Here’s a look at the power rankings that Drew and I have compiled after the 12th week of Pac-12 games:
1. California, 17-5 (7-2): The Golden Bears hold steady at number one after dispatching rival Stanford on Sunday night, 69-59. Sophomore guard Allen Crabbe led Cal with 18 points. The Bears are currently tied for first in the real conference standings with Washington, a team they beat two weeks ago. Up Next: 2/2 vs. Arizona
2. Stanford, 15-6 (5-4): Despite the aforementioned loss for the Cardinal, Stanford slides into Oregon‘s spot for a couple of reasons. One, California is slightly better than Oregon State, and two, the Cardinal’s loss came on the road while Oregon’s was at home. At this point, I don’t see either the Cardinal or Ducks pulling an at-large bid into the NCAA’s. Up Next: 2/2 vs. Arizona State
3. Oregon, 15-6 (6-3): The Ducks fall to number three after an embarrasing loss to rival Oregon State on Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena. The Beavers would trail by as many as ten before mounting a huge comeback midway thru the second half. The run put Oregon State up by as many as 12, and despite great efforts from Devoe Joseph and Garrett Sim, the Ducks would never completely close the gap. The final result was a five-point victory for the Beavers, knocking the Ducks to one game back in the Pac-12 standings and moving the Beavs into solid contention for an NIT bid. Up Next: 2/2 @ Utah
4. Washington, 14-7 (7-2): The Huskies moved into a tie for first in the real conference standings this week, which is good enough for a two-spot jump in this week’s power rankings. After a lackluster 60-54 win in Tempe on Thursday, the Huskies went into the McKale Center looking for first place and a signature win to add to their tournament résumé. They got it. The Dawgs were able to build a double-digit lead after playing a tight 26 minutes of basketball, but the Cats would come storming back, in similar fashion as they did against Oregon. In the end it was C.J. Wilcox who saved the day for Washington as the sophomore put home a pair of free throws with five seconds left to build the lead and final result back up to two. Up Next: 2/2 vs. UCLA
5. Colorado, 14-7 (6-3): It was a ho-hum week for the Buffaloes in Los Angeles, as they destoryed USC on Thursday night and then fell to UCLA two days later. What wasn’t ho-hum, however, was the victory/loss margins in both games; 24 against USC and 17 against UCLA is something you won’t see that often. Up Next: 2/2 vs. Oregon State
6. UCLA, 12-9 (5-4): A pair of big victories (27 and 17 points) over the Rocky Mountain schools highlighted week 12 for the Bruins. A split this weekend in Washington would be big for their NIT hopes. Up Next: 2/2 @ Washington
7. Arizona, 14-8 (5-4): Some thought the Wildcats’ 24-point win over Washington State on Thursday would be enough to propel them towards a sweep two days later, but it was just not in the cards. Arizona now needs to solely set their sights on getting a good seed in the Pac-12 Tournament because an at-large bid into the NCAA’s is out of the question. Up Next: 2/2 @ California
8. Oregon State, 14-7 (4-5): The Beavers actually drop one spot today, but don’t let that fool you: This was a great week for the Beavers. In one of the best games of Coach Craig Robinson‘s career at Oregon State, the Beavers went into Matt Court as a road underdog and shocked the Ducks for a 76-71 win. Jared Cunningham introduced himself as a serious player of the year candidate with a 27-point, seven rebound, and three assist day. Up Next: 2/2 @ Colorado
9. Washington State, 11-10 (3-6): The up and down Cougars reached a new low this week, getting destroyed by 24 against Arizona and then falling in a close one to Arizona State two days later. An NIT bid now looks highly unlikely. Up Next: 2/2 vs. USC
10. Arizona State, 7-14 (3-6): It wasn’t a bad week for the Sun Devils, but they are not quite ready to rise out of their double-digit ranking. A win in the Bay Area, however, could very well change that. Up Next: 2/2 @ Stanford
11. Utah, 5-16 (2-7): Expectations weren’t high for the Utes’ trip to Los Angeles, and for good reason as the Utes lost both games by a combined 44 points. Up Next: 2/2 vs. Oregon
12. USC, 6-16 (1-8): The Trojans did defeat Utah, but the Utes still edge out SC in our power rankings, mainly due to the fact that it’s SC’s only Pac-12 win. Up Next: 2/2 @ Washington State