Basketball : Best teams in the Pac 12

1. Oregon (14-2, 3-0 Pac-12, Last week: No. 3)

Oregon spotted Arizona 11 straight points to open the game before the Ducks’ defense, strong all season, clamped down on the Wildcats. The result was a court-storming, 70-66 upset that handed the Wildcats their first loss of the season. Like UCLA, Oregon is trying to wreak havoc on defense and fly down the court on offense. So far it has worked out well. Scheduling plays in the Ducks’ favor en route to a potential Pac-12 regular-season championship since they play both Arizona and UCLA just once each.

2. UCLA (14-3, 4-0, Last week: No. 2)

In both road wins this weekend, UCLA and its counterparts matched each other nearly possession for possession. But at the end of each game, it was the young Bruins who made a few more plays than both the Utes and the Buffaloes. The Bruins deservedly moved into the national rankings at No. 24 after becoming the first team in Pac-12 history to sweep Utah and Colorado on the road. Their winning streak is at nine games and they’ll be favored to win a 10th against Oregon State before a showdown with No. 21 Oregon on Saturday.

3. Arizona (15-1, 3-1, Last week: No. 1)

The Wildcats were undefeated up until Thursday because they were able to close their opponents out in a number of tight games this season. They furiously tried to put together a comeback against the Ducks but weren’t as lucky as before. Arizona takes a hit in these rankings now but I’m  confident that they will be contending for the conference title by season’s end. Up next: A rivalry showdown with an upstart Arizona State team on Saturday.

4. Arizona State (14-3, 3-1, Last week: No. 4)

ASU was on the verge of notching a marquee win on Oregon’s home court Sunday before losing by a single possession, 68-65. Still, these Sun Devils are much further along than anyone could have imagined (including these rankings, which had them at No. 11 to open the year). Jahii Carson is making a case for conference freshman of the year even after sitting out a whole redshirt season to open his college career. A win over Arizona on ASU’s home court would go a long way in establishing the Sun Devils as a legitimate contender.

5. Washington (11-5, 3-0, Last week: No. 9)

Washington’s rise in these rankings is an indication of how volatile the bottom two-thirds of the Pac-12 is this season. The Huskies, handed the unenviable task of three straight road games to open conference season, went out and won all three. They have more losses at home than away from it. Seattle is usually a place where visiting Pac-12 teams wither. If the Huskies can establish that trend again this season, they could be in contention again.

6. Colorado (11-5, 1-3, Last week: No. 5)

I had high hopes for the Buffaloes this season, but they haven’t been able to put together a convincing stretch of play yet. On Saturday they lost their first game in Boulder after the Bruins got them sped up on offense and forced into sloppy execution. Before that they barely put together a win over USC after jumping to a 15-point halftime lead.

7. California (10-6, 2-2, Last week: No. 6)

Descending further down the rankings, the outlook for each team is as murky as ever. Case in point: Washington (No. 9 last week) handing Cal (No. 6) a 15-point loss in Berkeley on Wednesday. The Bears are dealing with injuries right now after splitting the first four games of conference play. They will need Allen Crabbe, an all-conference talent, to step up and buoy them this season.

8. USC (7-10, 2-2, Last week: No. 11)

In the history of mid-season coaching firings, you can bet that few have been pink-slipped after his team won on the road by 17 points. But that’s what happened to Kevin O’Neill on Monday, a clear sign that the USC administration didn’t believe in his future with the Trojans despite the current results. Assistant coach Bob Cantu now oversees a Trojans team that plays good defense but is still struggling to score the ball.

9. Stanford (10-7, 1-3, Last week: No. 8)

Coach Johnny Dawkins tinkered with his starting lineup after getting swept by the Los Angeles schools last week. It resulted in only a split at home against the Washington schools for Stanford. Dwight Powell, the Cardinal’s talented 6-foot-10-inch forward, is drawing NBA draft buzz for his play, though he has yet to be dominant in conference play. It’ll take even more scheming from Dawkins to get Powell to play up to his potential.

10. Oregon State (10-6, 0-3, Last week: No. 7)

Three straight conference losses at home, all by double digits, have doomed the Beavers’ once-promising season. Things were expected to improve after Oregon State went 21-15 last season, the best under coach Craig Robinson. They haven’t, and the Beavers are now officially in a free-fall with a road trip to Los Angeles coming up.

11. Utah (8-8, 0-4, Last week: No. 12)

The Utes have really had miserable luck this season. First it was an overtime loss to Arizona State. Then a game-tying 3-pointer against Arizona rolled on the rim before falling out. Twice against UCLA, Utah had open looks to tie the game with a 3-pointer and guard Glen Dean missed both. But losing at home by 17 to USC has nothing to do with luck, and so a winnable game slipped from their reach and the Utes are still winless in conference play.

12. Washington State (9-7, 0-3, Last week: No. 10)

There isn’t much the Cougars have done well this season on either side of the ball. They simply cannot put the ball in the hoop more times than they let the other team. A 29-point effort from forward Brock Motum was wasted on Wednesday as Stanford easily won by double figures. Utah and Colorado visit Pullman, Wash. this week as WSU looks to get their first Pac-12 win.

Compiled by Ryan Menezes, Bruin Sports senior staff