Pac 12 Power Rankings 2/1: Oregon Suffers Their First Loss in Pac-12 Play But Remains On Top For Now
By Josh Goldman
Jan 31, 2013, Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller reacts to a play against the Washington Huskies during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
1. Oregon (18-3, 7-1): Oregon suffered their first loss in conference play and boy did they lose. Stanford blew out the Ducks 76-52 who were playing without Dominic Artis. The Ducks still lead the Pac-12 but the door is open for some other teams to win the conference. Oregon needs to pile up the wins to add to their resume so they can get a better seed for March Madness.
2. Arizona (18-2, 6-2): The Wildcats destroyed USC and snuck by at Washington to remain on the Duck’s webbed toes. The Wildcats have a better resume and are projected to get a higher seed than Oregon even if the Ducks win the Pac-12. Arizona has 10 games left in their regular season and realistically should go 9-1 or 10-0 to put pressure on Oregon for the Pac-12 regular season crown.
3. Arizona State (17-4, 6-2): The Sun Devils had a great week. Arizona State handily defeated the hot Bruins and beat the Cougars on the road. Arizona State is on the bubble but currently is projected to be one of the last four in. The Sun Devils look to keep up their winning ways with a trip to Washington Saturday.
4. UCLA (16-6, 6-3): The Bruins followed their best win of the year (at Arizona) with an awful week. The Bruins got blown out to Arizona State and then followed up their worst loss with a home overtime loss to rival USC. The Bruins need to get back on track when the Washington teams come to Westwood and then put their inconsistency away if they don’t want to be a one and down team come March. There is enough talent on this Bruins team to make a Final Four run but the Lakers have enough talent to not be 10th in the West.
5. Stanford (13-8, 4-4): Stanford had the best week in the conference by winning their 2 games by a combined 55 points. The Cardinals destroyed the Utes at Utah then gave Oregon its first loss of 2013. Stanford notched their first win over a top-10 team since 2008 and alum Tiger Woods won his first PGA event of the year. Let’s see if the Cardinals get another top-10 win with a trip to Arizona Thursday.
6. Colorado (14-6, 4-4): The Buffaloes have one more game before entering their toughest stretch of the year. Colorado is a projected #9 seed according to bracketologist Joe Lunardi, thanks to their non-conference schedule. Colorado still has both of their games against Oregon left to add another quality win to their resume.
7. USC (9-13, 4-5): Expectations were low for the Trojans this basketball season. Kevin O’Neill was fired and most saw the Trojans mail in the rest of the year but that hasn’t happened. There is definitely fight from this Trojans squad and interim coach Bob Cantu is doing an amazing job. USC went to Westwood and shocked the Bruins at home. The Bruins made a late run to force overtime but this Trojans team kept their composure and pulled out the road victory.
8. California (12-8, 4-4): Cal still hasn’t won or loss two games in a row all 2013 and the trend will seem to continue with a matchup against Oregon this Saturday. A win will be hard to find in the Golden Bears next 6 games. The alternating wins and losses will come to an end this week.
9. Washington (12-4, 4-4): Washington started off 4-0 in the Pac-12 since then they have lost 4 straight. Washington gave Arizona a good run Thursday night but had an epic fail on a backdoor lob to tie the game with 30 seconds left. The Huskies look to stop the bleeding against Arizona St. Saturday night. After the Sun Devils, the Huskies have a trip to Los Angeles to face UCLA and USC.
10. Washington State (11-10, 2-6): The Cougars won their first road game of the year with a victory over Oregon State. Expect Washington St. to stay close in their next three games but ultimately lose them. Mike Ladd has scored double figures in 9 straight games.
11. Oregon State (11-10, 1-7): Oregon State was up 12 against Cal in the 2nd half and lost which sums up the Beavers season. The close losses continued with back to back 71-68 losses to Washington St and Cal. Utah comes to town Wednesday where the Beavers look to double their conference wins.
12. Utah (9-11, 1-7): Truthfully not expecting the Utes to win another game all year. Their win over Washington was unexpected though so you never know. Utah has Colorado at home then goes to Oregon State for a battle for last place in the Pac-12.
Match-up of the weekend: Arizona State @ Washington
Upset Alert: None
Player of the Week: THE WHOLE STANFORD CARDINALS TEAM
Biggest Climb: Stanford +3
Biggest Fall: UCLA, USC & Washington -2
January 30, 2013; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Johnny Dawkins (right) instructs guard Christian Sanders (1) during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal defeated the Ducks 76-52. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports