Heading into conference play, Pac-12 basketball is flying under the radar. With just two ranked teams – and only one in the top 15, No. 8 Arizona – it may come as a surprise to many that the conference boasts the second strongest RPI, only trailing the Big 12. The Big 12 currently features five ranked teams, including two of the nation’s top three teams in Oklahoma and Kansas.

The top 15 is littered with teams from conferences with lower RPIs, as the ACC has four (Virginia, North Carolina, Miami, and Duke), the Big Ten has three (Michigan State, Maryland, and Purdue), and the Big East also has three (Xavier, Butler, and Providence).

However, by comparison to the Pac-12, these conferences are top heavy. Eleven of the Pac-12’s teams feature a winning percentage of .667 or higher. By contrast, nearly half the Big Ten has a lower winning percentage.

With non-conference play winding down, teams across the Pac-12 have been quietly taking on some of college basketball’s strongest programs – and winning. Arizona beat Gonzaga in Spokane, Utah knocked off Duke at Madison Square Garden, and UCLA dethroned Kentucky as the nation’s top team at Pauley Pavilion.

In total, six different Pac-12 teams have combined to challenge the nation’s 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 11th, and 12th ranked teams – almost all on the road.

Conference play is likely to bring down the Pac-12’s RPI; it’s a consequence of having a saturation of good teams in one conference. But the Pac-12 is to be lauded for its ambitious non-conference schedule, and come tournament time, fans may be surprised by the number of teams representing the West Coast. 

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