Pac-12 Power Ratings: Arizona Wildcats slip to No. 6; Buffaloes get a bump

Two weeks ago, the Pac-12 had six teams in the AP Top 25 poll.

Now, there are only four with Colorado and Oregon relegated to the “receiving votes” category (along with USC, which has yet to crack the Top 25).

Some of the attrition is due to conference excellence and depth rather than teams faltering. All six Pac-12 games last Friday were decided by 10 points or less, with five more on Sunday by 11 or less.

Based on the latest NET rankings, eight Pac-12 teams are positioned to make the NCAA Tournament.

One month of the regular season and the Pac-12 Tournament remain for résumé building, but losses to members of the bottom tier could prove costly.

Here are the Hotline’s 13th Power Ratings of the season. Seven teams are in new places, with Colorado now at a season-high No. 3.

(NET rankings through Monday)

1. Stanford (21-2, 9-1)

Last week: 1

Results: beat OSU 63-60 and Oregon 62-54

Next up: at Washington State (Friday)

NET ranking: 4

Comment: Cameron Brink is the Pac-12 Player of the Week for a third time after her triple-double (with 10 blocks) against Oregon. Her 22 blocks in the last three games are the most for a Pac-12 player in that span over at least the last 20 seasons. The Cardinal made eight 3-pointers in the victory over Oregon, their highest total since Dec. 31. Stanford is back to No. 2 in the AP poll, behind South Carolina, after two weeks below that mark.

2. Utah (18-2, 8-2)

Last week: 2

Results: beat USC 83-73 and UCLA 71-69

Next up: at OSU (Friday)

NET ranking: 7

Comment: Utah’s No. 7 ranking in the AP poll is the highest in school history, and its 18-2 start is the best since the Utes were 19-1 in the 2018-19 season. Alissa Pili is among four Pac-12 players on the late-season candidate list for the Wooden Award, given to the nation’s most outstanding player. (Brink, Stanford’s Haley Jones and UCLA’s Charisma Osborne are the others.) Pili has five consecutive games of at least 20 points.

3. Colorado (16-5, 7-3)

Last week: 4

Results: beat UCLA 73-70 (OT), lost to USC 71-54

Next up: at Oregon (Friday)

NET ranking: 26

Comment: The Buffs suffered after outlasting UCLA in overtime. Given that split and other results, the Hotline is boosting Colorado to a season-high No. 3 despite its fall in the AP poll (from No. 25 to receiving votes). There isn’t much difference in metrics or standings between Colorado (third place) and UCLA, Arizona and USC (tied for fourth).

4. UCLA (17-5, 6-4)

Last week: 3

Results: lost to Colorado 73-70 (OT) and Utah 71-69

Next up: vs. Arizona (Friday)

NET ranking: 25

Comment: Cori Close is appealing to UCLA students to turn out for an important home game against Arizona. “What would it take to get 1,500-plus? We really need you. Name the price,” she posted on social media. The No. 14-ranked Bruins still are in position to host an NCAA Tournament sub-regional, per ESPN’s Bracketology, but they need Osborne to shoot better than her combined 6 of 23 last week.

5. USC (16-5, 6-4)

Last week: 6

Results: lost to Utah 83-73, beat Colorado 71-54

Next up: vs. Arizona State (Friday)

NET ranking: 27

Comment: USC’s recovery from the Utah loss to win in Boulder deserved more attention than it received . Destiny Littleton made a career-high six 3-pointers against the Buffaloes, with Rayah Marshall and Kadi Sissoko contributing double-doubles. USC is off to its best start through 21 games since the 2015-16 season.

6. Arizona (16-5, 6-4)

Last week: 5

Results: beat Washington 61-54, lost to WSU 70-59

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Next up: at UCLA (Friday)

NET ranking: 31

Comment: Arizona’s bench scored almost as many points (27) as the starters (32) against Washington State — not enough from the first five to avert the home upset. “Honestly they came in and manhandled us,” UA coach Adia Barnes said. “We should’ve lost the game.” The Wildcats are 2-3 in their last five games and down to No. 22 in the AP poll.

7. Washington State (15-6, 5-5)

Last week: 9

Results: beat ASU 61-57 and Arizona 70-59

Next up: vs. Stanford (Friday)

NET ranking: 39

Comment: Charlisse Leger-Walker returning from New Zealand was an obvious lift, but the Cougars wouldn’t have swept the Arizona schools without Tara Wallack. The 6-foot-2 guard had the first double-doubles of her career: 15 points and 11 rebounds against ASU, then 12 and 12 against Arizona. “We didn’t play a great game at Arizona State, and we needed to clean up some things to even have a chance against Arizona,” Coach Kamie Ethridge said.

8. Oregon (14-7, 5-5)

Last week: 7

Results: beat California 76-73, lost to Stanford 62-54

Next up: vs. Colorado (Friday)

NET ranking: 14

Comment: For the Ducks, who were ranked 16th in the AP poll in December, to be receiving just one vote now — and tied for seventh in the Pac-12 — is borderline shocking. But their NET ranking is high, and a turnaround seems doable. “We need more from our veterans,” Coach Kelly Graves said after the Ducks shot 25% against Stanford. Grace VanSlooten is the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the fourth time.

9. Oregon State (11-10, 3-7)

Last week: 8

Results: lost to Stanford 63-60 and Cal 64-62

Next up: vs. Utah (Friday)

NET ranking: 53

Comment: Going 1-4 in the last five games, including losses to Washington and Cal, takes Oregon State off the NCAA Tournament bubble (according to ESPN). The next two weeks, against the Mountain and Los Angeles schools, will largely determine whether the Beavers are potentially headed back to the WNIT, where they reached the 2022 quarterfinals before losing to UCLA.

10. Washington (11-9, 3-7)

Last week: 10

Results: lost to Arizona 61-54, beat ASU 55-53

Next up: vs. Cal (Friday)

NET ranking: 85

Comment: The Huskies parlayed one big quarter (a nine-point edge) into a narrow victory at ASU following a competitive loss at Arizona. They had an 18-point advantage in the paint and a 12-point edge in points off turnovers against ASU, more than enough to tip an essentially even matchup.

11. California (11-10, 2-8)

Last week: 11

Results: lost to Oregon 78-73, beat OSU 64-62

Next up: at Washington (Friday)

NET ranking: 82

Comment: Beating Oregon State is a major boost for the Bears, particularly since it required overcoming an eight-point deficit in the final eight minutes. “We finally finished the job. We’re showing progress,” Coach Charmin Smith said after her team ended a six-game losing streak.

12. Arizona State (7-12, 0-10)

Last week: 12

Results: lost to WSU 61-57 and Washington 55-53

Next up: at USC (Friday)

NET ranking: 123

Comment: ASU’s latest losses, by a combined six points, are frustrating yet encouraging. “It’s getting closer and closer and closer,” Coach Natasha Adair said. “Just the parity in all the teams, every possession matters. We’re talking about those lulls … that’s the difference.” ASU’s worst Pac-12 record is 2-16, in both 1993-94 and 1994-95, before the Charli Turner Thorne era.