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Pac-12 Basketball Power Rankings: Who’s Arizona State’s biggest challenger?

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 21: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils looks on during the second half of the championship game against the Utah State Aggies in the MGM Resorts Main Event basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on November 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona State won 87-82. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 21: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils looks on during the second half of the championship game against the Utah State Aggies in the MGM Resorts Main Event basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on November 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona State won 87-82. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /
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LAWRENCE, KANSAS – DECEMBER 01: Isaac White #4 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates after making a three-pointer during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on December 01, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KANSAS – DECEMBER 01: Isaac White #4 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates after making a three-pointer during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on December 01, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

6) Stanford Cardinal (4-4)
LW: 8

It’s rare for a team to rise because of how they played in a loss but Stanford has proven to be an exception with their performance against No. 1 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse.

The Cardinal have done nothing to show they’re a bad team – all of their losses have come against KenPom top 25 teams and were competitive against both Wisconsin and the Jayhawks. At the same time, they also haven’t done anything to show that they’re a good team, either – all of their wins have come against teams ranked 171 or lower.

KZ Okpala (17.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg) has emerged as a star and was the best player on the court for a portion of their game against Kansas. Stanford has a solid roster but their ceiling is only as high as Okpala takes them.

5) Oregon Ducks (5-3)
LW: 4

You’re a liar if you say you’ve figured out Oregon. Are they the team that handily beat Syracuse, or are they the team that lost to Texas Southern in Eugene?

Bol Bol (21.1 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.5 bpg) has been every bit as good as advertised but the rest of the roster has been underwhelming. Payton Pritchard seems to have regressed from last year and they largely play without any sense of urgency. They kind also be sloppy and careless with the ball, ranking outside of the top 100 in turnover rate.

Five-star freshman wing Louis King returned in their last game against Omaha and should give the Ducks an added dimension with his size, versatility, and shooting ability. He’ll provide more spacing on offense and a needed perimeter defender. But can Oregon sure up all of their other issues?