Pac-12 basketball power ratings: Arizona on top as USC falls, Utah and WSU rise
The Trojans lost at home to UC Irvine without two starting guards
The Pac-12 power rankings will be published weekly on the Hotline until the conference tournament, with the publication day changing once the football season concludes.
Two weeks into the most important two months of the college basketball season, the Pac-12 is 29-6 in non-conference play. The winning percentage of 82.8 is significantly higher than the historical threshold for Selection Sunday success (70 percent).
However, the majority of the most difficult games are still to come. The conference will host No. 4 Marquette, No. 14 Arkansas, No. 15 Baylor, and No. 18 Michigan State the following week.
We will monitor the situation. What happens in November (and December) has a significant impact on what happens in March.
In terms of power ratings…
1. Arizona (3-0)
Last week: 2
Results: beat Duke 78-73, beat Southern 97-59
Next up: vs. Belmont (Friday)
Comment: Standard operating procedure at Hotline HQ: beat Duke at Duke and you’re No. 1 in the power ratings, regardless of record, date, weather, tides, or gas price.
2. Colorado (3-0)
Last week: 3
Results: beat Grambling 95-63, beat Milwaukee 106-79
Next up: vs. Richmond (Monday)
Comment: Transfer of TCU With 9.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, Eddie Lampkin Jr. is performing as expected up front. If he keeps this up, the Buffaloes will be in great shape.
3. UCLA (3-0)
Last week: 4
Results: beat Lafayette 68-50, beat Long Island 78-58
Next up: vs. Marquette (Monday)
Comment: After three games, the Bruins have yet to allow a team to score 60 points. Those three teams have combined to shoot 33.8 percent from the field and 24.6 percent from 3-point range.
4. Oregon (2-0)
Last week: 5
Results: beat Montana 75-61
Next up: vs. Tennessee State (Friday)
Comment: The N’Faly Center Dante pulls down 21 rebounds per game. We don’t mind that he’s only appeared in one game. In any case, it’s an interesting statistic.
5. Arizona State (2-1)
Last week: 6
Results: beat Texas Southern 63-52, beat UMass Lowell 71-69
Next up: vs. Brigham Young (Thursday)
Comment: We were curious, and you might be too: BYU is 3-0, with a win over San Diego State and two 100-point games (out of three games played).
6. USC (2-1)
Last week: 1
Results: beat Cal State Bakersfield 85-59, lost to UC Irvine 70-60
Next up: vs. Brown (Sunday)
Comment: Yes, the Trojans were missing injured guards Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson against UC Irvine, and the selection committee will factor that into their evaluation of USC. Nonetheless, a dismal defeat.
7. Utah (3-0)
Last week: 9
Results: beat UC Riverside 82-53, beat Wake Forest 77-70
Next up: vs. Houston (Friday)
Comment: Basketball school.
8. Washington State (2-0)
Last week: 10
Results: beat Prairie View 83-65
Next up: vs. Mississippi State (Friday)
Comment:
WSU guard Myles Rice, who is in remission from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, is one of the Pac-12’s most inspiring stories.Not for nothing has he averaged 14 points per game.
