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It was another banner week for the conference of mediocrity. The Washington Huskies eked out a two-point victory over their rival Washington State, and the Sun Devils remain extremely inconsistent as they split with the mountain schools.
If the conference is hoping to have more than one team in the NCAA Tournament, they best hope ASU catches fire at the end of the seasons. That starts with a sweep over the Bay Area schools at home this week.
Here are the rankings:
No. 1 - Washington (20-5, 11-1)
The Huskies survived a pretty great scare at the hands of the Cougars in Pullman. Luckily for UW (and the Pac-12 conference), they were able to get the victory over a suddenly red-hot and highly competitive Washington State team.
Washington now returns home for matchups with the mountain schools, as they seek to get one step closer to a Pac-12 regular season title.
No. 2 - Arizona State (17-8, 8-5)
The lasting memory of this year’s ASU team will be how good they could’ve been had they found a way to remain consistent. It was a bitter split over Colorado and Utah, but the win on Saturday was one of their best offensive performances.
Redshirt junior Rob Edwards remains the key to success for ASU. If he’s knocking down shots, the Sun Devils are difficult team to beat for anyone
No. 3 - Oregon State (16-8, 8-4)
It’s been an interesting season for the Beavers, they swept their rival Oregon for the first time since 2009-10 but have dealt with some bad losses. Including a blowout loss to Stanford at home.
The Beavers now find themselves back on the NCAA Tournament bubble ahead of an important road trip to take on the L.A. schools. OSU’s home game against ASU next week will be important for both team’s postseason aspirations.
No. 4 - Utah (14-11, 8-5)
In such a down year for the conference, the Utes have been surprisingly strong throughout the season. They are the best shooting team in the Pac-12 and have pulled off some impressive victories throughout the season.
A trip north to Washington will be a nice test for Utah as they take on two teams that have been playing well of late in their own building. Head coach Larry Krystkowiak’s team have performed fairly well away from home with a 5-3 record.
No. 5 - Colorado (16-9, 7-6)
Head coach Tad Boyle’s Buffaloes had a nice home stand as they swept both Arizona schools to get over .500 in conference action.
Now on a five game winning streak thanks to an improved offensive attack, CU has put themselves in a strong position to grab a first round bye in Vegas. They’ll need to care of business starting with Washington State on Wednesday.
No. 6 - Stanford (14-11, 7-6)
The Cardinal have quietly climbed their way up the conference standings after a slow start to begin the regular season.
Stanford now travels to take on the Arizona schools as they seek to sweep ASU and get revenge over UA. Sean Miller has still not lost to the Cardinal since he took over the job in Tucson.
No. 7 - USC (14-12, 7-6)
Now the rankings start to get sad. After narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament field a season ago, the Trojans can’t get much to go their way this season.
USC now returns home for some tough matchups with the Oregon schools and little to play for with the season slowly reaching the end of the road.
No. 8 - Oregon (15-10, 6-6)
It’s been a very trying season in Eugene for head coach Dana Altman and his Ducks. Oregon has been decimated by injuries and haven’t been able to build winning streaks.
Junior point guard Payton Pritchard is the last remaining impact player from the Ducks Final Four appearance in 2017. He’s performed fairly well this season, but hasn’t been able to lead his team back into serious national contention.
No. 9 - UCLA (13-13, 6-7)
It’s amazing how bad it’s been in Westwood and Tucson this season. The conference’s usually elite programs have been hit with injuries and poor play as well as off the court distractions.
The Bruins will look to get over .500 this season as they welcome both Oregon schools into Pauley Pavilion.
No. 10 - Arizona (14-12, 5-8)
The Wildcats have accomplished something that hasn’t been done since Ronald Reagan lived in the White House. UA has lost seven straight games for the first time since 1983 as this team has been an absolute shell of the normally dominant Sean Miller teams.
As they return home to Tucson, they’ll look to get back in the win column for the first time since Jan. 19. Enjoy this while you can Tempe.
No. 11 - Washington State (10-15, 3-9)
Usually at this point in the rankings there’s isn’t too many nice things to say. Luckily, the Cougars have been playing inspiring basketball and have proven to be a problem for any opponent when they’re on their game.
Senior forward Robert Franks, Jr. is still the conference’s leading scorer and is in position to get a chance at the professional level.
No. 12 - California (5-20, 0-13)
The Golden Bears are still really young, and really bad. But as bad as UA is playing they might give the Wildcats everything they can handle.
A winless conference team stealing a game at the McKale Center would be a fitting moment in the disappointment that has been 2018-19 Pac-12 men’s basketball.