Pac-12 Basketball Power Rankings: Arizona firmly at No. 1, ASU and Oregon State slide
By Mason Duhon
Bubble watch
. Last week: 2. . . . . 15-7, 7-4 in Pac-12. 3. 515. 3
After potentially looking like the best team in the conference less than a month ago, Oregon is losing some steam and has lost four of its last six. They still have a chance at an at-large bid, but those chances are looking ever slimmer.
The LA road trip weekend started off as expected, with Oregon securing a win against USC. Freshman Jackson Shelstad posted 20 points and the Ducks led by double-digits for most of the game. USC attempted a late-game rally, but as is becoming all-too-common in Pac-12 play, the rally fell short and Oregon walked away with a 78-69 victory.
Things got off on the wrong foot against UCLA from the jump, though; even before making it to Pauley Pavilion. A presidential motorcade delayed the Ducks' arrival, and it showed in a slow start that allowed UCLA to build an 18-point advantage. Oregon rallied hard enough to steal the lead away, but couldn't sustain it as they fell 71-63.
Next week: Oregon will look to right the ship at home against Washington on Thursday and Washington State on Saturday.
UU. team. Last week: 5. . 843. . . 15-7, 7-5 in Pac-12. 4.
Utah played Colorado at home in the two schools' first rivalry week of the season. Utah has been a wrecking ball at home, with an unblemished 12-0 record when playing in Salt Lake City. A 21-point outing from Gabe Madsen and a double-double that could've been even more from Deivon Smith (17 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists) propelled the Utes to a 73-68 win and an identical 15-7 (7-5) record to Colorado. They win the tie by simple head-to-head now.
Next week: The Utes will be hosting the desert schools when they play No. 8 Arizona on Thursday and Arizona State on Saturday.
CU. 5. 514. . . . . . 15-7, 7-5 in Pac-12. Last week: 4
Colorado's road woes continued as they fell to 1-6 away from CU Events Center. Colorado played well enough in the first half and took a 31-31 tie game into halftime. KJ Simpson finished the night with a game-leading 25 points and Colorado moved within one possession down the stretch, but they couldn't close the gap.
Next week: Colorado will also host the desert schools, but Arizona State is the Thursday matchup and No. 8 Arizona is the Saturday showdown.