After another week of costly upsets, Pac-12 Basketball is facing down the outlook of being a 3 bid conference. Because of how bad the bottom half of the conference has looked so far, Washington State badly needed to win out their nonconference and avoid as many upsets as possible the rest of the year.
Now, the Cougs may need two to three wins against the top of the conference to have a solid chance of making the NCAA tournament. And for as bad as a 3-bid result seems right now, it’s worth noting how great the top of the conference looks throughout the college basketball landscape. Only the Big 12 and SEC have a stronger showing at the top of KenPom. Here is where the Conference of Champions lines up the second week into December.
12. Washington (4-4, 0-1)
Last week: Canceled game at Gonzaga due to Covid protocols
This week: Seattle
The Huskies were unable to test out of Covid protocols this week, canceling their matchup against 5th ranked Gonzaga. It’s perhaps for the best. The Huskies look to get back into the swing of things against the Seattle Redhawks, who are just 6-point underdogs according to KenPom.
11. Oregon State (1-8, 0-2)
Last week: Postponed game against Sacramento State due to Covid protocols
This week: UC Davis, Texas A&M
The Beavers are another team to have their week of action postponed due to COVID protocols. The team has several players sidelined by the virus, causing their game against Sacramento State to be rescheduled for December 28th. The Beavers have struggled mightily against top 100 teams so far this season, losing by an average of 13.3 points. Their offense has plummeted as well, sitting in the bottom third in effective field goal shooting and three-point percentage.