Recapping the weekend action in Pac-12 basketball:
Theme of the week I: Mayhem squared
Two upsets made headlines Saturday, with Washington State and Oregon winning in Tucson and Salt Lake City, respectively. But all chaos isnโt created equal, and the results carried very different ramifications for the Pac-12โs postseason outlook.
Viewed strictly from the perspective of maximizing NCAA Tournament opportunities, WSUโs victory over Arizona was advantageous: The Wildcats are assured of a berth, while the Cougars needed a big win to bolster their rรฉsumรฉ.
That wasnโt the case with the other stunner, where a team on the right side of the at-large bubble (Utah) lost to a team on the wrong side of the at-large bubble (Oregon) and left the conference in a more precarious position.
Yes, the Pac-12 needs some combination of Arizona State, WSU, Oregon and Colorado to thrive down the stretch, but not at Utahโs expense.
Theme of the week II: Offensive offense
The rash of horrific perimeter shooting across the 10 games did not escape the Hotlineโs gaze.
All in all, Pac-12 teams made just 31.7 percent of their 3-pointers from Thursday through Sunday, with only three instances of teams shooting 40 percent or better. (The raw numbers: 144 of 454.)
But that total includes Calโs otherworldly performance against Stanford (16 of 22 from behind the line). Remove the Bears, and the collectiveโs 3-point percentage dips to 29.6 percent.
Good defense or bad offense? The latter. Definitely the latter.
Game of the week: UCLA 60, USC 58
In the latest instance of crosstown chaos, the Bruins led by 18 points at halftime, then turned positively frigid: They went 10 minutes without a field goal โ thatโs right, 10 minutes โ as the Trojans rallied to grab a two-point lead with 36 seconds remaining. Jaylen Clarkโs 3-pointer was the Bruinsโ salvation.
Team of the week: Washington State
The Cougars made history on two fronts. Their 74-61 victory in Tucson ended Arizonaโs 28-game home winning streak and marked WSUโs first road victory over a top-five opponent in school history. And it wasnโt close, folks. The Cougars led by double digits for most of the second half and fended off Arizonaโs late charge.
Loss of the week: Stanford
The floundering Cardinal sunk to a new low under Coach Jerod Haase with a 92-70 faceplant at Cal that stands as one of the worst losses in the programโs modern era. In the same arena (Haas Pavilion) where the likes of UC Davis, Southern and Eastern Washington emerged victorious, the Cardinal wasnโt even competitive in the second half.
Sweeps of the week: Colorado and Arizona State
One week after a humiliating loss at Cal, the Buffaloes played airtight defense and demolished the Oregon schools to reach the .500 mark in conference play. ASU also won twice, holding off the Washington schools to remain one game back of first-place UCLA.
Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis was basically a one-man show for the Wildcats in their loss to Washington State on Saturday.
Player of the week: Arizonaโs Azuolas Tubelis
The sophomore forward was the lone bright spot in a ghastly weekend for Arizonaโs once-fluid offense. He scored 47 points, grabbed 24 rebounds, blocked four shots and shot 42.1 percent from the field against the Washington schools.
Performance of the week: WSUโs Mouhamed Gueye
The sophomore forward was sensational in the breakthrough victory at Arizona with 24 points and 14 rebounds. He also produced the dagger: a 3-pointer with two minutes remaining that pushed the Cougarsโ lead to 12.
Turnaround of the week: Oregon
The Ducks opened their Mountain trip with a blowout loss (27 points) at Colorado but rebounded with a decisive win at Utah, which was undefeated in league play. At this rate, 64-year-old Dana Altman will feel like a 74-year-old by seasonโs end.
Regression of the month: Arizona
The Wildcats scored at will through November and December but have struggled in their past 2ยฝ games. They managed just 24 points in the second half at Arizona State on New Yearโs Eve, then shot 34.4 percent from the field and 19.1 percent from 3-point range in the weekend split against the Washington schools.
Stat of the decade: Utah
The Utes have lost 20 of 21 games to Oregon since they joined the conference more than a decade ago. The ledger features two 10-game losing streaks sandwiched around a single win during the 2017-18 season.
Stat of the week: NET rankings
Only two Pac-12 teams, UCLA and Arizona, are among the top 40 in the latest NET rankings. No cutoff line exists, but teams in the 40s (and below) are in the danger zone when it comes to NCAA bids.
Game of this week: Utah at UCLA (Thursday)
The Utes have already beaten one half of the leagueโs Big Two with their early-December win over Arizona. If they topple the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion, contender status will follow.
No. 5 Arizona suffered its first home loss of the Tommy Lloyd era, after falling to Washington State 74-61 at McKale Center.
