Pac-12 Basketball Power Rankings, Week 14

Pac-12 basketball power rankings for Week 14 of the 2015-16 season.

The Pac-12 picture is starting to clear up. Oregon has separated itself from the rest of the pack, Arizona and USC have established themselves among the conference’s best, and many of the teams that have struggled the most – UCLA, Stanford and WSU – haven’t been able to right their ships.

1. Oregon (20-4, 9-2)

The Ducks are decisively the conference’s best team at the moment. A week after pulling off a remarkable come-from-behind victory at Arizona to end the Wildcats’ 49-game home-winning streak, Oregon took down two of the conference’s hottest teams in Utah and Colorado.

2. Arizona (19-5, 7-4)

The Wildcats bounced back well from their first home defeat in nearly three years by sweeping the Washington schools. The return of third-leading scorer Allonzo Trier on Saturday also has Arizona trending upwards for the home stretch of conference play.

3. USC (18-5, 7-3)

For the second time this year, Andy Enfield’s Trojans knocked off crosstown rival UCLA. As winners of three straight, the Trojans will face a tough test in Tucson on Sunday.

4. Washington (15-8, 7-4)

The Huskies continue to beat the teams they are expected to beat, however, getting a marquee victory is proving to be elusive this season. This next week on the road – at Utah and Colorado – provides an opportunity for Washington to really boost its chances of receiving a tournament bid.

5. Utah (17-7, 6-5)

After winning five straight, Utah suffered a setback this past week by dropping games to both Oregon schools. Despite losing two consecutive games, the Utes shot above 50-percent and out-rebounded their opponents in both games this past week.

6. Colorado (17-7, 6-5)

After winning five of six, the Buffaloes mirrored Utah in losing both road games this past week – their first road sweep in conference play. Second-leading scorer George King shot just 24 percent in last week’s games.

7. California (15-8, 5-5)

The Bears remain undefeated at home this year after knocking off Stanford, 76-61. However, they’ll have to improve on their 1-8 record on the road to salvage any chance of a tournament berth.

8. Oregon State (14-8, 5-6)

After losing five of six, the Beavers pulled off two big victories at home this past week by beating Utah and Colorado. As a team that has lost its last 10 conference road games, the Beavers face a massive test with their next three games all away from home.

9. UCLA (13-10, 4-6)

After losing their second in a row to crosstown rival USC, the Bruins may have just played themselves out of a tournament berth. Although this team has lost four games by a single possession, the losses have piled up to a point where the season may not be salvageable.

10. Arizona State (13-11, 3-8)

The Sun Devils picked up their first conference road win of the season by knocking off Washington State, 67-55, in Pullman this past week. They’ll need to shoot better than 36-percent on the road going forward if they want to improve their seed for the Pac-12 tournament.

11. Stanford (11-10, 4-6)

Scoring just over 70 points per game, the Cardinal are last in scoring in a conference where scoring is a necessity for survival. Shot selection and shooting have also haunted the Cardinal, as they have the worst field goal and three-point shooting percentage in the conference.

12. Washington State (9-14, 1-10)

The Cougars stick out like a sore thumb in an otherwise highly-competitive conference. As losers of 10 of 11, their double-digit loss at home to the conference’s second worst team, Arizona State, was just another low in a season full of them.