Pac-12 Basketball Power Rankings: Oregon stays down, Stanford moves up
By Tuck Clarry
6. Utah (7-3, 1-1)
Last week: Lost to Texas Christian 62-76, Defeated Manhattan 96-62
This week: Missouri
The Utes’ record is up for a little bit of scrutiny when trying to guess the timeline for Craig Smith’s team to return to competitive basketball. They’ve yet to beat a top 100 team according to KenPom and their loss to Texas Christian was their third double-digit loss against a top 100 team on the year.
Smith has his team playing good defense, limiting opponents’ three-point attempts and shooting percentage. Junior Branden Carlson has continued to stand out on both sides of the court averaging 13.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks this season.
5. Colorado (8-3, 1-1)
Last week: Defeated Eastern Washington 60-57, Defeated Milwaukee 65-54
This week: Cal State Bakersfield
The Buffaloes have continued to look decent in their off-year with Jabari Walker taking over the team. The sophomore has been admirable in high usage, averaging 14.5 points and drawing the 22nd most fouls per game. He’s also been a rebounding machine, averaging 8.8 per game.
It will be interesting to see how much the Buffaloes can compete this season without consistent three-point shooting. They shoot 29.9% as a team from outside and are towards the bottom of the country in three-point attempts.