Pac-12 Power Rankings: USC and Oregon trending up in conference play
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The college basketball season treks on as the calendar nears February – one month before the greatest sporting event in the country takes place in March.
The UCLA Bruins and Arizona Wildcats are locks to participate in the NCAA Tournament this year, and these two teams seem destined to be either No. 1 or No. 2 seeds in the big dance.
USC made big moves this past week under Andy Enfield, defeating Arizona State on the road and coming home to win a heated rivalry game against the Bruins.
The Trojans are now firmly in the NCAA Tournament discussion as well, although the rest of the Pac-12 has some work to do if they want to go dancing.
Oregon helped themselves out with nice wins over Colorado and Utah, while Bobby Hurley and Arizona State saw their chances dim significantly in the midst of a four game losing streak.
Here is a look at the Pac-12 Power Rankings as we head into the first week of February.
California Golden Bears (3-18) Last Week: 12
Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
KenPom: 255
Next: @ Colorado (2/2)
The Bears have now lost five games in a row, and they’ve lost the last three games by 29, 20, and 29 points. Things are not going well in Berkley.
Oregon State Beavers (9-13) Last Week: 11
Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
KenPom: 196
Next: @ ASU (2/2)
The Beavs have won two of their last three, smacking Cal by 20 points and and sneaking a win over a streaky Colorado squad. They have a tough road stand coming up against Arizona State and Arizona next.
Washington Huskies (13-10) Last Week: 9
Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
KenPom: 113
Next: @ UCLA (2/2)
The Huskies took ugly losses against Utah and Arizona in the past week, but sandwiched between them was a win over a flailing Arizona State squad.
They have a daunting road trip coming up next against UCLA and USC.
Stanford Cardinal (9-12) Last Week: 10
Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
KenPom: 98
Next: @ Utah (2/2)
Stanford is now rocking a four game winning streak, defeating both Oregon schools last week before a narrow victory over Chicago State and a blowout win over rival Cal in Palo Alto.
Jerod Haase’s program still has a lot of work to do, but they are starting to turn a corner heading into the final month of the regular season.
Colorado Buffaloes (12-11) Last Week: 6
Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa
KenPom: 61
Next: vs. Cal (2/2)
Tad Boyle’s team has taken a tumble this month, losing five of their last six with the only win coming in close fashion against Washington State. They’ll hope to get back on track at home against Cal and Stanford this week – games they cannot afford to lose.
Washington State Cougars (10-13) Last Week: 8
Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
KenPom: 57
Next: @ USC (2/2)
WSU rebounded from a pair of road losses against Utah and Colorado by playing Arizona really close – losing 63-58 – and then defeating Arizona State handily for their fifth Pac-12 victory.
Kyle Smith’s squad has the talent to play spoiler down the stretch, with games against USC, UCLA, and Oregon still on the docket.
Arizona State Sun Devils (15-7) Last Week: 4
Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
KenPom: 65
Next: vs. OSU (2/2)
It’s been a really rough few weeks for Bobby Hurley’s team. A four game losing streak, including road losses to Washington and Washington State, has this team falling further and further out of the NCAA Tournament conversation. They’ll look to right the ship against Oregon State and Oregon this week.
Oregon Ducks (13-9) Last Week: 7
Syndication: The Register Guard
KenPom: 55
Next: @ Arizona (2/2)
Oregon’s win over Arizona spurned a nice run for the Ducks, who have won three of their last four including a comfortable win against Utah at home.
They have a tough road stand coming up against Arizona and Arizona State on the road, a week that will go a long way toward determining the Ducks playoff future.
Utah Utes (15-8) Last Week: 5
Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
KenPom: 45
Next: vs. Stanford (2/2)
Oregon has Utah’s number this season, but the Utes are a solid 8-4 in conference play and have a great chance to move to 10-4 with home games against Stanford and Cal coming up this week.
USC Trojans (15-6) Last Week: 3
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
KenPom: 43
Next: vs. WSU (2/2)
USC not only went on the road and beat Arizona State, they secured a huge, huge victory at home against Mick Cronin and UCLA. They are now 7-3 in league play and squarely back in the conversation for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.
Arizona Wildcats (19-3) Last Week: 2
Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
KenPom: 12
Next: vs. Oregon (2/2)
Arizona responded well after the loss to Oregon, rattling off four straight wins over USC, UCLA, Washington State, and Washington.
They now host Oregon and Oregon State, and a few more wins could get them back into the conversation for a No. 1 overall seed in March.
UCLA Bruins (17-4) Last Week: 1
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
KenPom: 3
Next: vs. Washington (2/2)
UCLA stays atop the standings despite consecutive losses on the road against Arizona and USC. They’ll look to get things turned around with a home series against the two Washington schools.
UCLA is in the driver’s seat for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, but their margin of error is razor thin right now.
