Pac-12 Power Rankings: Week Six
Posted by Connor Pelton on December 19th, 2011Here’s a look at the power rankings that Drew and I have compiled after the sixth week of Pac-12 games. Here we go!
1. Stanford, 9-1: Stanford took care of business in their only game of the week, a 20-point drubbing of a mediocre San Diego club. The Cardinal defense has been outstanding in these types of game so far this season, as they have not given up more than 59 points to a non-power conference team. They have two more chances to keep that streak alive before Pac-12 play begins. Up Next: 12.19 vs. Bethune-Cookman
Dwight Powell can smell other player's arms AND average 3.6 RPG. (credit: Richard Drew)
2. California, 9-2: Across the bay we have our number two team, who also went 1-0 this week with a 20-point win over a mediocre team. The Golden Bears defeated Weber State 77-57, making them the first Pac-12 team to reach the nine-win plateau. While the Wildcats as a whole are mediocre, they are home to the nation’s leading scorer, Damian Lillard. The Bears held Lillard to 14 points, 11.4 under his season average. Up Next: 12.19 vs. UC Santa Barbara
3. Oregon State, 9-2: On paper, Oregon State’s 289-193 outscoring of their three low-major opponents this week looked great, but I didn’t like most of what I saw, especially against Portland State on Sunday. On offense, the Beavers looked great. They were shooting the ball with ease, passing with great efficiently, and flying high on dunks. But those plays led to too much celebrating and not enough getting back, making the Beavs look slow against the already-quick Viking guards. If they do this in Pac-12 play, opponents will be scoring in the 7os and 80s instead of the 60s, leading to more losses and making their chances of an NCAA Tournament bid even smaller. Up Next: 12.21 @ Chicago State
4. Arizona, 7-4: The Wildcats hold steady after dropping a 71-60 decision to Gonzaga in Seattle. Most will look at Arizona’s four losses and think they are a middle-of-the-pack team, but considering those four have come against Mississippi State, San Diego State, Florida, and Gonzaga, they don’t seem that bad at all. Group that in with the growing pains coach Sean Miller has had to endure so far, I really like UA at fourth. Up Next: 12.20 vs. Oakland
5. Oregon, 6-3: The Ducks opened up the week with an ugly nine-point win over Portland State, but the real challenge was to come six days later when Virginia came calling. Oregon was able to stay with the Cavaliers for 30 minutes, but Virginia used a stifling defense and hot shooting down the stretch to pull away for a 13-point win. Virginia forward Mike Scott led all scorers with 17 points. Up Next: 12.20 vs. North Carolina Central
6. Washington State, 7-4: The Cougars only game of the week was a less-than-stellar win over DII Western Oregon, but they trade places with rival Washington anyway. The Cougars have now won five in a row going into the Cougar Hardwood Classic. Up Next: 12.22 vs. Pepperdine in Seattle
7. Washington, 5-5: There was panic last week when the Huskies were 4-4, and that was before they lost to South Dakota State. Now there is full-on panic on Montlake as the Huskies are just ten days away from their Pac-12 opener against up-start Oregon State. Up Next: 12.22 vs. Cal State Northridge
8. Colorado, 5-4: The Buffaloes hold steady at eighth after taking the week off for exams. The break was needed basketball-wise as well after the Buffs dropped an 11-point decision at home to Wyoming. Up Next: 12.19 vs. Cal State Bakersfield
9. UCLA, 5-5: No, that isn’t a typo. The perennial 11th place Bruins have moved to ninth after winning two games and getting back to .500 this week. After beating a solid Eastern Washington team by 13 on Wednesday, the Bruins came back on Saturday and took care of business against a severely undermatched UC Davis club. The Bruins jumped out to a 40-6 lead on the Aggies before cruising to an 82-39 win. Up Next: 12.20 vs. UC Irvine
10. Arizona State, 4-6: Things went from bad to worse for the Sun Devils as they fell to Northern Arizona, 69-68, on Saturday in Tempe. The loss assured ASU of leaving OOC play without a winning record. Up Next: 12.19 vs. Southern Miss
11. USC, 4-7: The Trojans trade places with their cross-town rivals after losing to one of the worst power-conference teams at home on Saturday. Georgia came into a surprisingly big and loud Galen Center and held off the Trojans, 63-59. The lone highlight for SC was the emergence of freshman guard Alexis Moore, who posted 18 points and 2 assists in defeat. Up Next: 12.19 vs. TCU
12. Utah, 2-8: Ute fan across the country couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw Friday’s result from Salt Lake City. Utah 71, Idaho State 59, it read. Utah dedicated the win to junior guard Glen Dean, who is in a hospital recovering from brain surgery. Up Next: 12.19 vs. Portland
I'm from Portland. College basketball and football is life.
