SI Pac-12 Men's Basketball Power Rankings: UCLA Clings Onto Top Spot, Holds Off Arizona and USC
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 (5-0) held onto its spot as the unanimous No. 1 team in the latest edition of the SI Pac-12 Power Rankings. The Bruins beat Bellarmine, lost to Gonzaga, then recovered by beating UNLV since the last update to the rankings.
The split between USC and Arizona at No. 2 has now gone to a consensus in the Wildcats' favor despite both teams remaining undefeated. Oregon, the unanimous preseason No. 2 team in our rankings, continues to slip having lost three out of its last four against Division I opponents.
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. UCLA (6-1), 60 points (5 first-place votes)
2. Arizona (6-0), 55
3. USC (6-0), 50
4. Colorado (6-1, 1-0), 41
5. Oregon (4-3), 40
6. Washington State (5-1), 35
7. Utah (5-1), 24
8. Washington (4-4), 20
9 (Tie). Arizona State (2-5), 17
9 (Tie). Stanford (4-3), 17
11. Cal (3-4), 12
12. Oregon State (1-6), 9
DONNIE DRUIN, ALL SUN DEVILS
1. UCLA ; 2. Arizona ; 3. USC; 4. Colorado ; 5. Oregon ; 6. Utah; 7. Washington State; 8. Washington; 9. Arizona State; 10. Cal; 11. Oregon State; 12. Stanford
Comment: Arizona State entered the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament with three straight games against NCAA Tournament teams. The result? Three straight losses. Still plenty of work to be done in Tempe before tournament aspirations are real.
JEFF FARAUDO, CAL SPORTS REPORT
1. UCLA; 2. Arizona; 3. USC ; 4. Colorado; 5. Oregon; 6. Washington State; 7. Utah; 8. Washington; 9. Stanford; 10. Arizona State; 11. Cal; 12. Oregon State
Comment: Oregon may wind up challenging the top three but double-digit losses to BYU, Saint Mary’s and Houston suggest the Ducks have a ways to go. Jury is out on Colorado, WSU and Utah. Cal, after losing twice to Top-25 teams in Florida, returned to beat a ordinary but unbeaten Fresno State squad.
DYLAN REUBENKING, DUCKS DIGEST
1. UCLA; 2. Arizona; 3. USC; 4. Oregon; 5. Colorado; 6. Washington State; 7. Utah; 8. Stanford; 9. Washington; 10. Arizona State; 11. California; 12. Oregon State
Comment: Oregon is coming off of a trip to Las Vegas that should stay in Las Vegas. The Ducks got blasted by three teams that should win games in the NCAA Tournament this spring, but they came home and got a much-needed victory against Montana. Dana Altman's team isn't a Dana Altman team yet, but don't be surprised if the Ducks are competing for another Pac-12 regular season title three months from now.
SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS
1. UCLA; 2. Arizona; 3. USC; 4. Utah; 5. Colorado; 6. Washington State; 7. Oregon; 8. Stanford; 9. Cal; 10. Washington; 11. Arizona State; 12. Oregon State
Comment: It looks like Pac-12 men’s basketball took some notes from Pac-12 football and decided to have an insanely chaotic week of nonconference play that calls many preseason storylines into question less than a month into the season. UCLA’s loss to Gonzaga looks worse now that the Bulldogs lost to Duke and struggled against Tarleton State, but they’re still in the top tier. If Arizona or USC had a better strength of schedule, they easily could have unseated the Bruins this week.
DAN RALEY, HUSKY MAVEN
1. UCLA; 2. Arizona; 3. USC; 4. Oregon; 5. Washington State; 6. Colorado; 7. Utah; 8. Arizona State; 9. Oregon State; 10. Washington; 11. Stanford; 12. Cal
Comment: It's time to see if the bottom half can beat any of the top half. Washington won't scare anybody, but the Huskies are better than they were last season. A trip to McKale to break in Tommy Lloyd won't go well.
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