The Pac-12 is arguably the deepest and most talented college basketball conference in the nation. 11 of its 12 teams rank in the top 57 of the RPI while 10 of the 12 teams are within two games of being in first place in the conference.
Following the latest AP poll, there are just two ranked Pac-12 teams, though. Oregon is ranked No. 23, while Arizona is listed at No. 18. The two will square off this Thursday in Tucson.
Here is a midseason rankings of the Pac-12.
1) No. 23 Oregon (16-4, 5-2 Pac-12): After losing the Pac-12 player of the year in Joseph Young, the Ducks looked to be in a rebuilding mode with no clear star returning to this team. That’s fine for head coach Dana Altman and his squad. Their approach to team defense and balanced scoring has them atop the rankings. Oregon is perfect at home (13-0) but to become a legitimate contender, its going to have to win on the road in hostile environments, starting with Thursday’s game at Arizona. Dillon Brooks (16.2 ppg) is quietly emerging as a Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate, while freshman Tyler Dorsey (13.4 ppg) and transfer Chris Boucher (12.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.3 bpg) are both making pushes for Pac-12 accolades also.
2) No. 18 Arizona (16-4, 4-3 Pac-12): The perennial Pac-12 power has suffered some of the worst injury news in the nation. Ray Smith, the No. 17 recruit in the nation, suffered a torn ACL prior to the season while Kaleb Tarczewski and Allonzo Trier have both missed time with injuries. Still, the Wildcats have persevered and have a chance win their 50th consecutive home game on Thursday. Transfer Ryan Anderson (14.9 ppg, 10.0 rpg) and Tarczewski (10.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg) provide one of the best big-men tandems. Kadeem Allen (9.0 ppg) and Gabe York (13.9 ppg) provide the scoring punch in the backcourt.
3) Washington (13-6, 5-2 Pac-12): The Huskies are the undeniable surprise of the conference. Andrew Andrews (22.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 4.9 apg) is one of two frontrunners for Pac-12 POY. Dejounte Murray goes along with the “surprise theme” of Washington. He averages 15.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Washington owns wins over UCLA, USC and Colorado but also has a 33-point loss to Arizona.
4) California (14-6, 4-3 Pac-12): The primary reason Cal gets this spot is because they have wins over Arizona, Colorado and Utah and a one-point loss to No. 11 Virginia. The Golden Bears have the best individual talent in the conference with players like Tyrone Wallace, Jaylen Brown, Jordan Matthews, Ivan Rabb and Jabari Bird. The problem is that the talent-level drops off dramatically after that.
5) USC (15-5, 4-3 Pac-12): USC is a hit-and-miss type team with wins over No. 22 Wichita State, Arizona and UCLA and losses to both Oregon schools, Washington and Monmouth. Six players average double-figures in points and as a team, the Trojans shoot 40.2 percent from three-point territory. USC runs and guns on offense and that puts pressure on other teams to keep up but the Trojans need to be more reliable on something other than the three-point shot to win games.
6) Utah (15-5, 4-3 Pac-12): Utah is a tough team to decipher because it either plays extremely well, evident in wins over No. 24 Duke, Washington and Cal, or plays terrible, more evident in losses to Oregon, No. 15 Miami and Wichita State. Jakob Poeltl has the potential to be one of the best big men in the nation and his 16.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game proves that. He has a tendency to disappear in big games and for Utah to be contending in the end, Poeltl has to be everything for the Utes, and then some.
7) UCLA (12-8, 3-4 Pac-12): Far and above the most confusing team in the conference comes from Los Angeles. No team in the nation boasts a resume like UCLA’s. The Bruins boast wins over No. 20 Kentucky, Gonzaga and Arizona and losses to Oregon, No. 4 Kansas and No. 2 North Carolina. Only the Bruins can look like a top-five team in the nation at one point and then look terrible the next. UCLA’s five starters average 70.5 points per game, led by Bryce Alford’s 16.7 points per game, but its reserves put up 9.5 points per game, which are the main reasons for UCLA’s struggles.
8) Colorado (15-5, 4-3 Pac-12): The Buffaloes two signature wins come in games against BYU and Oregon but more consistency is needed if they hope to be playing in the NCAA Tournament. Josh Scott (17.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg) is everything to Colorado but George King (14.4 ppg) and Josh Fortune (10.3 ppg) take a bit off Scott’s shoulders.
9) Oregon State (12-6, 3-4 Pac-12): It’s sad to see such a talented player stuck on a mediocre Pac-12 team but that’s the case when it comes to Gary Payton II and the Beavers. As a point guard, Payton averages 17.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game (all team-highs). The Beavers have three formidable conference wins, though, meaning the ability to play with the best is there for Oregon State. But, consistency and lack of depth have been its undoing.
10) Stanford (11-7, 4-3 Pac-12): The Cardinal are averaging 70.7 points per game, the lowest total in the conference, despite boasting five players averaging double-figures in scoring. Stanford has tough losses to Oregon and Arizona but still find themselves two games out of first place.
11) Arizona State (11-9, 1-6 Pac-12): Arizona State has one of the best wins in the conference. It defeated No. 5 Texas A&M 67-54 on December 5 but a season-opening loss to Sacramento State negates that big victory. Tra Holder averages a team-high 15.9 points per game while three other players average 10 points per game.
12) Washington State (9-10, 1-6 Pac-12): The only conference team without an overall winning record also has a big conference win over UCLA. The Cougars are currently on a five-game losing streak and are being beaten by an average of 13 points per game. Josh Hawkinson averages a double-double (16.4 points, 10.9 rebounds) and he always gives Washington State a chance but he needs help.
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