The conference season is in full swing and the news has been much of the same for ASU fans. The Sun Devils sit at 2-2 in conference play after defeating California, and then falling flat and losing to Stanford by 15.
A few other teams have taken some strides of late, here are the rankings:
No. 1 - Arizona (13-4, 4-0)
The Wildcats just always find a way. A Bay Area trip proved to be no big issue for the ‘Cats, as they defeated Stanford for the 19th straight time and defeated Cal by 22 points.
Returning home, Arizona’s schedule will get more difficult as they face the Oregon schools before trips to L.A. and then Tempe for a meeting with the Sun Devils at the end of January.
Junior big man Chase Jeter has been exceptional for UA, averaging 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds as an interior presence.
No. 2 - Washington (12-4, 3-0)
Defense is carrying the Huskies to success early in the season. They have allowed the second fewest points in the conference, and Mike Hopkins’ team appears poised to rejoin the Pac-12’s best.
Fresh off a sweep of the mountain schools, UW returns home for matchups with the Bay Area teams and a good chance to remain unbeaten in conference play.
No. 3 - Arizona State (11-5, 2-2)
Another up-and-down week for ASU. The Sun Devils struggled early against Cal, but then hit their stride late in the first half to take a commanding lead in the victory.
Sophomore guard Remy Martin holds to key to success for Arizona State, he set a career high in points against the Golden Bears but was limited against Stanford to eight points all scored after halftime.
If Martin can find some consistency, ASU’s postseason aspirations greatly improve.
No. 4 - Oregon State (10-4, 2-0)
Timing might finally be on the side of the Beavers. After spending the last few seasons stuck in the middle of the conference, head coach Wayne Tinkle’s team looks like they can compete for the conference championship.
No. 5 - UCLA (10-6, 3-0)
Perhaps all it take was a change at the coaching position to get the Bruins back on track.
Sophomore guard Jaylen Hands has come into his own running the point guard position in Westwood. Hands leads the conference in assists per game at 6.9, and has taken on a leadership role for the talented, but young Bruins.
No. 6 - Oregon (10-6, 1-2)
If something can go wrong, it probably has for the Ducks. Oregon lost a heartbreaker at home to the Bruins this week after leading by nine points with a minute left in the game.
The epitome of brutality in many aspects. Head coach Dana Altman’s team did secure their first conference W after beating the Trojans.
With a trip to both of the Arizona schools on tap, this next week is probably make or break for the Ducks.
No. 7 - USC (9-8, 2-2)
After sweeping to begin conference action, the Trojans were swept this week by the Oregon schools. Not much went right for USC as they lost a close one to the Beavers before getting blown out by the Ducks.
Senior forward Bennie Boatwright has done his part averaging 17.4 points per game, but without many other scoring options opposing teams have game planned to reduce his production.
They now return home for a matchup with the crosstown rival Bruins, looking to get back over .500 in league play.
No. 8 - Utah (8-8, 2-2)
It was another split for the Utes this time at home against the Washington schools. If only they could have hung on against Arizona in Tucson.
Utah has found a nice duo in senior guard Sedrick Barefield and sophomore forward Donnie Tillman who have both averaged double figures in scoring.
No. 9 - Stanford (8-8, 1-3)
The Cardinal put themselves in an opportunity to sweep both Arizona schools, but fell just short as Arizona snuck past for a win in Palo Alto.
Sophomore forward KZ Okpala did a lot of work in the scoring column, scoring at least 21 points in both games.
No. 10 - Colorado (10-6, 1-3)
The Buffaloes finally got their first win of the conference season, as they dominated the Cougars for a 32-point win.
Sophomore wing Tyler Bey is inching closer to the leading scorer for CU as he’s averaging 12.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
No. 11 - Washington State (7-9, 0-3)
The bottom of the Pac is sinking even further to the bottom. It was another week of double-digit losses for the Cougars, who’ve sorely missed senior forward Robert Franks.
Freshman forward CJ Elleby has stepped up nicely in his absence scoring 16 points per game to begin his collegiate career.
No. 12 - California (5-11, 0-3)
Things aren’t getting better for the Golden Bears, perhaps we should add another ‘L’ to their name.
While the offense hasn’t necessarily been the problem, the defense has been exceptionally woeful. Cal ranks 326th out of 353 teams in scoring defense, but at least Berkley is a good academic school.