Busting Brackets
Fansided

Pac-12 Basketball: 2019-20 power rankings Feast Week edition

By Connor Hope

PORTLAND, OREGON - NOVEMBER 12: Payton Pritchard #3 of the Oregon Ducks and Shakur Juiston #10 of the Oregon Ducks speakduring the second half of the game against the Memphis Tigers at Moda Center on November 12, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. Oregon won the game 82-74. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - NOVEMBER 12: Payton Pritchard #3 of the Oregon Ducks and Shakur Juiston #10 of the Oregon Ducks speakduring the second half of the game against the Memphis Tigers at Moda Center on November 12, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. Oregon won the game 82-74. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 7
Next
DAYTON, OHIO – MARCH 20: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils reacts during the first half against the St. John’s Red Storm in the First Four of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 20, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OHIO – MARCH 20: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils reacts during the first half against the St. John’s Red Storm in the First Four of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 20, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

8) Oregon State Beavers

Preseason Ranking: 8

Record: 5-1

Notable Result: 80-74 Home Win vs Iowa State

Another year, another opportunity for Tres Tinkle to make a case for Pac-12 Player of the Year. This season, Tinkle is looking better than ever, averaging 21.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Tinkle, Kyler Kelly and Ethan Thompson form one of the best trios in the Pac-12 and have the Beavers looking like a true NCAA Tournament threat.

Despite a neutral site loss to Oklahoma, the Beavers have a strong case to be moved higher on this list and could easily find themselves in the top five next time. Not only is this the best team on both ends of the floor under head coach Wayne Tinkle, it may be the best Beavers squad since the late 1980’s. Unfortunately, the Pac-12 as a whole has been fantastic at the top, forcing the Beavers to the bottom of half of the rankings.

7) Arizona State Sun Devils

Preseason Ranking: 6

Record: 3-2

Notable Results: 48-45 Neutral Site Loss vs Virginia

It seems that the November and December magic the Sun Devils have had the past two years has disappeared. While this team is certainly one of the more talented teams in the conference, and their record doesn’t necessarily reflect their position in the conference hierarchy, the difficulty they have had in winning neutral site games against tough opponents is evidence of a slight step back.

The team’s offense has been underwhelming, with nobody outside of Remy Martin or Rob Edwards proving to be a consistent scoring threat. The team’s defense has kept them afloat, strong proof of Bobby Hurley’s coaching ability, but that was not enough to sink the offensively inept Virginia Cavaliers. It would be good to see Romello White take control of the paint more often, and capitalize on his strong interior scoring and rebounding, helping the Sun Devils to become a more well-rounded team.

Home/Pac-12