Since Arizona and USC were the consensus 1-2 picks in the Pac-12 preseason poll back in October, it wasn’t difficult to project that their matchup in Los Angeles on the final day of the regular season could be a splashy way to determine the league title.
Well, things have changed a little since then. USC is in 11th place, and the Pac-12 regular-season title might not be decided on March 9 in Los Angeles but instead on Thursday, at McKale Center, against …. Washington State.
Picked to finish in 10th place, the No. 21-ranked Cougars are riding a seven-game winning streak that has them just a half-game back of No. 4 Arizona in the Pac-12 race, inside the NCAA Tournament bubble and into the Associated Press Top 25 on Monday for the first time since 2008.
All after WSU coach Kyle Smith lost his four top scorers from last season.
“They’re having an incredible season,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said. “They’ve done a great job. They’ve got all the right pieces, they really blend well together. Kyle’s done a great job putting them in position to be successful, and they’ve done an incredible job playing with great poise in close games.”
The Cougars have only lost two games since the calendar flipped to 2024, particularly heating up after winning at USC on Jan. 10 and then returning home to beat then-No. 8 Arizona 73-70 three days later. Counting those two games, WSU has won 10 of its past 11, seven of which were decided by single digits, including a 90-87 overtime win at Washington on Feb. 3.
“They just keep stacking up win after win, so we know it’s going to be an incredible challenge,” Lloyd said. “When you watch them on film, they’re a team that creates problems, and that’s why they’re having so much success. It’s not a fluke by any stretch.”
But as to whether it could be the league-deciding game, or not, Lloyd wouldn’t go there.
An Arizona win over WSU would drop the Cougars (20-6, 11-4) two games behind the Wildcats (20-5, 11-3) in the loss column, so if UA wins out over the next two weeks it will at least hold a share of the conference title before going Los Angeles to play UCLA and USC.
But winning out means beating WSU on Thursday and Washington on Saturday, then going to ASU on Feb. 28 and winning before taking care of Oregon on March 2 at McKale Center.
“There’s a lot of basketball to be played,” Lloyd said. “Obviously, it’s an important game (Thursday) for a lot of reasons. But if you win that game and think that you’ve won the league championship, you’re probably getting a little bit ahead of yourself.”
Wildcats move to No. 4
After receiving a tentative No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed in the selection committee’s early reveal Saturday, Arizona moved up one spot to No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 while WSU jumped into the poll at No. 21 after its long absence.
“Coach came and he was like, finally, we got some respect,” WSU wing Andrej Jakimovski told the Spokane Spokesman-Review on Monday. “We’re ranked 21st in the nation — congrats. But keep it going. We are not satisfied. We just have to keep going and see what we can do.”
After losing at Ohio State, Purdue dropped from No. 2 to No. 3 in the AP poll. Defending champ UConn became a unanimous pick for the top spot, while Houston was second. Marquette fell from No. 4 to No. 7 after losing by 28 at UConn on Saturday.
Among other UA opponents this season, Duke rose from No. 9 to No. 8 after beating Wake Forest and Florida State and Alabama rose from No. 15 to No. 13 after beating Texas A&M. Wisconsin and FAU both dropped out.
Cougs sweep Pac-12 awards
While beating California and Stanford in Pullman last weekend, Washington State also became the first Pac-12 school to sweep the conference’s weekly awards twice in a season, when Isaac Jones was named Pac-12 Player of the Week and Myles Rice was named Freshman of the Week.
Jones and Rice also picked up the conference weekly awards after leading WSU past Arizona in Pullman.
This time, Jones averaged 18.0 points while shooting 73.7% from the field and averaging 7.0 rebounds in the Cougars’ home wins over California and Stanford. Rice averaged 19.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 46.4% from the field in the two games.
Arizona nominated Jaden Bradley for Player of the Week and Paulius Murauskas for Freshman of the Week. Bradley scored a career-high 21 points while shooting 8 of 11 from the field, making the only 3-pointer he took while going 4 for 4 from the free-throw line in the 105-60 win over ASU on Saturday night. He also had four rebounds and five assists with no turnovers.
Murauskas hit both 3-pointers and all four free throws he took while scoring a career-high 12 points in just five minutes.
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Photos: Arizona pound on on arch rival ASU 105-60, Pac-12 men's college basketball
Arizona guard Caleb Love (2) gives the forks down gesture as he and the Wildcat faithful celebrate his long-range three against Arizona State in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona guard Pelle Larsson (3) snares the defensive rebound from Arizona State center Shawn Phillips Jr. (9), left, and guard Jamiya Neal (5) in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) gets his put-back attempt foiled by Arizona State guard Jamiya Neal (5), left, and guard Jose Perez (12) at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona State guard Jose Perez (12) reaches in to keep Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) from putting up a shot under the bucket in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona State guard Frankie Collins (1) reaches in but can’t quite stop Arizona guard Kylan Boswell (4) on his drive in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona State center Shawn Phillips Jr. (9) grabs a handful of Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) on his short range attempt in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona forward Keshad Johnson (16) puts up a shot in a crowd of Arizona State Sun Devils including guard Jose Perez (12), bottom, and forward Bryant Selebangue (24) in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) gets knocked sideways on his drive against Arizona State forward Alonzo Gaffney (8), left, and forward Bryant Selebangue (24) in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona center Motiejus Krivas (14) scrapes away a shot by Arizona State forward Bryant Selebangue (24) during the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) gets held up by Arizona State guard Adam Miller (44) in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona guard Kylan Boswell (4) has to force his way past Arizona State center Shawn Phillips Jr. (9) while driving the baseline in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) flexes for his teammates on the bench after dropping an acrobatic basket against Arizona State in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona head coach Tomy Lloyd talks with one of the game officials during a break in play of the game against Arizona State at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona guard Kylan Boswell (4) finds some room to put up a long shot over the crowd in the second half against Arizona State at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona center Motiejus Krivas (14) puts up a short hook over Arizona State forward Bryant Selebangue (24) in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona forward Keshad Johnson waves to the crowd as he subs out late in the Wildcats' 105-60 win against Arizona State at McKale Center.
Arizona State forward Bryant Selebangue (24) and Arizona center Motiejus Krivas (14) try to get to a loose ball late in the second half at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona forward Paulius Murauskas (23) runs into the defense of Arizona State guard Braelon Green (2) in the final minutes of the Wildcats win at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) goes up for the defensive rebound between Arizona State guard Frankie Collins (1), left, and center Shawn Phillips Jr. (9) in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
ASU coach Bobby Hurley has some words with one of the officials as the game gets away from the Sun Devils in the second half of their Pac-12 contest against Arizona at McKale Center on Saturday.
Arizona guard KJ Lewis, left, sneaks in to knock the ball away from Arizona State guard Adam Miller while UA guard Caleb Love also defends in the second half of their Pac-12 game at McKale.
Arizona center Motiejus Krivas (14) keeps Arizona State guard Frankie Collins (1) from scoring but gets charged with a foul in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona guard Caleb Love (2) gets hit by Arizona State forward Alonzo Gaffney (8) trying to penetrate the lane in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona guard Pelle Larsson (3) gets fouled by Arizona State forward Alonzo Gaffney (8) on his drive in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) swats away a shot by Arizona State forward Bryant Selebangue (24) in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona guard KJ Lewis (5) forces a shot under the long arm of Arizona State forward Alonzo Gaffney (8) in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Wilbur waves the A flag during player intros as Arizona gets ready to face off against arch rival Arizona State at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) lets out a roar after starting the scoring with a big dunk against Arizona State in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona State center Shawn Phillips Jr. (9) clothes lines Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) on his drive in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) shoves his way to the basket past Arizona State forward Bryant Selebangue (24) in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona guard Kylan Boswell (4) pressures Arizona State guard Jose Perez (12) in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Arizona guard Caleb Love (2) gestures to the Zona Zoo student section after throwing down an overhand dunk against Arizona State in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
Former Arizona center Christian Koloko talks with the media prior to be inducted in the Ring of Honor at the Wildcats’ game against Arizona State at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 17, 2024.
VIDEO: Arizona men's basketball players Jaden Bradley and Keshad Johnson speak to assembled media after the Wildcats defeated rival ASU 105-60 Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, at McKale Center in Tucson. (Courtesy Arizona Athletics)
VIDEO: Arizona men's basketball coach Tommy Lloyd speaks to assembled media after the Wildcats defeated rival ASU 105-60 Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, at McKale Center in Tucson. (Courtesy Arizona Athletics)
