Rush The Court

Here’s a look at the power rankings that Drew, Parker, Adam, and I have compiled after the eighth week of Pac-12 games (delta in parentheses):

1. Arizona, 14-0 (2-0, -): By the skin of its teeth, Arizona remained undefeated through eight weeks of basketball. Visiting Colorado built up a 17-point lead against the Wildcats, only to see Zona climb all the way back and pull even at 80 with 10 seconds left. It appeared as if Buffalo guard Sabatino Chen banked in the winning three as time expired, but the officials controversially overturned the call on the court and sent the game into overtime. The Wildcats shut down a deflated Colorado squad in the extra session, and would pull out another closer-than-expected game against Utah two days later, 60-57. They now take their spotless record on the road, venturing to the great Northwest to face the Oregon schools. Up Next: 1/10 @ Oregon.
2. UCLA, 12-3 (2-0,^2): UCLA added to its winning streak by dispatching California and Stanford in week eight. The Bruins didn’t have much trouble in doing so against either, winning by an average of 11 points. On Thursday, the Golden Bears hung with UCLA for 35 minutes before falling apart and eventually losing by 14. The Stanford game ended up with a closer score than it probably should have, thanks to the 11 points scored by Chasson Randle in the game’s final 80 seconds. UCLA’s seven-game winning streak will be put to the test as the Bruins trek to Salt Lake City for their first road game of the year, and that of course will be followed by a visit to the Coors Events Center to face Colorado. Up Next: 1/10 @ Utah.

   Slo-Mo and His Team Are Surging Into Conference Play

3. Oregon, 12-2 (1-0, -): Oregon’s week, while short, was a very successful one. The Ducks marched into Corvallis for a Sunday night, nationally televised Civil War battle, and came out with a 66-53 win. Damyean Dotson imposed his will all night long against the Beavers, getting to the rim with ease and single-handedly breaking the Ducks out of multiple scoring slumps. The win now sets up a huge showdown with Arizona on Thursday. Up Next: 1/10 vs. Arizona.
4. Colorado, 10-4 (0-2, ٧2): Despite coach Tad Boyle‘s best efforts, Colorado just wasn’t the same team in Sunday’s game against Arizona State after losing in that type of fashion against the third best team in the nation. Late woes were again to blame in Tempe, as the Sun Devils went on a 21-13 run in the final eight minutes to defeat the Buffs by nine. Up Next: 1/10 vs. USC.
5. California, 9-5 (1-1, ^4): After a late collapse against UCLA on Thursday, the Golden Bears bounced back for a solid eight-point win on Saturday against USC. Allen Crabbe led Cal with a 27-point performance, but the biggest shot of the game came from freshman Tyrone Wallace, whose three with 1:20 to play put the game on ice. Up Next: 1/9 vs. Washington.
6. Arizona State, 13-2 (2-0, ٧1): Thanks to California’s big hop in our rankings, Arizona State actually drops a spot this week. But, regardless, its play on the floor confirms that this team is legit. The Sun Devils outlasted Utah in an ugly game on Wednesday night before returning to action against Colorado on Sunday. Herb Sendek and company handled Colorado for a nine-point win, placing them in a tie for first in the real standings after the initial week of action. Up Next: 1/10 @ Oregon State.
7. Stanford, 9-6 (0-2, ٧1): It was a rough start to conference play for the Cardinal, who began with the dreaded LA road trip. Stanford dropped two tight games during week eight, losing at the buzzer to USC and dropping an eight-point decision at UCLA. Up Next: 1/9 vs. Washington State.
8. Washington, 9-5 (1-0, ^3): The Huskies got a great win to bookmark conference play on Saturday as they went into Pullman, contained Brock Motum, and ended up pulling out a 68-63 win over the rival Cougars. The win was a must to keep Washington’s slim at-large hopes alive, and now they must go get another one either against Cal or Stanford this week in the Bay Area. Up Next: 1/9 @ California.
9. Oregon State, 10-4 (0-1, ٧2): For the majority of December, it seemed as if our panel was waiting for last week’s Civil War to decide whether or not the Beavers were legit. Now, Oregon State finds itself at number nine after laying a huge egg in Sunday’s second half, giving up a six-point halftime lead and then going on to lose by 13. Up Next: 1/10 vs. Arizona State.
10. Washington State, 9-5 (0-1, ٧2): We already mentioned Wazzu’s bad home loss to Washington, one that could hurt the Cougars for weeks to come. They now travel to the Bay Area, where another two disheartening losses could very well be on tap. Up Next: 1/9 @ Stanford.
11. Utah, 8-6 (0-2, ٧1): Despite USC starting conference play with a split, the Utes were still able to hold off the Trojans in our rankings. That’s mostly in part to embarking on one of the tougher road trips in the conference and coming out with two losses for a total of four points. The Utes will get another shot at their first Pac-12 win when the LA schools come to town this week. Up Next: 1/10 vs. UCLA.
12. USC, 6-9 (1-1, -): The Trojans pulled a pretty big upset on their first night of conference play, tightening up the defense down the stretch to pull out a 71-69 win against Stanford. A win over California two days later would have surely moved them up to at least number 11, but for now we’re going to keep the Trojans in the basement. Up Next: 1/10 @ Colorado.