Here’s a look at the power rankings that Drew and I have compiled after the first week of games. Here we go!
1. California, 2-0: The preseason favorite Golden Bears rolled in their first two games of the season. On Friday night they faced an overmatched and undertalented UC Irvine team where Allen Crabbe led California with 24 points. Last night they faced George Washington in the regional round of the CBE Classic, thrashing the Colonials for an 81-54 victory. Up Next: 11.15 vs Austin Peay
2. Arizona, 3-0: After a loss and a closer-than-comfort win in its two exhibitions, all eyes were on Tucson this week to see how the Cats would perform in their first three games. They didn’t overwhelm any of their mid-major opponents by any means, but eight-, nine-, and ten-point victories over some reasonably solid competition earns them the second slot in our power poll. Up Next: 11.17 vs St. John’s in New York City
3. Washington, 2-0: The Huskies have won the first two games of the World Vision Classic and will go for the sweep tonight. Shooting guard C.J. Wilcox has led the team in both of its victories, going for 22 points against Georgia State and 19 points against Florida Atlantic. Combo guard Tony Wroten, Jr., as expected, has led the plethora of newcomers with 12.5 PPG. Up Next: 11.14 vs Portland
4. USC, 1-0: Despite only defeating a bad Cal State Northridge by seven points on Friday night, the Trojans come in at fourth in our power rankings. Three players, Aaron Fuller, Dewayne Dedmon, and Maurice Jones all led SC with 16 points a piece. Dedmon had the most impressive performance though, adding eight blocks and three rebounds to his stat line. Up Next: 11.14 vs Nebraska
5. Stanford, 1-0: The Cardinal gave Central Arkansas a rude awakening in their first game as a fully eligible Division I team, drilling the Bears 91-52. Aaron Bright led five Cardinal players in double figures with 16 points and four assists. Up Next: 11.14 vs Fresno State
T6. UCLA, 0-1: UCLA had a terrible loss to open up the season, a 69-58 defeat at the hands of Loyola Marymount at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. The Bruins looked inept on offense but the defense was even worse, letting LMU shoot 66.7% (10-15) from behind the arc. If the Bruins want to live up to the expectations that have been set for them, they need to improve that perimeter defense. Up Next: 11.15 vs Middle Tennessee
T6. Oregon, 0-1: Tied with the Bruins were the other losers this weekend. Oregon’s defeat did look a bit better on paper, falling to #7 Vanderbilt 78-64. Wake Forest transfer Tony Woods led the Ducks with 12 points and four rebounds in the loss. Up Next: 11.17 vs Eastern Washington
T8. Oregon State, 1-0: The Beavers overcame poor shooting stretches and some slow defense to defeat Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday. When Oregon State was in their man-to-man, the Roadrunners did not have an answer for the relentless and fast defense that would cause 19 steals. But when they reverted back to the 1-3-1 zone trap, the Beavers allowed too many open three-point attempts that kept CSUB in the game. Up Next: 11.14 vs West Alabama
T8. Colorado, 1-0: There isn’t much to say about the Buffaloes 85-57 victory over Ft. Lewis, other than that it was a blowout from the time the ball was thrown into the air. Colorado will face its first test this weekend when they go to Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Up Next: 11.17 vs Wichita State in San Juan
T10. Washington State, 0-0: The Cougars will play their first game of the regular season tonight, but they have already destroyed Lewis-Clark State in exhibition play. Freshman shooting guard DaVonte Lacy led the Cougars in the victory with 21 points. Up Next: 11.14 @ Gonzaga
T10. Arizona State, 1-0: The Sun Devils looked less-than-impressive in their regular season opener against Montana State, holding off a furious Bobcats rally in the final minutes to win, 78-72. Junior guard and team leader Trent Lockett led Arizona State with 17 points. Up Next: 11.15 vs Pepperdine
12. Utah, 0-0: The Utes will get their regular season going tonight in Salt Lake City, but they come in last in our rankings due to their 61-60 loss against Adams State in exhibition play. The loss proved that rebounding from losing five key players wouldn’t only be hard, but nearly impossible. Up Next: 11.14 vs San Diego Christian College