For the seventh week of the regular season, the Pac-12 has six teams ranked in the Associated Press top 25.
This, despite a week in which four of the ranked teams lost split their conference matchups. The main beneficiary of the parity was Oregon State, which climbed seven spots to No. 18 in the AP poll after victories over two ranked foes, Colorado and Utah.
Stanford, which convincingly swept a trip to the desert, is No. 4 this week and atop the Hotline power ratings for the first time all season.
ESPN’s Bracketology for the NCAA Tournament now includes eight Pac-12 teams, but only Stanford projected as No. 1 seed with Colorado and UCLA on the No. 2 line.
To the power ratings …
(NET rankings through Monday)
1. Stanford (19-2/8-1)
Last week: 2
Results: won at Arizona State 80-50 and Arizona 96-64
Next up: vs. USC (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 2
Comment: Tara VanDerveer apologized to her team for any distraction caused by all the attention from her becoming the winningest coach in college basketball history. By the second quarter Friday, the Cardinal was re-focused, shutting ASU out of field goals for the final 8:21 of the first half. Cameron Brink was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the fourth time this season, an award no one else has won twice.
2. Colorado (17-3/7-2)
Last week: 1
Results: lost at Oregon State 68-62, won at Oregon 61-48
Next up: at Washington State (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 17
Comment: The Buffs’ three losses are to teams currently ranked No. 5, 7 and 18 in the AP poll. Three starters and four players total were in foul trouble against Oregon State, which coach JR Payne said “was definitely a challenge.” The Buffs fell three spots in the AP poll (to No. 6) and one spot in the Hotline ratings.
3. UCLA (16-3/5-3)
Last week: 3
Results: beat Washington 62-44, lost to WSU 85-82
Next up: at California (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 7
Comment: The Bruins were one of two Pac-12 ranked teams to lose to an unranked opponent last week and fell five places to seventh in the AP poll No. 7. That said, they were without 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts in both games, winning the first and nearly rallying from 20 down in the third quarter against WSU. “What they showed from the inside out, you have no idea,” an emotional Cori Close said of her players after the loss. “Some things are more important (than wins), bottom line.”
4. Oregon State (17-3/6-3)
Last week: 6
Results: beat Colorado 68-62 and Utah 91-66
Next up: at Oregon (Sunday)
NET ranking: No. 19
Comment: The Hotline doesn’t claim to be Nostradamus but, as predicted, Donovyn Hunter was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week — an honor USC’s JuJu Watkins has dominated. Her 17-point, 10-assist double-double was the first by an Oregon State freshman since 1994. UCLA is 8-3 in Quad I games, compared to OSU’s 3-3 mark, which explains the Bruins’ edge in our power ratings.
5. Utah (15-6/5-4)
Last week: 4
Results: won at Oregon 58-48, lost at Oregon State 91-66
Next up: at Washington (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 6
Comment: Based on reputation and metrics, a 91-66 score between Utah and Oregon State seemingly would favor the Utes. Except last week, it was the reverse as Utah went 9-of-33 from 3-point range to trail by 17 at halftime and 36 after the third quarter. The Utes are 3-6 against Quad 1 opponents, the worst mark of the Pac-12’s ranked teams, but five of those losses are to AP top 25 opponents.
6. USC (14-4/4-4)
Last week: 5
Results: beat WSU 70-62, lost to Washington 62-59
Next up: at Stanford (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 18
Comment: The Trojans lost for the first time at home, where they are 10-1, and fell four places to No. 15 in the AP poll. Watkins had another stellar week, scoring 29 points against Washington State and 19 against UW, but those came on 18-of-54 shooting (combined). Just one other player reached double-figure in scoring in each game last week.
7. Washington State (15-6/4-4)
Last week: 7
Results: lost at USC 70-62, won at UCLA 85-82
Next up: vs. Colorado (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 21
Comment: The biggest upset in school history based on the opponent’s AP ranking (over then-No. 2 UCLA) was more than offset by star guard Charlisse Leger-Walker suffering what is feared to be a serious right knee injury in the third quarter. “I don’t think it looks good,” coach Kamie Ethridge said. “We’ll wait and see what the picture looks like. But it generally doesn’t ever end up well. You’ve just got to be patient and then figure out the next plans for her.” Leger-Walker will not play for New Zealand in an upcoming Paris Olympics qualifying tournament.
8. Arizona State (10-11/2-7)
Last week: 12
Results: lost to Stanford 80-50, beat Cal 76-71
Next up: at Arizona (Sunday)
NET ranking: No. 117
Comment: With wins over Washington and Cal in the last two weeks, ASU made the biggest jump in our power ratings. All five starters scored in double figures against the Bears while playing 37 or more minutes. That’s not sustainable based on fouls alone, so the Sun Devils will need more from their bench to keep this rating from becoming as fleeting as a Snapchat post.
9. Washington (13-6/3-5)
Last week: 9
Results: lost at UCLA 62-44, won at USC 62-59
Next up: vs. Utah (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 41
Comment: The Huskies’ upset of USC was essential for an NCAA Tournament bubble team given a 1-6 record in their previous seven games — and with Utah, Colorado and Stanford coming up. ESPN’s Bracketology has Washington among the last four teams into the NCAA field. Still, it’s a precarious position for a team that’s 10th in the Pac-12 in scoring.
10. Cal (13-8/3-6)
Last week: 8
Results: lost at Arizona 66-55 and ASU 76-71
Next up: vs. UCLA (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 65
Comment: The Bears continue to rise and fall in the Hotline’s power ratings, which reflects just how fluid things are below the top seven. Cal led by three at halftime in Tucson, then was outscored 23-11 in the third quarter and added just six points in the fourth. Against ASU, the Bears led 2-0, then not again (despite making 12 3-pointers).
11. Arizona (11-10/3-6)
Last week: 10
Results: beat Cal 66-55, lost to Stanford 96-64
Next up: vs. ASU (Sunday)
NET ranking: No. 45
Comment: Arizona was without leading scorer Kailyn Gilbert last week due to injury. If she can’t return, coach Adia Barnes will be down to seven healthy players unless she finds reserves on campus (as TCU recently did). Beating Cal was laudable given the circumstances, and having one game this week is a plus. But ASU will be out to avenge a 91-52 loss on Dec. 17.
12. Oregon (11-11/2-7)
Last week: 11
Results: lost to Utah 58-48 and Colorado 61-48
Next up: vs. Oregon State (Sunday)
NET ranking: No. 88
Comment: The Ducks have lost four in a row and will be a heavy underdog in their rivalry rematch. (Oregon State won 61-42 on Dec. 31.) The Beavers mark the start of a five-game gauntlet against ranked opponents for Oregon. Grace VanSlooten returned from concussion protocol against Colorado to score 16 points, but the Ducks couldn’t get to 50 in either game last week.
*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716
*** Follow Metcalfe on Twitter/X: @jeffmetcalfe
*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline
*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.
Source: www.mercurynews.com