Pac-10 Power Rankings: Who’s the Best in the West?
1. UCLA Bruins (17-4)
The absence of Kevin Love has hurt the Bruins but they are still the best in the west thanks to one of the best backcourts in the game in Darren Collison and Josh Shipp. Since losing to Washington, the Bruins have rebounded with blowout wins over Cal and Stanford.
2. Washington Huskies (16-5)
The Huskies have won 5 of 6, including a big win over UCLA, and I can’t wait for the February 19th showdown at UCLA. Isaiah Thomas has emerged as one of the top scorers in the league and Jon Brockman is rebounding machine.
3. Southern Cal Trojans (15-6)
USC has won 5 of its last 6 in the Pac-10 as well. Its only losses in its last last 7 games are to the two teams higher in my power rankings. With O.J. Mayo now in the NBA, Tim Floyd’s team is getting the job done with defense.
4. Arizona Wildcats (14-8)
Since star forward Chase Budinger got his face stepped on against Houston, the Cats have been clicking. They have now won 3 in a row, including a big win over Washington, in which the Wildcats put up 106 points.
5. Arizona State Sun Devils (16-5)
Figure this one out. ASU wins on the road at UCLA and Arizona but then loses at home to Washington State and Washington. The Sun Devils are as talented a team as there is in the league, we just need to see some more consistency from them. With Oregon and Oregon State on deck, two teams the Devils have already crushed, they should get back on track quickly.
6. California Golden Bears (16-6)
Cal began the Pac-10 season 4-0 with nice wins over Arizona State, Arizona, Washington State, and Washington, but the Bears have lost 4 of their last 5 since, and they have a rematch with Washington Thursday. Jerome Randle is the latest of talented Cal scorers, averaging 18.3 points per game.
7. Washington State Cougars (12-9)
If defense alone won championships, the Cougars would be a lock as they lead the country in points allowed per game (53.2). They also rank sixth in field goal percentage defense, allowing their opponents to shoot just 37.1 percent from the floor. The Cougars held UCLA to only 61 points but the problem was that they only scored 59. They had the same problem against USC, holding the Trojans to only 46 points, but they scored just 44. A little more scoring to go with this defense and Washington State would really be a force to be reckoned with.
8. Oregon State Beavers (10-10)
The Beavers have won 4 straight after getting off to a lousy start in the Pac-10, but I’m not a believer yet. The Beavers take on the Arizona schools next, which each beat them easily already this season.
9. Stanford Cardinals (13-6)
Stanford has lost 3 straight and faces a tough Washington team Thursday. The Cardinal started the season 10-0 before losing 6 of their next 9 games. This team is oh so close to being near the top of the conference though, with 1-point losses to Washington, Washington State, and USC.
10. Oregon Ducks (6-15)
It is very strange to see Oregon bringing up the rear in the Pac-10. The Ducks are the only team in the conference without a conference win (0-9). The next closest team has 3 (Stanford).
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