Pac-12 men’s basketball power rankings: Feb. 11

With another week of Pac-12 men’s basketball in the books, Daily Bruin Sports returns with its weekly installment of Pac-12 power rankings.

1. No. 7 Arizona (20-3, 8-2) (Last week: 1)

Well that wasn’t supposed to happen, was it? Actually, the same could be said about all three of Arizona’s losses, not just the Wildcats’ recent loss to Arizona State. While the loss is more than likely just a slight bump in the road and the Wildcats should still be considered the odds-on favorite for the conference crown, it does bear some looking into. Though Arizona’s three losses have come by a combined nine points, they have come at the hands of three teams that are a collective 41-28, while Oregon State is the only one of them with legitimate tournament hopes. The loss may be enough to cost the Wildcats a No. 1 seed and raises some concerns about a similar upset come tournament time.

Compiled by Jordan Lee, Bruin Sports senior staff.

2. No. 11 Utah (18-4, 8-2) (Last week: 2)

Utah received the closest thing to a bye week in college basketball after dismantling an Askia Booker-less Colorado squad 79-51 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the score suggested. The loss to UCLA at the end of January appears to be just an off day as Utah has now won four of its last five by more than 20 points. The defense remains outstanding as Ball State, of all teams, is the lone squad to top 70 points against the Utes, and that was in the season opener. When Jordan Loveridge and Brandon Taylor play like they did against the Buffs – combined 8-12 from 3-point land – few can beat the Utes. Utah hosts Stanford and Cal this week, in the first and only meeting this season with either school.

Compiled by Jordan Lee, Bruin Sports senior staff.

3. Oregon State (16-7, 7-4) (Last week: 3)

The Beavers still aren’t getting much respect from ESPN.com bracketologist Joe Lunardi, who currently has them secluded from his projected 68-team NCAA tournament bracket. But despite Oregon State’s low RPI of 71 and even lower BPI of 82, it’s hard to argue that this team should be ranked any lower than No. 3 in the Pac-12. The Beavers are one of only three teams in the country to defeat the Arizona Wildcats, and they rank No. 12 in the nation in scoring defense. The latter stat appears to be the measure of consistency in college basketball, as all but one other team in the top 12 in scoring defense has less than 17 wins so far. And who tops that list? Virginia and Kentucky. Essentially, if Oregon State plays its best defense, this team can hang with anyone in the country.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.

4. Oregon (17-7, 7-4) (Last week: 5)

This past week, the Ducks did what they’ve done for basically the whole season – maintain the status quo. Oregon did this by beating a couple more middling teams – Washington and Washington State. But even though those wins bring the Ducks’ record to a respectable 17-7 overall, that solid record belies just how illegitimate this team is. Oregon still hasn’t defeated a team ranked in kenpom.com’s top 40 and have gone 0-4 against teams that do fit that criteria. As I’ve said for weeks, Oregon will not gain a great deal of upward mobility in these rankings until it puts up a legitimate quality win.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.

5. Cal (15-9, 5-6) (Last week: 9)

Man, how times have changed in Berkeley. Just two weeks ago, the Bears were ranked dead last in our power rankings. At that point, Cal was in the midst of a six-game losing streak lowlighted by a 35-point loss to Arizona State and a 14-point loss to USC. But now it appears that Cal has its resolve and swagger back, as the Bears have rallied off four straight wins – three of which were won on comebacks in the final 20 seconds. Cal finally looks like the team that began the year 10-1 with wins over Syracuse and Wyoming. Now, the question will be if the Bears can sustain their momentum.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.

6. UCLA (14-10, 6-5) (Last week: 6)

Just when you started to believe in them, the Bruins snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and that brief moment of optimism gave way to crushing pessimism. The loss to Cal hurt UCLA’s postseason tournament chances big-time. The players said as much after the game but they didn’t need to. Now, instead of finishing its season with five of its final seven games at home and tied for third in the conference, UCLA faces an uphill battle and a number of pressing questions: Why hasn’t it won a weekend road series in-conference under Steve Alford? What does the team do on Fridays? And why can’t it finish out games? After failing to convert a field goal in the final 5:19 against the Cardinal, the Bruins allowed the Golden Bears to finish on a 6-0 run in the game’s final 1:32. All isn’t lost though – see, not all the optimism’s gone – as UCLA gets rematches against Oregon State and Oregon this week, both of whom are one game up on the Bruins in the Pac-12 standings. A pair of victories would go a long way in restoring confidence.

Compiled by Jordan Lee, Bruin Sports senior staff.

7. Stanford (16-7, 7-4) (Last week: 4)

The Cardinal have struggled mightily with consistency this year because they rely too much on hot shooting to catalyze victories. Granted, Stanford does have some combustible scorers in Chasson Randle and Anthony Brown, but when those players aren’t firing on all cylinders, it’s tough for Stanford to win. This was evident this past week when the Cardinal lost at home to the Bruins, as Randle struggled from the field and couldn’t make up for a below-average defensive performance by his team. It will be tough for Stanford to rise in these rankings until it improves on its defense and team-oriented ball movement.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.

8. Arizona State (12-11, 4-6) (Last week: 8)

The Sun Devils’ season unofficially ended Saturday night after taking down the Arizona Wildcats 81-78. Sure, Arizona State has eight games left to play, not counting the Pac-12 tournament, but it’s not going to get better than what it did in Tempe this weekend. After getting drubbed by 24 in their Pac-12 opener against the Wildcats, the Sun Devils held on for one of the biggest upsets in conference play this year. Savon Goodman scored 15 points and added nine rebounds while Arizona State outshot Arizona 22-28 to 8-14 at the charity stripe. Senior guard Bo Barnes deserves a round of applause after he came in off the bench and delivered a career-high 18 points – one of four Arizona State players to finish in double figures.

Compiled by Jordan Lee, Bruin Sports senior staff.

9. Colorado (11-11, 4-6) (Last week: 7)

I watched the second half of the Colorado vs. Utah game from Cal’s media room, and by watched, I mean closed my eyes and covered my ears while shouting incoherent nonsense. Yes, it drew a scene. But asking this team to play without Askia Booker is like asking In-N-Out to make you a double-double without the patties. Sure, they’ll do it, but it isn’t going to be pretty. The only positive aspect of the game for Colorado is that alumnus Chauncey Billups was there. He might not be back anytime soon. Same goes for the Buffs and the NCAA tournament after a disappointing season.

Compiled by Jordan Lee, Bruin Sports senior staff.

10. Washington (14-9, 3-8) (Last week: 11)

Washington’s season has completely fallen off the tracks now, as the Huskies have lost five straight games – four of which have occurred after the dismissal of starting center Robert Upshaw on Jan. 26. The seven-foot Upshaw was the nation’s leading shot blocker and gave this team a defensive identity and a rebounding force down low. Without Upshaw, the Huskies lack an interior presence to counter-balance their standout guards – Nigel Williams-Goss and Andrew Andrews. Washington’s prospects don’t get much brighter this week, as the team faces No. 7 Arizona Friday.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.

11. Washington State (10-13, 4-7) (Last week: 10)

With its two losses this past weekend, Washington State has now lost six of its past seven, its lone win during that span a one-point victory at home against Stanford on Jan. 31. I’ve said this before about Washington State, and I’ll say it again: The Cougars will not turn things around until they start to play defense. They haven’t done that all year, as there are only five teams in Division I men’s basketball that allow more points per game than the Cougars’ 76.0. When coupling Washington State’s 70.5 points scored per game, it doesn’t make for a successful relationship.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.

12. USC (9-15, 1-10) (Last week: 12)

Well, that had to hurt. USC erased a nine-point deficit at halftime against Cal only to have its two-point lead erased by the Golden Bear’s Tyrone Wallace at the buzzer, in what might have been coach Andy Enfield’s last best chance at adding a second conference win. Being summarily run off the court by Cal’s fans doesn’t make the loss any easier – although definitely more confusing. USC is now 20-35 under Enfield, including a 3-26 mark in Pac-12 play. Six of the Trojans’ losses during their current eight-game losing streak have come by eight points or less, which is somewhat encouraging for an inexperienced and outclassed squad. Whether or not USC shows Enfield the patience to cultivate his young talent and bring in some more, remains to be seen.

Compiled by Jordan Lee, Bruin Sports senior staff.