Here’s a look at the power rankings that Drew, Parker, Adam, and I have compiled after the first week of Pac-12 games:
1. Colorado, 4-0 (Delta – N/A): After an opening night victory against Wofford, Colorado went to Charleston and got three great wins over the weekend. The Buffaloes dismantled a solid Dayton squad on Thursday before getting the signature win of the classic against Baylor on Friday. After a day off on Saturday, Spencer Dinwiddie and Josh Scott led the Buffs to a championship win over Murray State on Sunday night. Out of the seven remaining undefeated teams in the Pac-12, Colorado’s the only one to win four games in the first 10 days of play. Tad Boyle’s squad is now off until Sunday, when it’ll face 4-0 Air Force in Boulder. Up Next: 11/25 vs. Air Force
2. Arizona, 2-0 (Delta – N/A): Arizona successfully navigated two of its first three tests to start the season last week. Charleston Southern proved to be the toughest of the two, competing hard with the Wildcats for all 40 minutes. A 12-4 run from the 4:35 to 2:00 mark proved to be the dagger for the Buccaneers, who fell 82-73. The Cats didn’t take advantage of their height in the CSU game, but it wouldn’t be a problem in their second match-up of the year against UTEP. UA pulled down 20 more rebounds in their 72-51 trouncing of the Miners than they did against the Bucs. Xavier transfer Mark Lyons was definitely the player of the week for Zona, averaging 17 PPG and 3.5 APG in the two victories. Up Next: 11/19 vs. Long Beach State
Mark Lyons May Lead The Team In Scoring, But Heralded Freshmen Brandon Ashley Has Carried Arizona On The Glass (credit: Chris Coduto)
3. UCLA, 3-0 (Delta – N/A): After starting the season ranked in the Top 15, UCLA finds itself at the three spot after 10 days of play. They did escape the opening week unscathed, but their one point overtime win against UC Irvine (a game in which the Anteaters had plenty of chances to win), did enough for Adam and I to drop them from number one. The most impressive victory of the week was way back on November 9, when the Bruins dominated a solid Indiana State team in the second half for a 86-59 victory. Freshman Jordan Adams was undoubtedly the newcomer of the week, both on the team and in the Pac-12, by averaging 24 PPG and 3.6 RPG. Up Next: 11/19 vs. Georgetown in New York City
4. California, 3-0 (Delta – N/A): You rarely see Pac-12 teams play road games against WAC opponents, but after starting 2-0 against in-state rivals the Golden Bears went into Denver and downed the Pioneers for an 11-point win last Friday. And while Denver may not be competing for any large things in March, road wins are good wins, no matter who it’s against. The Golden Bears will continue to be tested in the coming weeks as games with Drake, Wisconsin, and UNLV are all on the schedule. They also have possible match-ups with Georgia Tech and Saint Mary’s this Thanksgiving weekend as part of the DirectTV Classic. The goal going forward for Cal will be to get more production on the offensive end from its frontcourt. Guards Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobbs both average in the 20s, but no other player is even in double digits. Up Next: 11/22 vs. Drake in Anaheim
5. Oregon, 3-0 (Delta – N/A): Oregon got one of the conference’s best wins so far last Friday, when they flat-out dominated an undermatched Vanderbilt club for all 40 minutes at Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon’s other two victories came against Northern Arizona and Portland State. Up Next: 11/19 vs. Jacksonville State
6. Stanford, 3-1 (Delta – N/A): After struggling for a while against San Francisco on opening night, Stanford pulled out a win against the Dons and proceeded to knock off Cal State Fullerton and Alcorn State. However, faced against much tougher competition in Belmont on Sunday, the Cardinal finished the game poorly and paid for it in the form of a 70-62 upset. There’s plenty of time to rebound before Pac-12 play begins, but the early returns have not been great for Johnny Dawkins and the Cardinal. Up Next: 11/22 vs. Missouri in Nassau
7. USC, 2-0 (Delta – N/A): The Trojans have only played two games in 10 days, but the second win was a huge one. SC defeated Long Beach State, a team that had North Carolina on the ropes for 30 minutes, by a final score of 62-44 last Tuesday. And it wasn’t really that close. Up Next: 11/19 vs. Illinois in Lahaina
8. Oregon State, 3-1 (Delta – N/A): After getting a solid win over a 2011-12 tournament team in New Mexico State, Oregon State turned the ball over 20 times in a heartbreak of a loss on Thursday against Alabama. The Beavers bounced back with an eight-point win over Purdue the next afternoon, but the win was overshadowed by the loss of senior center Angus Brandt, who is now out for the year with a right knee injury. Up Next: 11/25 vs. Montana State
9. Washington, 2-2 (Delta – N/A): It hasn’t been the best of starts for Washington, who is one of only two teams to go .500 in the first week of play. The way the Huskies have looked in these first four, it isn’t impossible to see them dropping any one of their next five. Up Next: 11/24 vs. Colorado State
10. Arizona State, 2-0 (Delta – N/A): Only the Sun Devils could start the year 2-0 and not reach single digits in our power rankings. Once you dig deeper, however, it starts to make sense. Their two opponents have combined for a 1-4 mark to start the season. Up Next: 11/20 vs. Cornell
11. Washington State, 2-1 (Delta – N/A): It’s never good when you start the season by losing to a lower-tier WCC team, whether on the road or not. Things aren’t going to get easier for the Cougars as Kansas, Texas A&M, Gonzaga, and Fresno State are all on tap in the coming weeks. Up Next: 11/19 vs. Kansas in Kansas City
12. Utah, 1-1 (Delta – N/A): The Utes are back in their familiar spot after dropping a three-point decision to Sacramento State in Salt Lake City. The lone victory was by 57 points, but that’s as expected against a D-II team like Willamette. Up Next: 11/21 vs. Idaho State