1. Oregon (16-2, 5-0 Pac-12, Last week: No. 1) (No. 16)
The Ducks left Westwood as the prohibitive favorite to win the conference. They are the only Pac-12 team still undefeated in conference play, and since they avoid Arizona and UCLA for the rest of the season, it’s fair to wonder if Oregon could run the table for the rest of Pac-12 play, a feat no Pac-10 team ever accomplished in the conference’s short history. Coach Dana Altman deserves Coach of the Year buzz for Oregon accomplishing all of this with five newcomers in the rotation.
2. Arizona (16-1, 4-1, Last week: No. 3) (No. 6)
The Wildcats used a full week of rest, easily defeated their in-state rival and now have the Bruins in their sights for a Thursday night matchup at home. If UCLA thought it had a tough time boxing out Oregon, it will only get harder against Arizona, which regularly plays three bigs taller than 6 feet 9 inches. Expect the Wildcats to slow the game down and grind it out inside.
3. UCLA (15-4, 5-1, Last week: No. 2)
As covered in Court Visions on Tuesday, the Bruins are talented, but have some major flaws. They’re in between the toughest two-game stretch the Pac-12 has to offer, with a game at No. 6 Arizona following a loss to No. 16 Oregon. Coach Ben Howland has four days to prepare his team and figure out how to neutralize Arizona’s size advantage.
4. Arizona State (14-4, 3-2, Last week: No. 4)
The Sun Devils are mired in a two-game losing streak but retain their position in the rankings since those losses wereto Arizona and Oregon, and because of the inconsistency within the Pac-12. After this weekend it would be reassuring to see if someone can complement the scoring of ASU’s redshirt freshman guard Jahii Carson.
5. Washington (12-6, 4-1, Last week: No. 5)
How did a team with a significant historical home-court advantage, after starting the season with three road wins and one more at home, drop a game to a Utah team that hadn’t ever won on the road in its new conference? Top wing C.J. Wilcox going cold from the field after getting locked down by Utah’s Cedric Martin (remember him, Shabazz Muhammad?) probably had something to do with it.
6. USC (8-11, 3-3, Last week: No. 8)
Hell hath no fury like a team that just had its coach fired. USC responded to the sacking of Kevin O’Neill by playing their hearts out for interim coach Bob Cantu, matching Oregon to the final possession in a chippy loss before hitting a game-winner to take down Oregon State at home. Cantu said he’d like the offense to get up and down the court more, a tall task for a team playing two 7-footers. USC, like UCLA, hits the road to face the Arizona schools this week.
7. Colorado (12-6, 2-4, Last week: No. 6)
The confidence these rankings had in Colorado during the non-conference season is quickly fading. The Buffaloes’ only two wins have come against Pac-12 non-contenders, dropping them into that very category. It’s becoming more doubtful that Colorado can get a first-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament. But it’s worth remembering that Colorado was middling last season too and still got hot, winning four conference tourney games in four days and an NCAA Tournament game.
8. Stanford (11-7, 2-3, Last week: No. 9)
The Big Game, Part I, Hardwood Edition went to Stanford this weekend on the Cardinal’s home floor. Everyone on Stanford’s squad bought into the old basketball adage “If all else fails, flail” and got to the free-throw line plenty, shooting just over 80 percent on 31 attempts while fouling out two Bears. Up next for Stanford: the difficult trip to the mountains to face Colorado and Utah.
9. California (10-7, 2-3, Last week: No. 7)
It’s usually a given that one of the two Bay Area teams will contend for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. That doesn’t seem to be the case this year. While Allen Crabbe continues to lead the conference in scoring, the Bears remain one-dimensional with him as the only threat. Mike Montgomery has a history of holding his team to a high standard, but this looks to be a down year for Cal basketball.
10. Utah (9-9, 1-5, Last week: No. 11)
The Utes had never, ever won a road game in the Pac-12 before going to Seattle and toppling the Huskies on Saturday. Of all the places to notch your first road win, that might be the most impressive place to do it out of the 12 cities in the conference. After plenty of close calls, Utah got its breakthrough. Now they have two winnable games on the horizon on their home turf against Cal and Stanford.
11. Washington State (10-8, 1-4, Last week: No. 12)
One team had to notch its first conference win in Thursday’s match-up between Washington State and Utah in Salt Lake City. It turned out to be the Cougars. Even after a win, there’s no real positive spin to put on the Cougars’ outlook the rest of the way. But here’s something to keep an eye on: Brock Motum has yet to score less than double figures in a game all season, the only player in the conference to do so.
12. Oregon State (10-8, 0-5, Last week: No. 10)
While Oregon remains unbeaten, its Beaver State rival has yet to notch a conference win, most recently getting swept by UCLA and USC on the road. They’re back at home, where the Beavers have lost three straight, hosting the Washington schools this week. Rumor has it that Craig Robinson was spotted in Washington, D.C. this weekend, probably getting scouting done in case the Pac-12 expands East.
Compiled by Ryan Menezes, Bruin Sports senior staff