Pac-12 Power Rankings: Feb 5

1. No. 19 Oregon 18-4, 7-2, Last week No. 1

Unlike a certain Super Bowl coach, these rankings will not replace the incumbent due to an injury. Yet the Ducks’ starting point guard Dominic Artis went down more than a week ago with a foot injury and the team has suffered tremendously since, losing its first two conference games of the season on the Bay Area trip. The Ducks will be bumped down further if Artis’ injury lingers.

This week: Thursday v. Colorado, Saturday v. Utah

2. No. 7 Arizona 19-2, 7-2, Last week No. 2

Arizona handled the Washington trip with relative ease, beating Washington despite almost as many turnovers (17) as made field-goals (20) before handling Washington State. The Wildcats were handed a gift with the Oregon Ducks’ two-game skid and are firmly back in the conference title race, especially since the Wildcats are favored to sweep their next pair of games.

This week: Wednesday v. Stanford, Sunday v. California

3. Arizona State 17-5, 6-3, Last week: No. 4

They only managed a split of the Washington trip, but the Sun Devils are on the track for contention in the Pac-12 title race. Arizona State got 32 points from freshman Jahii Carson on Saturday, and scored 92 as a team, but it still wasn’t enough in a shootout against Washington. Still, the Sun Devils remain one of the most efficient offenses in the Pac-12.

This week: Thursday v. California, Saturday v. Stanford

4. UCLA 16-6, 5-3, Last week: No. 3

The loss to USC was ugly. Furthermore, it was completely avoidable. The glaring defeat will sit on the “Bad Losses” line when the NCAA Tournament committee evaluates these Bruins in March, alongside the Cal Poly loss. The way the Bruins were playing, they almost made us forget about that one dark night in December. Can they erase the memories of another tough defeat this time?

This week: Thursday v. Washington, Saturday v. Washington State

5. Stanford 14-8, 5-4, Last week: No. 6

Since his team was swept in Los Angeles to open Pac-12 play, sophomore guard Chasson Randle has rounded into form for the Cardinal. Randle has 15-plus points in every game since, helping Stanford go 5-2 over its last seven conference games. The Cardinal were able to defeat the Ducks this week; a win on Arizona’s homecourt would be even more of a resume-booster.

This week: Wednesday at Arizona, Saturday at Arizona State

6. Washington 13-9, 5-4, Last week: No. 7

Washington took out their painful loss to Arizona on Arizona State. The Huskies scored 96 points, a tally normally seen in non-conference blowouts, and hung on to win by four. Even more impressive, they did it with just three made 3-pointers compared to the Sun Devils’ 12. This Washington team is still an erratic enigma, though. We’ll learn a lot about the Huskies this week.

This week: Thursday at UCLA, Sunday at USC

7. California 13-8, 5-4, Last week: No. 8

This space is being hijacked for a few words directed at Bears fans: One more unwarranted court storming and we’re going to have to put plexiglass around Haas Pavilion, Slamball style. Cal notched a great win over No. 10 Oregon, but not court-storming-great when you consider the Ducks were coming off a loss, missing their starting point guard and had lost 10 straight games to the Bears.

This week: Thursday at Arizona State, Sunday at Arizona

8. Colorado 14-7, 4-5, Last week: No. 5

It’s safe to remove the Buffaloes from those NCAA Tournament seed lines. Their impressive journey through their non-conference schedule does not make up for a losing record in conference play anymore. Colorado’s latest setback came at the hands of cellar-dweller Utah – and the schedule only gets tougher from here.

This week: Thursday at Oregon, Sunday at Oregon State

9. USC 9-13, 4-5, Last week: No. 9

With interim coach Bob Cantu using the guys he convinced to sign with USC on the recruiting trail, the Trojans have the look of a formidable team inspired by the coaching turmoil. Take Ari Stewart. He barely played under the now-fired Kevin O’Neill, yet was in the game in overtime against UCLA and knocked down his first two free-throw attempts of the season. USC remains a team capable of an upset at any point during the rest of conference play.

This week: Thursday v. Washington State, Sunday v. Washington

10. Utah 10-11, 2-7, Last week: No. 12

When everyone least expected it, the Utes struck again with a pair of conference wins. First it was a road triumph against Washington in Seattle. Saturday it was a 58-55 home win over favored Colorado. The results don’t reflect it but the Utes’ chances look better when they grind it out and force a sub-60 point game out of their opponent. They haven’t been able to string together wins successively in conference season, though.

This week: Wednesday v. Oregon State, Saturday v. Oregon

11. Washington State 11-11, 2-7, Last week: No. 10

After losing to three Pac-12 contenders in its last four games, including getting swept by both Arizona schools this week, WSU is firmly in the cellar of the Pac-12. The Sun Devils shut down senior Brock Motum to the tune of 11 points on 3-of-13 shooting and it appears the one-time conference player of the year candidate is in a slump. Motum’ s play of late has suffered as a result of his heavy lifting early on.

This week: Thursday at USC, Saturday at UCLA

12. Oregon State 11-11, 1-8, Last week: No. 11

Watching OSU coach Craig Robinson not take timeouts to stop UCLA’s momentum in their matchup a couple of weeks ago was suspicious. Watching the Beavers hold on to four timeouts (out of five for the whole game) and fail to even get a game-tying shot attempt off Thursday night was downright alarming. Turn the dial on Robinson’s seat. It’s getting warmer by the game.

This week: Wednesday v. Utah, Sunday v. Colorado