Pac-12 Power rankings: A muddle in the middle
By Shaun Gordon
9. Colorado
The Buffaloes (15-11, 7-7 PAC-12) were riding a three-game winning streak. In a nine-day stretch, they beat Utah, Cal, and Stanford.
Those wins may not have been against the top teams in the conference, but it kept them right in the middle of the conference race.
Thursday’s loss to Washington State all but shattered both their conference and NCAA Tournament hopes. They’re now firmly off the bubble.
Now they’ll have to win it all in Las Vegas to make the Big Dance.
This Week:
Saturday: at Washington (5:00pm PT)
8. Stanford
After starting conference play 5-1, the Cardinal (13-13, 7-6) have lost five out of their last seven.
They did manage to beat both Oregon squads at home two weeks ago, but then lost on the road to both Utah and Colorado last week.
They’ve got a winnable game at Cal this week and if they can pick that win up, they’ll keep themselves right in the thick of the conference race.
With their up and down play recently, though, there are no guarantees against the Golden Bears.
This Week:
Sunday: at California (5:00pm PT)