top half after their debilitating blow against St. John’s. On national television no less.
7. UCLA
Oh man, the drama in Westwood just won’t stop. Ben Howland might be on his way out, and the fans are less forgiving with each loss. They are tied with Stanford at sixth for this point, in essence, but giving out ties is cheap and things are status quo for the Bruins from last week.
8. Oregon State
They beat Oregon, and they will try to knock off their rivals in a critical match for the Ducks on Sunday. If the Ducks lose that game, then they can say by to all of their hopes of getting into the NCAA tournament. The Beavers already one the first Civil War game, mind you, so a loss would be devastating for the Ducks.
9. Washington State
Oh man, if they could become the second Washington rival to deal a huge blow to the Cougars, then the Pac-12 will be even crazier. That probably won’t happen, but don’t rule anything out for a team that is dominant at home. The Cougars aren’t the greatest road team either, so expect that game to be a dog fight (pun intended). Wazzu is just so bad on the road, but they are the last team in the conference that isn’t in the “pathetic, one of the worst 50 teams in the country” range.
10. Arizona State
That range begins. I feel bad for the Sun Devils, but sympathy doesn’t mean much when you are 4-11 and have only two above-average players on your team.
11. USC
This team has not scored 60 points during the month of February, and the Trojans average just .868 points per possession (340th out of 344 schools in the nation) and 53.4 per game (342nd). Kevin O’Neill’s time has come. Hopefully, they can avoid having just one win in conference play by defeating ASU and adding a second win to their punchless resume.
12. Utah
This team is the 340th most efficient defensive team in the country, which is synonymous with being the 5th least efficient team on defense. They can’t score either and are just a little bit worse than the Trojans at this point.
You can follow me on Twitter @SorianoJoe and Autzen Zoo @Autzen_Zoo.
Like us on Facebook at Autzen Zoo.