Pac-12 men’s basketball power rankings: Jan. 6

With the first weekend of Pac-12 conference play in the books, Daily Bruin Sports gives its take on which teams are the best and worst in the conference.

1. Arizona (13-1, 1-0 Pac-12)

A 71-67 loss to UNLV derailed Arizona’s hopes for an undefeated season and dropped the Wildcats down to No. 7. Arizona quickly righted the ship, though, with a 24-point blowout of Arizona State to open Pac-12 play. The Wildcats are shooting over 50 percent from the field and go nine deep; they should have no problem cruising to another Pac-12 regular season title against a relatively weak conference.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.

2. Utah (12-2, 2-0)

The Utes are currently the No. 9 team in the AP Top 25, but very easily could be ranked even higher. Their two losses are to quality teams in San Diego State (11-4) and No. 12 Kansas (11-2), and each of those games were decided by within four points. With junior forward Jordan Loveridge (12.0 PPG) back from injury, Utah looks to be a legitimate threat to usurp Arizona’s throne in the conference, though the Wildcats appear to have the advantage in terms of depth. Utah senior guard Delon Wright (15.1 PPG, 5.6 APG, 4.9 RPG) is one of the most dynamic players in the country, and excels in running transition offense. During the Utes’ current five-game win streak, Wright has recorded two double-doubles.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.

3. Stanford (10-3, 2-0)

At 10-3 and with two wins to start conference play, the Cardinal don’t look to have dropped off too much from last season when they went 23-13 and reached the Sweet 16. The Cardinal have two overtime wins over opponents who were ranked at the time and if not for a two-point loss to BYU, they would have just two losses in the year. Despite losing two key starters from last year, Dwight Powell and Josh Huestis, Stanford still has senior point guard Chasson Randle, who is replicating his 18.8 points per game average from last season.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.

4. Oregon (11-3, 1-0)

Though the Ducks are one of the younger and less experienced teams in the Pac-12, they have shown a knack for winning close games. The team is currently riding a six-game win streak, which includes two overtime wins. But there are some red flags to go along with Oregon’s early success. For example, the team’s two overtime wins were against middling mid-major teams in UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine, and both games were played in Eugene, Ore. In addition, Oregon’s loss against then-No. 19 Michigan back in November is starting to look way worse, as the Wolverines have stumbled to an 8-6 record so far. If the Ducks are to rise in these rankings, they must prove that those questionable performances are outliers, and not the norm.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.

5. Washington (11-3, 0-2)

The Huskies were on a roll, winning their first 11 games of the season, but have dropped in the rankings and this power rankings after losing its past three games. There’s little reason to panic, however: Washington’s resume includes wins over ranked opponents in San Diego State and Oklahoma, and its three losses were all by eight or fewer points. Sophomore guard Nigel Williams-Goss’ development has been a big part of his team’s success, as he’s averaging 13.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.

6. Cal (11-4, 1-1)

Of the Golden Bears’ four losses, two have come against teams ranked in the top 10 at the time. The other two losses were both decided by just three points. Granted, those latter two losses were against struggling Cal State Bakersfield and Washington State teams, which make the losses much worse. Still, Cal’s ability to win games without injured sophomore guard Jabari Bird, who has played just six games, has made the hiring of new coach Cuonzo Martin look like a smart move.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.

7. Arizona State (8-6, 0-1)

Before their 24-point drubbing in Tucson on Sunday, the Sun Devils’ average margin of defeat in their losses was just 4.2 points; and other than their triple-overtime loss at home to Lehigh, all of those losses came against Power-5 conference teams, which suggests that the Sun Devils aren’t quite as bad as their 8-6 record. That being said, ASU has struggled to replace Jahii Carson at point guard this year, as the Sun Devils’ leading assister averages just 2.5 per game. Unless this is a State Farm commercial and Carson’s twin brother suddenly materializes in Tempe, it is unlikely that the Sun Devils will rise much on this list.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.

8. Colorado (9-5, 2-0)

Other than guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who missed most of last season anyway, the Buffs return most of their key players from a year ago. The experience and familiarity with each other hasn’t translated to a much-improved team, however. Although the five losses have all come against teams with winning records, Colorado’s schedule has been relatively easy, having yet to face a ranked opponent. That will change soon as Colorado faces No. 9 Utah and No. 7 Arizona in its future games.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.

9. Oregon State (9-4, 0-1)

The Beavers’ season shares some characteristics with other Pac-12 schools. Like Cal, Oregon State has played reasonably well this season under new coach Wayne Tinkle, with just four losses. But like Colorado, the record it has is made slightly less impressive given the lack of ranked opponents on its schedule. After transferring from Salt Lake Community College, junior guard Gary Payton II has been a huge pickup for the Beavers, leading the team in points, rebounds, steals and blocks.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.

10. USC (8-6, 0-2)

Freshman point guard and prized recruit Jordan McLaughlin has lived up to the hype so far, as he currently leads the Trojans in points per game (12.7) and assists (4.9). But even with McLaughlin’s standout play, the Trojans have collectively struggled against basically every above-average team that they’ve faced this year. Their eight wins are against teams with a combined record of 53-57, and they’ve lost to Portland State and Akron. In their first two games of Pac-12 play this weekend, USC lost by an average of 22.5 points. It’s hard to say whether the Trojans will come closer than that in their upcoming Pac-12 games against Cal and Stanford this week.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.

11. UCLA (8-7, 0-2)

UCLA is in the midst of a historically bad stretch. Its seven first-half points against Kentucky marked the lowest scoring total in a half in school history. Its 39 points vs. Utah was the lowest points scored by a UCLA team since 1967. There’s been little reason for hope in the Bruins’ current five-game skid as they’ve struggled in nearly every aspect of the game. At this point, an NCAA Tournament berth seems like a longshot.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.

12. Washington State (7-7, 1-1)

It takes a lot to keep a team playing as poorly as UCLA has been to keep it from falling to the bottom of these power rankings, but Washington State has been even worse this year. Five of the Cougars’ seven losses have been by double digits and only one has come against a ranked opponent. There have been some bright spots, though: the Cougars won their most recent game against Cal and have gotten strong seasons out of senior guard DaVonte Lacy and sophomore forward Josh Hawkinson who combine to average nearly half of the team’s scoring output per game.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.