Drew VonScio brings you his weekly Pac-12 Basketball Power Rankings for the last week of the Pac-12 basketball schedule in history.
Matchup of the Week: Colorado vs. Oregon (Mar. 7 – 9 p.m.)
Sneaky Good Matchup of the Week: Utah vs Oregon (Mar. 9 – 7 p.m.)
All games listed are EST.
Seed projections are based on the latest bracketology reports as of Mar. 4.
1. Arizona Wildcats
Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 22-6 (14-4)
Last Week: W at Arizona State (85-67), W vs Oregon (103-83)
Next Week: at UCLA (Mar. 7 – 9:30 p.m.), at USC (Mar. 9 – 10 p.m.)
Quality Wins: at Duke, Alabama, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Colorado (x2), Utah (x2), Oregon (x2)
Bad Losses: at Oregon State
Seed Projection: 1 – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), 1 – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), 2 – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Another week with two more comfortable wins for Arizona. The Wildcats cruised to victory over the Sun Devils on the road with a well-balanced offense that had five players score 10+ points. Arizona shot over 50% from the field in both halves as the offense just could not be stopped. That offense picked it up even more as three players managed to score 20+ points, and the Wildcats shot higher than 55% from the field all game. Defensively, Arizona recorded eight steals against Oregon. If this group plays like this, it is a tough one to beat and could be on the road to Phoenix for the Final Four.
2. Washington State
Last Week’s Ranking: 2 (-)
Record: 23-7 (14-5)
Last Week: W vs USC (75-72), W vs UCLA (77-65)
Next Week: vs. Washington (Mar. 7 – 9 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Arizona (x2), Boise State, at Oregon, Colorado, Utah
Bad Losses: at Cal
Seed Projection: 6 – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), 5 – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), 6 – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Washington State certainly got a little lucky this past week against USC, but even the best win with a little luck. The Cougars not only shot well from the perimeter, but it continued behind the arc. The rebounding battle was split right down the middle, but Washington State did enough. Defensively, the Cougars forced some bad shots from the Trojans. While the offensive numbers dipped slightly against UCLA, the game a few nights before that was a wakeup call for Washington State. This Cougar group was led by Jaylen Wells and his 27 points to a comfortable win. Washington State essentially has a tournament bid locked up now.
3. Colorado Buffaloes
Last Week’s Ranking: 3 (-)
Record: 20-9 (11-7)
Last Week: W vs. Cal (88-78), W vs Stanford (81-71)
Next Week: at Oregon (Mar. 7 – 9 p.m.), at Oregon State (Mar. 9 – 5 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Washington State, Oregon, Utah, Richmond
Bad Losses: at Arizona State, at Cal
Seed Projection: First Four Out – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), First Four Out – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), Last Four In – Jerry Palm (CBS)
KJ Simpson and Tristan da Silva did what they do best this past week, and that’s leading this Colorado team to victory. The duo scored 49 points against both Cal and Stanford. Both players also handled themselves well on the glass. I’ve said all along this year that the Buffaloes are a tournament team. The resume certainly isn’t the best, but there are some quality wins on it. This group still has some work to do, but two or three wins should definitely do the trick to get Colorado dancing. The path to the tournament might just involve an extra game in Dayton before the round of 64.
4. Utah Utes
Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (+1)
Record: 18-11 (9-9)
Last Week: W vs Stanford (90-68), W vs Cal (88-59)
Next Week: at Oregon State (Mar. 7 – 11 p.m.), at Oregon (Mar. 9 – 7 p.m.)
Quality Wins: at Saint Mary’s, BYU, Washington State, Colorado, Wake Forest, Oregon
Bad Losses: Arizona State (x2)
Seed Projection: First Four Out – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), First Four Out – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), Last Four In – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Utah finally gets itself back to the .500 mark in conference play after a pair of wins this past weekend. The Utes, much like Colorado, are fighting for their lives trying to get into the NCAA Tournament. If the offense continues at this pace, that shouldn’t be a problem. Branden Carlson and Gabe Madsen have been the stalwarts of the offense all season with Deivon Smith right behind them. While the losses to Arizona State aren’t pretty, Utah has wins against three teams currently in the Top 25 and two more against Colorado and Wake Forest that have strong NET rankings.
5. Oregon Ducks
Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (-1)
Record: 19-10 (11-7)
Last Week: W vs Oregon State (78-71), L at Arizona (103-83)
Next Week: vs Colorado (Mar. 7 – 9 p.m.), vs Utah (Mar. 9 – 7 p.m.)
Quality Wins: at Washington, at Washington State
Bad Losses: Santa Clara
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), NA – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Oregon’s 1-1 week was one that Ducks faithful probably expected going into it with Oregon State and Arizona on the schedule. It was an ugly win over the Beavers as Oregon turned the ball over 12 times and only shot 28% from behind the arc. Fortunately for the Ducks, they shot well from the field. It was much of the same against the Wildcats except this kind of performance isn’t going to allow you to beat Arizona. Losing the rebounds and coughing up the basketball frequently doesn’t help. It would take a miracle run for the Ducks to make the NCAA Tournament.
6. UCLA Bruins
Last Week’s Ranking: 6 (-)
Record: 14-15 (9-9)
Last Week: L at Washington (94-77), L at Washington State (77-65)
Next Week: vs Arizona (Mar. 7 – 9:30 p.m.), vs Arizona State (Mar. 9 – 11 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Colorado, Oregon
Bad Losses: CSU Northridge, Stanford, Cal, USC
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), NA – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Outside of rebounding, UCLA posted a respectable and overall solid performance against Washington, but the Huskies found a way to have one of their best games all season. One of the craziest things you’ll see all season is the Bruins only turned the ball over four times… and still lost. There was only one downfall to the loss against Washington State as well, and that was poor three-point shooting in the second half. UCLA shot 28.6% from behind the arc in the final frame. The Bruins will try to finish the season on a high note heading into the conference tournament.
7. Washington Huskies
Last Week’s Ranking: 7 (-)
Record: 16-14 (8-11)
Last Week: W vs UCLA (94-77), L vs USC (82-75)
Next Week: at Washington State (Mar. 7 – 9 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Gonzaga, Utah
Bad Losses: at UCLA, Cal
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), NA – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Talk about an impressive performance for the Huskies against UCLA. Keion Brooks Jr had a strong showing once again with 32 points as Braxton Meah and Moses Wood stepped up for Washington along with Sahvir Wheeler. The Huskies shot 50% or higher from the floor and from three in both halves which is a statement in itself. Those numbers inevitably declined against USC, and Washington did not have much in the way of scoring aside from Brooks and Koren Johnson. The Huskies will sit in the middle of the pack (pun intended) heading into the Pac-12 Tournament.
8. Cal Golden Bears
Last Week’s Ranking: 10 (+2)
Record: 13-17 (9-10)
Last Week: L at Colorado (88-78), L at Utah (88-59)
Next Week: at Stanford (Mar. 7 – 11 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Colorado, Oregon
Bad Losses: Montana State, UTEP, Tulane, at USC
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), NA – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Cal gave Colorado a run for its money this past week, but the Golden Bears were their own worst enemy in the second half behind the arc. They finished just 3-12 from three in the final 20 minutes which makes it tough to beat a team like Colorado even when Jaylon Tyson scores 25 points in a game. Those three-point struggles amplified against Utah as they plagued Cal for the entire game and not just the second half. The Golden Bears can finish as high as sixth place in the Pac-12 if everything goes their way, something nobody would’ve expected after winning just three games a season ago.
9. Arizona State Sun Devils
Last Week’s Ranking: 9 (-)
Record: 14-15 (8-10)
Last Week: L vs. Arizona (85-67)
Next Week: at USC (Mar. 7 – 11 p.m.), at UCLA (Mar. 9 – 11 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Washington State, Colorado, Utah (x2), 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)
Adam Miller and Frankie Collins gave everything they had for the Sun Devils in the loss against Arizona, but the Wildcats were too much to handle. To Arizona State’s credit, it took care of the basketball well with just eight turnovers. The problems were shooting behind the arc and consistently losing rebounds. When you’re not shooting well against a team like Arizona, it’s often very difficult to win. The Sun Devils will have their work cut out for them in the conference tournament.
10. USC Trojans
Last Week’s Ranking: 11 (+1)
Record: 12-17 (6-12)
Last Week: L at Washington State (75-72), W at Washington (82-75)
Next Week: vs Arizona State (Mar. 7 – 11 p.m.), vs Arizona (Mar. 9 – 10 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Seton Hall, Kansas State, Utah
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)
If there’s one good thing USC fans can take away from the last part of the season it’s that Isaiah Collier is back and running on all cylinders. The freshman guard averaged 27.5 points per game last week for the Trojans, including 31 in the win over Washington. A lack of three-point shooting is the only reason why USC couldn’t pull off an upset over Washington State. The Trojans shot just 20% from behind the arc and still only lost by three points. Things would be much different for USC this year if this was how the team played the entire season.
11. Stanford Cardinal
Last Week’s Ranking: 10 (-1)
Record: 12-17 (7-12)
Last Week: L at Utah (90-68), L at Colorado (81-71)
Next Week: vs Cal (Mar. 7 – 11 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Arizona, Utah
Bad Losses: Michigan, Northern Iowa, at USC, at Cal, UCLA, Oregon State
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), NA – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Stanford just continues to fall after an 0-2 week and has now lost six in a row. The Cardinal are just not finding ways to play consistently even when four players score double digits. Brandon Angel and Maxime Raynaud are doing everything they can to get this team out of the slump, but nothing is working for them. Much like other teams in the conference, three-point struggles continue to be seen, and they hurt more in a game like the one against Colorado that could’ve ended differently if the shooting was at a higher level.
12. Oregon State Beavers
Last Week’s Ranking: 12 (-)
Record: 12-17 (4-14)
Last Week: L at Oregon (78-71)
Next Week: vs Utah (Mar. 7 – 11 p.m.), vs Colorado (Mar. 9 – 5 p.m.)
Quality Wins: Arizona
Bad Losses: UCLA, Stanford
Seed Projection: NA – Mat Mlodzinski (CBB Review), NA – Joe Lunardi (ESPN), NA – Jerry Palm (CBS)
Jordan Pope and Tyler Bilodeau combined for 48 of the 71 points in the loss against Oregon, and that might just about be the best way to sum up the season for Oregon State. This duo has carried the load for the offense the entire season and even when they both score 20+ points every night, it still doesn’t guarantee a win. Rebounding and a lack of supplemental scoring have hurt the Beavers the entire year, and both of those are going to need to be addressed in the transfer portal as freshmen can’t be expected to step in right away.