Drew VonScio gives his Pac-12 power rankings ahead of week 9 in college basketball with a pair of conference games in the books for each school.
Matchup of the Week: Colorado vs. #10 Arizona (Jan. 4 – 9:30 p.m.)
Sneaky Good Matchup of the Week: Oregon vs. Washington (Jan. 4 – 9 p.m.)
All games listed are EST.
1. Arizona Wildcats
Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 10-3 (1-1)
Last Week: W at California (100-81), L vs. Stanford (100-82)
Next Week: vs. Colorado (Jan. 4 – 9:30 p.m.), vs. Utah (Jan. 6 – 8 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Duke, Michigan State, Colgate, Wisconsin
Bad Losses: Stanford
Caleb Love’s 22-point game and “Dunk of the Year” candidate play stole the show for Arizona in the win over Cal along with Oumar Ballo’s double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds. The second-half three-point shooting was a bit of an eye sore with shooting just 1-6, but that is the only negative aspect. Against Stanford, the Wildcats’ defense was subpar as the Cardinal shot 50% or higher from the field and behind the arc in both halves. It’s a rare sight to see Arizona give up 20+ points to two players in Kanaan Carlyle and Spencer Jones, but it just goes to show anyone can beat anybody on a daily basis.
2. Colorado Buffaloes
Last Week’s Ranking: 2
Record: 11-2 (2-0)
Last Week: W vs Washington (73-69), W vs Washington State (74-67)
Next Week: at Arizona (Jan. 4 – 9:30 p.m.), at Arizona State (Jan. 6 – 8 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Miami
Bad Losses: N/A
Colorado is slowly closing the gap between itself and Arizona as the Buffaloes continue to find ways to win. Double-doubles for KJ Simpson (21 points and 10 rebounds) and Eddie Lampkin Jr (17 points and 12 rebounds) told the story for Colorado against the Huskies. The defense for the Buffaloes wore down as the game went on, but they held on. It was a very similar storyline against Washington State as Colorado was fueled by Simpson stepping up even more with 34 points. I’d like to see the Buffaloes find a way to turn the ball over less, but two wins in as many tries to start conference play is as good as it gets.
3. Utah Utes
Last Week’s Ranking: 4
Record: 11-2 (2-0)
Last Week: W vs Washington State (80-58), W vs Washington (95-90)
Next Week: at Arizona State (Jan. 4 – 11 p.m.), at Arizona (Jan. 6 – 8 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Saint Mary’s, BYU
Bad Losses: N/A
It was the Branden Carlson show this week for the Utes as the senior center averaged 26.5 points per game for Utah. Keiba Keta and Gabe Madsen recorded double-doubles in the wins as the one over Washington State was much more convincing. The Utes played strong defense around the perimeter and forced the Cougars to only shoot 20% from behind the arc. Washington’s shooters were at a much higher level, but Utah was able to control the glass in the matchup which pushed them to victory. Had the Utes been better at the foul line in the first against the Huskies, the score could have favored Utah a little more.
4. Oregon Ducks
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
Record: 10-3 (2-0)
Last Week: W vs USC (82-74), W vs UCLA (64-59)
Next Week: at Washington (Jan. 4 – 9 p.m.), at Washington State (Jan. 6 – 10 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Michigan
Bad Losses: N/A
Oregon battled with USC and UCLA as it got one of the toughest matchup pairings to start the season. Kwame Evans Jr and Jackson Shelstad stepped up against the Trojans as they combined for 43 points. Consistency was key for the Ducks in this matchup as the shooting numbers in the first and second half were almost identical in an all-around performance. It was much of the same against the Bruins, just on a lower level of scoring. Shelstad stepped up again as he produced 20 points over UCLA. Points in the paint is a concern defensively, but it’s still a strong start for the Ducks and a chance this week to add to it.
5. Washington Huskies
Last Week’s Ranking: 3
Record: 8-5 (0-2)
Last Week: L at Colorado (73-69), L at Utah (95-90)
Next Week: vs Oregon (Jan. 4 – 9 p.m.), vs Oregon State (Jan. 6 – 6 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Xavier, Gonzaga
Bad Losses: N/A
It wasn’t the best week for Washington to start Pac-12 play in another tough pair of games. Keion Brooks Jr continues to be the star of the show for the Huskies as he scored 20 against Colorado and added eight boards while also scoring 25 points and grabbing seven rebounds against Utah. Poor first-half shooting dug the grave for Washington in Boulder, but it was the lack of defending in the paint against Utah that hurt the group. Even with a strong start maybe now being overshadowed by two conference losses, it’s nowhere near panic time for Huskies fans.
6. Oregon State Beavers
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
Record: 9-4 (1-1)
Last Week: L vs UCLA (69-62), W vs USC (86-70)
Next Week: at Washington State (Jan. 4 – 11 p.m.), at Washington (Jan. 6 – 6 p.m.)
Quality Wins: N/A
Bad Losses: N/A
It was a bad second-half for the Beavers that led to their demise as UCLA posted 45 points in the second half after scoring just 24 in the opening 20 minutes. Dexter Akanno netted 22 points for Oregon State with Jordan Pope and Tyler Bilodeau also in double digits. Resiliency is crucial in conference play, and the Beavers showed it against USC with an 86-point showcase. The same trio led the way in this matchup as they combined for 64 points. Turnovers were a problem for the Beavers as the game’s tempo increased, but those mental mistakes can easily be corrected.
7. Stanford Cardinal
Last Week’s Ranking: 11
Record: 6-6 (1-1)
Last Week: L vs Arizona State (76-73), W vs Arizona (100-82)
Next Week: at UCLA (Jan. 3 – 9 p.m.), at USC (Jan. 6 – 4 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Arizona
Bad Losses: Santa Clara, UNI
Stanford started off well against Arizona State but quickly squandered a nine-point advantage to the Sun Devils. Brandon Angel and Maxime Raynaud both scored 15 points with Raynaud adding just as many rebounds. While 13 turnovers isn’t necessarily an extremely high number, it’s high when comparing it to just nine for Arizona State. Stanford took that loss personally though and bounced back with a 100-point effort against Arizona. Kanaan Carlyle dropped a career-high 28 points as a freshman while Jared Bynum posted an impressive 11 assists. This result allowed the Cardinal to shoot up the rankings after an incredible performance. Stanford can be as dangerous as anyone if it plays at this level.
8. Arizona State Sun Devils
Last Week’s Ranking: 9
Record: 8-5 (2-0)
Last Week: W at Stanford (76-73), W at California (71-69)
Next Week: vs Utah (Jan. 4 – 11 p.m.), vs Colorado (Jan. 6 – 8 p.m.)
Quality Wins: N/A
Bad Losses: N/A
The Sun Devils ground out a pair of wins to start conference play with a come-from-behind win over Stanford. Arizona State used its strong second half shooting at a 55.9% clip to propel itself to victory with four players in double-digit scoring. The score could have favored the visitors even more, but poor free throw shooting limited things to a five-point victory. The comeback kids struck again against Cal after only scoring 25 in the first half, but Frankie Collins led the way with 25 points for the Sun Devils. Arizona State was only able to produce 18 points on 15 Cal turnovers which is an area to improve upon going forward.
9. UCLA Bruins
Last Week’s Ranking: 10
Record: 6-7 (1-1)
Last Week: W at Oregon State (69-62), L at Oregon (64-59)
Next Week: vs Stanford (Jan. 3 – 9 p.m.), vs California (Jan. 6 – 10 p.m.)
Quality Wins: N/A
Bad Losses: N/A
UCLA had to come from behind against Oregon State as Dylan Andrews and Adem Bona both scored 13 points in the win. It was a game that required a lot of help from the bench as the Bruins used six players that weren’t in the starting lineup to pull of the win and produced 21 points. It was a battle to the end against Oregon where UCLA came up a little short. Trailing by only two at the half, the Bruins threw everything at the Ducks who responded well. Bona produced a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, but only two other players scored 10+ points.
10. Washington State Cougars
Last Week’s Ranking: 6
Record: 9-4 (0-2)
Last Week: L at Utah (80-58), L at Colorado (74-67)
Next Week: vs Oregon State (Jan. 4 – 11 p.m.), vs Oregon (Jan. 6 – 10 p.m.)
Quality Wins: N/A
Bad Losses: Santa Clara
After an impressive run of non-conference games, the results this past week weren’t pretty for the Huskies. The first half shooting was average at best against Utah, but things became worse in the second half. Isaac Jones and Jaylen Wells were the only players in double digits, and Jones recorded a double-double. It was a game to forget against Utah and while things were better against Colorado, it still wasn’t enough. Shooting miscues continued to hurt the Cougars as well as poor defense. It was Andrej Jakimovski who led the way with 19 points against the Buffaloes, but it can only go up from here for Washington State.
11. USC Trojans
Last Week’s Ranking: 7
Record: 6-7 (0-2)
Last Week: L at Oregon (82-74), L at Oregon State (86-70)
Next Week: vs California (Jan. 3 – 10 p.m.), vs Stanford (Jan. 6 – 4 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Kansas State
Bad Losses: UC Irvine, Long Beach State
USC lost any chance of beating Oregon when it entered halftime trailing by 17. Offensive issues weren’t as noticeable as the inability to get a stop for the Trojans. DJ Rodman and Joshua Morgan each scored 14 points as the team tried to come back in the second half with a 49-point effort, but the damage was done by then. Pair that with not being able to get stops once again, and USC dropped the opener. The defensive issues continued into the weekend against Oregon State as the Beavers dropped 86 points. Even with Boogie Ellis dropping 20 points and Bronny James adding a career-high of 15, it still wasn’t enough for USC.
12. California Golden Bears
Last Week’s Ranking: 12
Record: 4-9 (0-2)
Last Week: L vs Arizona (100-81), L vs Arizona State (71-69)
Next Week: at USC (Jan. 3 – 10 p.m.), at UCLA (Jan. 6 – 10 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Santa Clara
Bad Losses: N/A
California gave Arizona everything it had in the Pac-12 opener, and I’m honestly surprised the Golden Bears made it as good of a game as it was against the Wildcats. Jaylon Tyson’s 22 points and 10 rebounds provided the spark for Cal, but the deficit from the opening 20 minutes was just too much to come back from. Shooting just 26.5% from the field won’t cut it against Arizona, but the potential for the Golden Bears is on display. Against Arizona State, Cal was in the driver’s seat for much of the game, but the Sun Devils battled until they came out on top. It was Tyson again who posted another 20 points while Fardaws Aimaq had a 17 point-14 rebound double-double. The record doesn’t show it, but this Golden Bears group gets better each time they take the court.