Scoop Dreams: Pac-10 Power Rankings (Feb. 23)

Scoop Dreams columnist Eli Smukler checks in with this week’s Pac-10 men’s basketball Power Rankings (you can find last week’s rankings here):

1. No. 10 Arizona (23-4, 12-2 Pac-10)

Arizona logoThe spoils of Arizona’s thrilling 87-86 victory over Washington are great. It marks the Wildcats’ eighth straight win, improves their NCAA Tournament résumé and puts them in a comfortable position to snag the Pac-10 title. The crown is clinched if Arizona sweeps the L.A. schools on the road this week, as they did at home last month.

2. Washington (19-8, 10-5)

Washington logoThe loss in Tucson hurts and it means the Huskies’ most likely won’t get the regular season title they were the original favorites to win, but all is not lost for Lorenzo Romar’s team. Washington gets to return to Seattle for the rest of its schedule where it is a perfect 13-0 this year. Winning out would mean a No. 2 seed in the Pac-10 Tournament and a lock to continue into March.

Men’s basketball misses out on the magic against Cal

BERKELEY “”mdash; Great teams have magic.

Or magic gets placed on them. Don’t ask me. I’m not really sure how it works.

On Sunday night, it almost looked like the UCLA men’s basketball team was getting a little of the coveted fairy dust.

When junior guard Malcolm Lee’s deep fade away 3 bounced off the front of the rim, the regulation horn sounded, then the ball fell back through the net, I thought that was the sign.