Pac-12 MBB power ratings: Arizona remains on top after conference sustains barrage of holiday weekend losses

Stanford’s performance in the Bahamas was both awful and predictable

Pac-12 basketball’s final Thanksgiving holiday was one of the worst on record. From Wednesday to Sunday, the conference had five wins and 12 losses, with the usual suspects, Stanford, Cal, and Oregon State, doing the most damage.

The Cardinal went winless in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, which is no surprise to anyone who has followed the event over the years.

Do you want to guess the Pac-12’s record in the Bahamas over the last ten years? That amounts to 27 games in total, with nine teams playing three each year. (In 2020, there was no tournament.)

If you predicted a 14-13 record, just above.500, you’d be dead wrong.

The Pac-12 is 7-20… yes, 7-20… on Paradise Island since the 2013 event.

Stanford’s dreadful performance last week, which included a 22-point defeat to Northern Iowa, was simply more of the same.

Overall, the Pac-12 has a 46-26 record in non-conference games with one month until league play begins. That winning percentage (63.9) portends disaster on Selection Sunday.

In terms of power ratings…

1. Arizona (6-0)

Last week: 1 Results: beat Michigan State 74-68 Next up: vs. Colgate (Saturday) Comment: Football school.

2. UCLA (4-2)

Last week: 3 Results: lost to Gonzaga 69-65 Next up: vs. UC Riverside (Thursday) Comment: Beating bad teams convincingly and narrowly losing to good teams will only get the Bruins so far up the NET rankings. The next opportunity for a big win comes next week against Villanova.

3. Colorado (5-1)

Last week: 3 Results: beat Iona 85-68 Next up: at Colorado State (Wednesday) Comment: The Buffs don’t yet have a quality win, but they also don’t have a bad loss, which sets them apart from many of their peers.

4. USC (4-2)

Last week: 5 Results: beat Seton Hall 71-63, lost to Oklahoma 72-70 Next up: vs. Eastern Washington (Wednesday) Comment: Following their game against Eastern Washington, the Trojans will face another Eastern Washington team. It’s based in Spokane and, from what we’ve heard, is a pretty good program.

5. Oregon (4-2)

Last week: 4 Results: lost to Santa Clara 88-82, lost to Alabama 99-91 Next up: vs. Michigan (Saturday) Comment: Don’t tell us you weren’t warned about Santa Clara. In fact, we said it right here last week: “Beware the Broncos.” That is all we have to say. “Beware of the Broncos.”

6. Utah (4-2)

Last week: 7 Results: beat Saint Mary’s 78-71 Next up: vs. Hawaii (Thursday) Comment: Victories over SMC are typically used to boost resumes and NET rankings. That is unlikely to be the case this year. The Gaels are in trouble.

7. Arizona State (3-2)

Last week: 6 Results: lost to Brigham Young 77-49, beat Vanderbilt 82-67 Next up: vs. Sam Houston State (Wednesday) Comment: Apparently, having a full week to prepare for BYU wasn’t nearly enough time. Or maybe it was too much?

8. Washington (4-2)

Last week: 8 Results: beat UC San Diego 83-56 Next up: vs. Colorado State (Saturday) Comment: Don’t underestimate the challenge this weekend. Colorado State is undefeated and ranked 20th after smashing Creighton. A win would boost UW’s thin resume.

9. Washington State (5-1)

Last week: 9 Results: beat Utah Tech 93-53, beat Eastern Washington 82-72 Next up: vs. Portland State (Saturday) Comment: Let’s face it: the Cougars’ non-conference schedule reads like a who’s who of who? WSU, on the other hand, is eating the cupcakes rather than gagging on them.

10. Stanford (3-4)

Last week: 10 Results: lost to Arkansas 77-74, lost to Michigan 83-78, lost to Northern Iowa 73-51 Next up: vs. San Diego (Sunday) Comment: We’ve seen this movie before, many times. It’s disappointing, every time.

11. Oregon State (3-3)

Last week: 11 Results: lost to Baylor 88-72, lost to Pittsburgh 76-51 Next up: vs. UC Davis (Thursday) Comment: A week to forget in Corvallis, in so many ways.

12. Cal (2-5)

Last week: 12 Results: lost to Tulane 84-81, lost to San Diego State 76-67 Next up: vs. Santa Clara (Saturday) Comment: Our advice: Take the Broncos on Saturday and give the points, regardless of the line.