Pac-12 Basketball Power Rankings: Arizona, Washington State hit 20 wins, Utah slips
By Mason Duhon
Swinging their weight around
UA. . No. 5 Arizona Wildcats. player. . 511. 20-5, 11-3 in Pac-12. No. 5 Arizona Wildcats. 1. Last week: 1
Even though this was a game Arizona should have won, it was the fashion in which it was done that was impressive. A win was expected; the largest margin of victory by either team in the history of the contest was not. Arizona cracked triple-figures in a game for a conference-leading sixth time and posted 105 points for the second time in three games. The biggest issue facing this team right now is having too much talent and not enough minutes to spare.
Jaden Bradley posted a career-high 21 points, tallied five assists, and snagged four rebounds while, as per usual, not turning the ball over a single time. He did all of this work in 21 minutes coming off the bench. Oumar Ballo recorded his fifth straight double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds; he averages 13 points and 9.8 rebounds per game to nearly average a double-double. Arizona is rolling, and the only team that can stop them is next on the slate.
Next week: Arizona will face its toughest test in Pac-12 play when Washington State comes to McKale Center on Thursday before Washington makes its appearance on Saturday.
player. Last week: 2. WSU. . 2. 522. . No. 21 Washington State Cougars. No. 21 Washington State Cougars. 20-6, 11-4 in Pac-12
No. 21 Washington State made its debut in the AP Poll at No. 21 on the heels of winning its seventh straight and 10 of its last 11. The Cougars are a half game out of the Pac-12 lead heading into Tucson to with the top spot in the conference on the line.
It started against a scrappy Cal squad where freshman Myles Rice continues to be a revelation. He posted a game-leading 25 points (and three steals) and was one of two Cougars to reach 20-plus points. Isaac Jones was the other, with 21 points and narrowly missing a double-double with nine rebounds. The Cougars rolled through Cal at home with an 84-65 win.
It was more of the same against Stanford, as Washington State breezed through to a 72-59 win. Jones was tied with Jaylen Wells for the team lead in points with 15, while Oscar Cluff snagged a game-high 12 rebounds. The Cougs went on a 16-2 run before the final media break to pull ahead 68-55, and they never looked back. All eyes now shift to the showdown in Tucson for the first matchup between two ranked teams in Pac-12 play this season.
Next week: Washington State will look to sweep Arizona on the road on Thursday before heading up to Tempe to battle Arizona State on Saturday.