SI Pac-12 Men's Basketball Power Rankings: UCLA Finally Falls, Arizona Takes Advantage

The Fan Nation and Sports Illustrated publishers of the Pac-12 have come together to lay out the hierarchy of the conference on the hardwood following the results from the past week.

UCLA men's basketball (8-1, 2-0 Pac-12) fell from No. 1 to No. 2 in latest edition of the SI Pac-12 Power Rankings, the first time all season they've dropped out of the top position. The Bruins haven't played since their Dec. 11 win over Marquette, as their contests against Alabama State, North Carolina and Cal Poly were canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.

Arizona already snagged one of the first-place votes a week ago, but now has three compared to UCLA's two. The Wildcats are still undefeated – as is USC, for that matter – and their two blowout wins over Northern Colorado and Cal Baptist helped them take advantage of the Bruins' elongated break.

UCLA and Arizona will go head to head when the Bruins' COVID-19 pause is over, with the Wildcats coming to Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 30 to decide who is the top team in the Pac-12.

Here are the full updated power rankings, as well as some brief thoughts from each of the publishers and reporters

SI PAC-12 MEN’S BASKETBALL POWER RANKINGS

1. Arizona (11-0, 1-0), 58 points (3 first-place votes)
2. UCLA (8-1, 2-0), 57 (2 first-place vote)
3. USC (12-0, 2-0), 50
4. Colorado (9-3, 1-1), 44
5. Washington State (8-4, 1-1), 38
6. Utah (7-4, 1-1), 36
7. Oregon (6-6, 0-2), 28
8. Arizona State (5-7, 1-1), 26
9. Stanford (6-4, 1-1), 21
10. Washington (5-4, 0-1), 14
11. Cal (7-5, 1-1), 12
12. Oregon State (1-10, 0-2), 5

DONNIE DRUIN, ALL SUN DEVILS

1. UCLA; 2. Arizona; 3. USC; 4. Colorado; 5. Washington State; 6. Arizona State; 7. Oregon; 8. Utah; 9. Stanford; 10. Washington; 11. Cal; 12. Oregon State

Comment: I respect Oregon's efforts in their eight-point loss to Baylor. As for Arizona State, the Sun Devils appear to possibly be turning a corner thanks to their tough early season battles despite losing a close game to San Francisco. We'll see if ASU can end on a good note against Florida A&M before the gauntlet of USC/UCLA/Arizona arrives.

JEFF FARAUDO, CAL SPORTS REPORT

1. UCLA; 2. Arizona; 3. USC; 4. Colorado; 5. Utah; 6. Washington State; 7. Oregon; 8. Arizona State; 9. Washington; 10. Stanford; 11. Cal; 12. Oregon State

Comment: With UCLA on pause, Arizona and USC continue to impress. The gap is widening between the top three and the rest of the field, although Oregon showed some signs of finding its way in a 78-70 loss to defending national champion Baylor.

DYLAN REUBENKING, DUCKS DIGEST

1. Arizona; 2. UCLA; 3. USC; 4. Colorado; 5. Utah; 6. Washington State; 7. Stanford; 8. Oregon; 9. California; 10. Arizona State; 11. Washington; 12. Oregon State

Comment: The Ducks looked like the wheels were beginning to turn toward a comeback against No. 1 Baylor. The Pac-12 looks to be a top-heavy conference with a bunch of meddling teams trying to find their way, and Oregon needs to start putting together some wins to gain confidence heading toward conference play because the Ducks look far from a team that can consistently compete with the likes of USC, UCLA and Arizona.

SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS

1. Arizona; 2. UCLA; 3. USC; 4. Colorado; 5. Utah; 6. Washington State; 7. Oregon; 8. Arizona State; 9. Stanford; 10. Washington; 11. Cal; 12. Oregon State

Comment: As difficult of a decision as it was, the Wildcats are just too hot not to put at No. 1. Heck, even the Trojans would be No. 1 in most conferences right now. UCLA shouldn’t be blamed for getting hit hard by COVID – or at least it shouldn’t count against them on the court – but playing one game in a four-week span will introduce a lot of question marks for when they do return. It could help or it could hurt, only time will tell, and it will become very clear via the outcome of the UCLA-Arizona game at the end of the month.

DAN RALEY, HUSKY MAVEN

1. Arizona; 2. UCLA; 3. USC; 4. Washington State; 5. Colorado; 6. Utah; 7. Arizona State; 8. Oregon; 9. Stanford; 10. Washington; 11. Cal; 12. Oregon State

Comment: Finishing up the bulk of non-conference play, the league looks as tough as it's been for a long time. Tommy Lloyd has brought a Gonzaga vibe to Arizona. The LA schools are tough. Kyle Smith has made Washington State a spoiler. The Huskies finally played again after their longest in-season layoff in school history -- three weeks. If COVID doesn't disrupt things too bad, Pac-12 basketball should be great fun.

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