Pac-12 Basketball power rankings: Ducks, Trojans land at the top
By Connor Hope
4) Arizona Wildcats 13-6 (3-3)
If it wasn’t for the complete collapse of the Washington Huskies following Quade Green’s ineligibility, the Arizona Wildcats may have been the most underwhelming team in the Pac-12. While Sean Miller’s squad isn’t bad, their reliance on Nico Mannion, Zeke Nnaji, and Josh Green have led to some inconsistent play.
The team was unable to close out in tough games against Oregon, Baylor and Gonzaga, but their blowout wins over Illinois and Colorado should be enough to consider them a tournament lock. If they can avoid any more losses to teams at the bottom of the conference, they shouldn’t need to worry about their success in the Pac-12 Tournament.
3) Colorado Buffaloes 16-4 (5-2)
It may have been a bumpy ride, but it is almost time to call Colorado a tournament lock. Tad Boyle has done a solid job with his strong group of players, and the Buffaloes have one of the country’s most underrated duos in Tyler Bey and McKinley Wright. Outside of Oregon State, the Buffaloes have only lost to NCAA Tournament teams, and their wins over Oregon and Dayton are among the best in the country.
The only thing keeping them out of the top two is the loss to Oregon State and the fact that their last two wins came against Washington and Washington State. Don’t let their spot make you doubt that they can win the conference championship.