Pac-12 Basketball Power Rankings: Arizona and Washington State continue to show out
By Mason Duhon
Bubble watch
515. . 16-8, 8-5 in Pac-12. . . 3. . UO. . Last week: 3
The loss against Arizona was the start of a downward trend for Oregon, who was easily the second-best team in the conference just two weeks ago. The Ducks have now lost three of their last five and their status as a team on the bubble could be in jeopardy going forward.
Oregon jumped out to as much as a 20-point lead against Washington on Thursday before the Huskies closed the gap to 75-74 in the second half. However, the Ducks didn't falter and they ultimately took home the 85-80 win on the back of a 27-point day from Jermaine Couisnard.
The sledding was tougher against Washington State on Saturday, and Oregon shot just 36.1% from the field. Couisnard only managed 16 points and the Ducks' chances at securing second place in the Pac-12 dissipated in the 62-56 defeat.
Next week: Oregon will take to the road and look to feast on a reeling Oregon State squad in Corvallis on Saturday for rivalry week.
. . . 4. . 16-8, 7-6 in Pac-12. Last week: 5. 514. CU.
Colorado moves ahead of Utah simply by virtue of managing a win this weekend. These two teams are neck-and-neck in terms of how they stack up against the different levels of competition in the conference, and Colorado simply managed to steal one.
The weekend began with Colorado extending its home record to 13-0 with an 82-70 win over Arizona State on Thursday. J'Vonne Hadley recorded his first career double-double (19 points, 11 rebounds) and the Buffaloes led by as many as 18 points before the lead slimmed. Six free throws as time ran down sealed the win.
Things didn't go so well when No. 8 Arizona came to town. Colorado became the second team of the weekend to have their undefeated home record soiled, and the 99-79 loss moved the Buffs to 13-1 in CU Events Center on the season. This was despite both KJ Simpson and Tristan da Silva both scoring 20 points apiece.
Next week: Colorado will leave the comfort of home and look to stop UCLA's roll in Westwood on Thursday before looking to snag a win off a floundering USC team on Saturday.
. . . UU. Last week: 4. 5. 15-9, 6-7 in Pac-12. . 843.
Utah had to run a track meet against Arizona on Thursday, and they didn't have the gas in the tank to close out Arizona State two days later. The rough weekend will move Utah down a spot, but they simply got a bad draw of things in terms of the opponent order this time around.
Branden Carlson, much like Arizona's Larsson, dropped 27 points in the triple-overtime thriller. The game looked sealed when Arizona led by 16, but the Utes worked their way back into the game and kept it competitive through the entirety of the extra periods. It simply wasn't enough, and the 101-96 loss moved Utah to 12-1 at home on the season.
The Utes were understandably gassed by the time Arizona State hit Huntsman Center on Saturday, but couldn't steal a lead after moving to within 1 point with 13 minutes to go in the game. Carlson notched 25 points and broke the Utah career blocks record, but the Utes lost their fourth in the last five and are in serious jeopardy of fully melting down.
Next week: Utah will join the road trip to Los Angeles and face the withering USC Trojans on Thursday before facing a little more adversity in UCLA on Saturday.