Drew VonScio gives his Pac-12 basketball power rankings heading into week 14 of the 2023 season.
Matchup of the Week: Arizona vs Utah (Feb. 8 – 8 p.m.)
Sneaky Good Matchup of the Week: Washington State vs Oregon (Feb. 10 – 5 p.m.)
All games listed are EST.
Seed projections are based on the latest bracketology reports as of Feb. 5.
1. Arizona Wildcats
Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 17-5 (8-3)
Last Week: W vs Cal (91-65), W vs Stanford (82-71)
Next Week: at Utah (Feb. 8 – 8 p.m.), at Colorado (Feb. 10 – 10 p.m.)
Quality Wins: at Duke, Wisconsin, Alabama, at Oregon, Utah, Michigan State, Colorado
Bad Losses: at Stanford, at Oregon State
Seed Projection: 2 – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), 2 – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), 3 – Jerry Palm (CBS)
After falling out of the top 10 in the AP Poll, Arizona bounced back with a pair of wins. It was a dominant performance against Cal where Oumar Ballo led the way with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Shooting from behind the arc and at the free throw line were not strengths for the Wildcats, but they thrived in the perimeter shooting just under 51%. Against Stanford, it was an unusually slow start for Arizona that saw the Wildcats trailing by 11 heading into halftime. A strong second half, though, made the difference as Ballo and Caleb Love each scored 18 points with Pelle Larsson right behind them with 17. Shooting success was much of the same for Arizona in this matchup, but it proved to be effective and get them back into the top 10 in the country.
2. Oregon Ducks
Last Week’s Ranking: 3 (+1)
Record: 15-7 (7-4)
Last Week: W at USC (78-69), L at UCLA (71-63)
Next Week: vs Washington (Feb. 8 – 10 p.m.), vs Washington State (Feb. 10 – 5 p.m.)
Quality Wins: at Washington State, Georgia
Bad Losses: Santa Clara
Seed Projection: Last Four In – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), Next Four Out – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), First Four Out – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Oregon came out strong last week with the nine-point win on the road with Jackson Shelstad leading the way with 20 points. The Ducks were almost dead even with their percentage from the field and from three while missing just a trio of free throws. It was a very disciplined game for Oregon as it recorded just 11 fouls all game and only had six free throws against. Things fell apart slightly against UCLA where the Bruins when the Bruins were able to get a lot of good looks at the basket, and the Ducks lost the rebound battle in that matchup. N’Faly Dante paced them in the latest matchup with 16 points. Oregon only has a pair of quality wins to its name so far this season, but the Ducks are tied for the fewest bad losses out of anyone in the Pac-12.
3. Utah Utes
Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (+1)
Record: 15-7 (6-5)
Last Week: W vs. Colorado (73-68)
Next Week: vs. Arizona (Feb. 8 – 8 p.m.), vs. Arizona State (Feb. 10 – 8 p.m.)
Quality Wins: at Saint Mary’s, BYU, Wake Forest, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado
Bad Losses: at Arizona State
Seed Projection: 8 – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), 9 – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), 8 – Jerry Palm (CBS)
The Utes added another win to their already strong resume with the five-point decision over Colorado. Gabe Madsen dropped 21 points while Deivon Smith produced a double-double by way of 17 points and 11 rebounds. The most interesting aspect of this win may just be that Utah lost the rebound battle 43-34 but survived as a result of shooting 46% from the floor. Utah has the best resume in the Pac-12 outside of Arizona, so all it needs to do to get into the NCAA tournament is string together a few wins down the stretch and not suffer a major upset in the conference tournament.
4. Colorado Buffaloes
Last Week’s Ranking: 2 (-2)
Record: 15-7 (6-5)
Last Week: L at Utah (73-68)
Next Week: vs Arizona State (Feb. 8 – 8 p.m.), vs Arizona (Feb. 10 – 10 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Washington State, Oregon, Richmond, Miami (Fla)
Bad Losses: at Arizona State, at Cal
Seed Projection: 11 – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), Last Four In – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), 11 – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Colorado takes a drop after being beaten by Utah and Oregon having a decent week, but there is still a chance at making the NCAA Tournament. The Buffaloes have a phenomenal shooter in KJ Simpson who posted 25 points against Utah. You have to take the good with the bad if you’re Eddie Lampkin Jr; he recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds… but coughed up the basketball eight times and accounted for over half of his team’s total turnovers. Colorado also got zero points from its bench and even though only two players were called in from the bench, it’s still something that has to improve before the conference tournament.
5. Stanford Cardinal
Last Week’s Ranking: 5 (-)
Record: 11-10 (6-5)
Last Week: W at Arizona State (71-62), L at Arizona (82-71)
Next Week: vs UCLA (Feb. 7 – 9 p.m.), vs USC (Feb. 10 – 10 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Arizona, Utah
Bad Losses: Michigan, Northern Iowa, at USC, at Cal
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Revew), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), NA – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Stanford finished the week as expected with a win over Arizona State before coming up short against Arizona; the Wildcats loss just feels disappointing with how it started. For the Cardinal, Brandon Angel scored 19 points while Maxime Raynaud was a machine on the glasss with 17 rebounds. He added 12 points, but his presence was noticed more in rebounding. The score would have been much different if Stanford shot better than 29.6% from three, but the win is all that matters. Raynaud put on a clinic in the loss against Arizona as he posted 29 points, and Michael Jones produced 21 points. The Cardinal shot much better from three against the Wildcats, but they had six shots blocked and only got two points from the bench.
6. Washington State Cougars
Last Week’s Ranking: 6 (-)
Record: 16-6 (7-4)
Last Week: W at Washington (90-87 OT)
Next Week: at Oregon State (Feb. 8 – 10 p.m.), at Oregon (Feb. 10 – 5 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Arizona, Utah, Boise State, Colorado, at Washington
Bad Losses: at Cal
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), 9 – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Washington State held on after its four-point lead from the first half was erased over the course of the second half. The Cougars, however, regrouped on the fly and found a way to escape with a win. The trio of Isaac Jones, Jaylen Wells and Myles Rice combined for 57 points as the team shot just under 51% from the field. Taking care of the basketball made the difference with the Cougars only giving it away six times. Washington State could find its way into the tournament if it does well down the stretch and pulls off a big win in the Pac-12 tournament.
7. UCLA Bruins
Last Week’s Ranking: 10 (+3)
Record: 11-11 (6-5)
Last Week: W vs Oregon State (71-63), W vs Oregon (71-63)
Next Week: at Stanford (Feb. 7 – 9 p.m.), at Cal (Feb. 10 – 5:30 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Oregon
Bad Losses: CSU Northridge, Stanford, Cal
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), NA – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Dylan Andrews fueled the 2-0 week for UCLA as he averaged 19.5 points per game: 18 against Oregon State and 21 against Oregon. Adem Bona dropped 18 points in the win over the Beavers while it was Sebastian Mack and Lazar Stefanovic who stepped up against the Ducks. For the first time in what feels like forever, we’re seeing the old UCLA that would win game after game. These Bruins have won five of their last six and three in a row. The damage seems to be done for this season unless a miracle happens with winning the Pac-12 championship, but momentum could be on their side as it has been lately. All credit to Mick Cronin for figuring things out and getting this team turned around to be on the right track.
8. Washington Huskies
Last Week’s Ranking: 7 (-1)
Record: 12-10 (4-7)
Last Week: L vs Washington State (90-87 OT)
Next Week: at Oregon (Feb. 8 – 10 p.m.), at Oregon State (Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Utah, Gonzaga
Bad Losses: at UCLA
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), NA – Jerry Palm (CBS)
The Huskies allowed a masterclass performance from Keion Brooks Jr go by the wayside as he produced 35 points for Washington in the in-state rivalry. This loss for the Huskies came down to two things: losing the rebound battle and turnovers. Not that they turned it over much more than the Cougars, but those three extra possessions make a difference in tight games. Washington was strong offensively shooting 57% from the floor, but it would’ve looked better if that shooting resulted in a win.
9. Arizona State Sun Devils
Last Week’s Ranking: 8 (-1)
Record: 11-11 (5-6)
Last Week: L vs Stanford (71-62), L vs Cal (81-66)
Next Week: at Colorado (Feb. 8 – 8 p.m.), at Utah (Feb. 10 – 8 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Utah, Colorado, San Francisco
Bad Losses: at San Diego, UCLA, at Oregon State, Stanford, Cal
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), NA – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Arizona State was looking to be a middle of the pack team in the Pac-12 over the previous few weeks, but it may have been hit with a reality check. Shooting just 25% from three isn’t going to cut it against anyone in the conference, except maybe Oregon State. The extra four free throws from the two Sun Devils technical fouls was a blow as it would have been a five-point game without them. Against Cal, a defensive stop was hard to come by for the Sun Devils as the Golden Bears hit the shooting jackpot. Arizona State had its chances, too, but it just could not get it done. The schedule for the Sun Devils is going to be tough this week, so they will need to bring their best for both games.
10. Cal Golden Bears
Last Week’s Ranking: 9 (-1)
Record: 9-13 (5-6)
Last Week: L at Arizona (91-65), W at Arizona State (81-66)
Next Week: vs. USC (Feb. 7 – 11 p.m.), vs UCLA (Feb. 10 – 5:30 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Colorado, Santa Clara
Bad Losses: Montana State, UTEP, Tulane, at USC
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), NA – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Cal finished the week with a split that was the best case scenario when it had Arizona on the schedule. The Wildcats were simply too much to handle in all facets of the game. Jalen Celestine led the Golden Bears with 13 points as Rodney Brown Jr was right behind him with 12, and it was a reminder of where this group wants to get to in a few years. Fardaws Aimaq and company bounced back against Arizona State with the win; Aimaq recorded another double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds while Jaylon Tyson added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Cal had a strong shooting performance as it shot 50% from the floor and from three along with going 16-19 at the free throw line. For Golden Bears fans, that kind of a response is all you can ask for.
11. USC Trojans
Last Week’s Ranking: 12 (+1)
Record: 9-13 (3-8)
Last Week: L vs Oregon (78-69), W vs Oregon State (82-54)
Next Week: at Cal (Feb. 7 – 11 p.m.), at Stanford (Feb. 10 – 10 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Seton Hall, Kansas State
Bad Losses: UC Irvine, Long Beach State, at Oregon State, UCLA
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), NA – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Boogie Ellis is starting to return to his old self for the Trojans as he scored 17 points in the loss against Oregon. Yet, Oziyah Sellers was the only other player for USC to score in double digits, a problem that continues to occur. Turning the ball over 14 times against a strong Oregon team certainly doesn’t help matters either. Against, Oregon State, some of the scoring issues disappeared as four Trojans scored 12+ points with Harrison Hornery leading the way with 14. The offense would have looked much more fluid if it wasn’t for USC shooting just 22% from behind the arc. If there’s one team you can get away with a stat like that against and still win, it’s Oregon State.
12. Oregon State Beavers
Last Week’s Ranking: 11 (-1)
Record: 11-11 (3-8)
Last Week: L at UCLA (71-63), L at USC (82-54)
Next Week: vs. Washington State (Feb. 8 – 10 p.m.), vs Washington (Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Arizona
Bad Losses: UCLA, Stanford
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), NA – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Tyler Bilodeau, Jordan Pope and Dexter Akanno can only do so much for Oregon State. The trio led the Beavers in scoring in both games this past week, and that is something that has stayed true for much of the season. Against UCLA, it was a lack of rebounding and poor three-point shooting in the second half that hindered Oregon State. Those same factors came into play against USC except three-point shooting was a problem the entire game and not just the second half. This was a concern of mine for Oregon State with its non-conference schedule as its eight non-conference wins were all against mid-majors; the three losses were against Power 6 teams.