1. Arizona (6-0, Last week: No. 2)
The Wildcats are back on top, having stayed undefeated as their schedule strength has picked up. They finally left the confines of their home arena to easily handle Texas Tech before surviving a sloppy, 27-turnover performance in a home win over Southern Mississippi. It only gets tougher as Arizona travels to Clemson and hosts No. 6 Florida over the next two weeks. Then, they have the Diamond Head Classic tournament in late December. We at Court Visions are hoping Arizona and San Diego State make the final of that one, for a marquee matchup of West Coast schools.
2. Colorado (7-1, Last week: No. 1)
A strong start by the Buffaloes was quickly tempered over the last week. Texas Southern went to Boulder and sent a jolt through the heart of Colorado fans by taking the game into double overtime before the home team prevailed. The Buffaloes were eventually unseated from the ranks of the undefeated after losing to Wyoming on the road ““ admittedly, in a very hostile environment. We still like Colorado’s outlook for conference season but will be paying close attention to its next game: A road date with No. 9 Kansas.
3. California (6-1, Last week: No. 3)
Cal’s beat down at the hands of Wisconsin on Sunday only served to illustrate the gap between the Big Ten, currently the strongest conference in college basketball, and the slumping Pac-12. We’re more interested in the distance between the Pac-12 and its fellow West Coast conglomerate, the Mountain West Conference. One SDSU fan at the Honda Center on Saturday had a sign reading “West > Pac” and he may be right. To that end, we’ll learn something about which conference really is the Best In The West when Cal hosts UNLV on Sunday.
4. Oregon (9-1, Last week: No. 4)
Little to see here from Oregon, which easily handled a couple of low-major teams at Matt Knight Arena last week. What’s notable about the Ducks’ strong start is how efficient they are offensively while playing at a fast pace. The key to that pace is getting stops defensively, something Oregon has been able to do with the top two thieves in the Pac-12: Arsalan Kazemi (3.7 steals per game) and Dominic Artis (2.5).
5. Oregon State (4-2, Last week: No. 5)
When Oregon State took to Kansas City to face No. 9 Kansas on Friday, few could have imagined a one-possession game with 15 seconds remaining. The Beavers came out on the wrong side of the scoreboard though, losing by six, but gave the Jayhawks a legitimate scare on their home turf. Junior guard Ahmad Starks, who tied a school record with seven threes against Kansas, is an early candidate for conference player of the year honors.
6. UCLA (5-3, Last week: No. 6)
If we could draw a line marking a steep drop-off in this edition of the Court Visions Power Rankings, it would be above the Bruins. While the top five conference teams have done something to prove themselves on the road or against a ranked opponent, the rest have not. UCLA has a chance to show some moxy on the road and gain some momentum against a struggling Texas team in Houston on Saturday. After that, the Bruins hit the pillow-soft part of their non-conference schedule leading into Pac-12 play.
7. Stanford (6-3, Last week: No. 9)
The Cardinal stabilized themselves after a rough go at the Battle 4 Atlantis, winning two games back at Maples Pavilion. In retrospect, all of Stanford’s losses have come to respectable foes: Two to ranked teams in Minnesota and Missouri and one to a top mid-major in Belmont. Keep an eye on Stanford Dec. 18 and 21, when it faces tough road tests against No. 25 North Carolina State and Northwestern.
8. Arizona State (7-1, Last week: No. 7)
The Sun Devils have improved steadily as the season has moved along, but haven’t done enough to really ascend these rankings. We’d like to see how easily Arizona State handles the December portion of its schedule, which includes all but one home game against mediocre competition. We’d also like to see if freshman sensation Jahii Carson, averaging 18 points and 5.1 assists per game, can keep up his impressive start.
9. USC (3-5, Last week: No. 8)
USC has had nothing going for it since coming back from Maui, keeping it close with San Diego State at Galen Center (closer than UCLA could) before losing on the road to Nebraska and New Mexico. It seems like this Trojan squad has a defensive identity ““ spearheaded by twin 7-footers Dewayne Dedmon and Omar Oraby ““ but little to show offensively, ranking dead last in the Pac-12 in points per game.
10. Utah (6-2, Last week: No. 12)
We’re not sure the Utes will still be on the good side of a .500 record by Christmas. After an impressive win over Boise State on Wednesday, Utah’s schedule only gets tougher: A road game with in-state rival BYU before hosting an SMU team that already beat Utah once this season. We would like to say kudos to Utah for planning to put former coach Rick Majerus’ sweater in the Huntsman Center rafters, a touching tribute to a giant presence that put Utah basketball on the map in the 1990s. Majerus passed away Saturday in Los Angeles at the age of 64.
11. Washington State (5-4, Last week: No. 10)
A home loss to in-state rival Gonzaga on Wednesday proved that the best basketball team in Washington is not from the Pac-12. Through nine games, the Cougars still haven’t found a second double-digit scorer to shoulder some of Brock Motum’s heavy load. WSU’s offense hasn’t suffered yet despite that alarming fact but asking Motum to carry such a heavy weight now, during an easy non-conference schedule, does not bode well for the Cougars’ chances at success in Pac-12 season.
12. Washington (4-3, Last week: No. 11)
Fans in Seattle have gotten used to a raucous home-court advantage propelling the Huskies to victory. They are not so comfortable anymore after Washington’s two home losses and two wins last week that both came down to the wire. After losing two talented players to the NBA it’s clear that the Huskies haven’t clicked yet. If they don’t, it could be a sad year for Pac-12 hoops in the Apple State.