Pac-12 Power rankings: A muddle in the middle
By Shaun Gordon
7. Washington
The Huskies (17-9, 7-6 PAC-12) seemed to be gaining momentum. They won four in a row, including back-to-back wins against No. 25 Arizona State and No. 17 Arizona.
Then they got blown out at Oregon and lost a double overtime thriller at Oregon State.
They blew their chance to right the ship at home against Utah, playing a horrible second half in the 12-point loss.
Most of the good they did for their tournament resume against the Arizona teams was negated by that loss to the Beavers, and the Utes were their last chance to get a statement win in the regular season.
This Week:
Saturday: vs. Colorado (5:00pm PT)
6. Arizona State
After a perfect non-conference record, the Sun Devils (19-7, 7-7 PAC-12) shot back down to earth in conference play. They’ve struggled to remain above .500, at one point falling as low as 4-6 in PAC-12 play.
But in wins over USC and UCLA last week, they looked more like the world-beaters of the early season.
On Thursday they couldn’t overcome a hot start by Arizona, falling to their rivals 77-70
They’ve fallen all the way down to eighth in the PAC-12 standings, and they’re now on the bubble for an at-large bid.
This Week:
Thursday: vs. No. 17 Arizona (6:00pm PT)
5. Oregon
The Ducks (17-9, 7-6 PAC-12) are getting hot at just the right time. They’ve gone 4-2 in their last six games, including a big win over Washington last Thursday.
They almost knocked off USC this week, losing by just two in Los Angeles. They head across town to take on UCLA this weekend.
For a team that didn’t have a singe resume-building win in non-conference play, they’re running out of time to pick up a few wins a move themselves off the bubble and become an at-large lock.
It’s also their chance to climb the PAC-12 standings and ensure a first-round bye in Vegas and even a piece of the conference regular-season title.
This Week:
Saturday: at UCLA (7:15pm PT)