/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58508309/usa_today_10570463.0.jpg)
The Pac-12 basketball season is officially half over. What have we learned?
Well, Arizona and USC can’t lose. Arizona State can’t sweep a weekend. UCLA, Utah, Oregon, Stanford are all capable, but inconsistent. And Washington is... good?
Whatever the case may be, we ranked all of ‘em.
Pac-12 power rankings — Feb. 6
Rank | Destin | Kaye | Tonis |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | Destin | Kaye | Tonis |
1 | Arizona | Arizona | Arizona |
2 | Washington (+2) | Washington (+3) | Washington (+1) |
3 | UCLA | UCLA | UCLA (+2) |
4 | USC (-2) | USC (-2) | Stanford (+2) |
5 | Stanford (+1) | Stanford (+2) | USC (-3) |
6 | Arizona State (+1) | Utah (-2) | Arizona State (+2) |
7 | Utah (-2) | Arizona State (-1) | Utah (-3) |
8 | Oregon (+1) | Oregon | Oregon (-1) |
9 | Colorado | Colorado | Colorado |
10 | Oregon State | Oregon State | Oregon State |
11 | California | Washington State | Washington State |
12 | Washington State | California | California |
Destin: Though two-fifths of Washington’s Pac-12 wins are against Washington State, the Huskies have held their own. This weekend, though, the Arizona schools will tell if these Dawgs are legit. Stanford, however, just dropped three straight, while USC hasn’t lost in three weeks. Utah going on the road and losing by one to a now Top-10 Arizona team will bump them up. A week ago, I was afraid this conference would send just three teams to the NCAA tournament. This week, let’s throw UCLA, Washington and maybe even Utah to that list. The other three are either ranked or received votes.
Kaye: As former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green famously put it: “They were who we thought they were. Green was talking about the Chicago Bears but he could have just as easily been talking about the top of the Pac-12 power rankings. Just as media ranked it in the preseason media poll, my rankings have Arizona on top, followed by USC and UCLA. All three failed to lose last week going a combined 6-0 while climbing up the conference ladder. Utah also made a lofty jump after beating ASU and nearly pulling out a win at McKale. Once the darlings of the conference, both Stanford and Colorado went winless last weekend, granted against great teams in L.A. and Arizona, but both seemingly falling back down to Earth after a great conference start.
Tonis: I didn’t want to move UCLA as much as I did, but the rest of the Pac-12 forced my hand. Arizona State continues to scuffle along and Stanford has lost all its momentum it gained in the first few weeks of the conference slate. The only two NCAA Tournament locks appear to be Arizona and USC, but ASU is as close as can be without being in because of its tough Pac-12 start. Midway through the Pac-12 season, there’s still a lot left to be determined, including the blockbuster weekend when the LA schools travel east to the desert for what should be four outstanding matchups.