The Pac-12 dipped below four Top 25 women’s basketball teams in the Associated Press poll for the first time in six years, creating an urgency to regain some of its depth in the final two weeks of nonconference play.
The nation’s longest active streak of having at least four teams ranked by the AP began for the Pac-12 back on Nov. 16, 2015.
It ended this week, 118 polling weeks later, with Oregon State (previously No. 23) and Colorado (No. 25) dropping into the “receiving votes” category.
Stanford and Arizona are among the top five in the AP poll and a third Pac-12 team, Oregon, is No. 23 in the USA Today coaches poll.
But in totality, there’s work to be done — and key opportunities to do so before conference play begins Dec. 31 — in order for the Pac-12 to be seen as more than a two-team proposition.
Here are the Hotline’s first Pac-12 women’s basketball power ratings of the season:
(NET rankings through Monday)
1. Stanford (6-2)Result: beat Pacific 91-62
Next up: vs. UC Davis (Wednesday, late)
NET ranking: No. 7
Comment: Yes, Arizona is unbeaten, but No. 3-ranked Stanford has a substantial strength-of-schedule edge (No. 13 vs. 122) that, for now, warrants the top spot despite two top-25 losses. After UCD comes a huge visit to No. 7 Tennessee on Saturday.
2. Arizona (9-0) Results: beat North Dakota State 59-47 and New Mexico 77-60
Next up: at Northern Arizona (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 8
Comment: With a win over No. 6 Louisville and the two-point escape against Vanderbilt, the No. 4 Wildcats have taken care of business in the post-Aari McDonald era, at least in the short term. The next big test is Sunday in Las Vegas against No. 11 Texas, a 61-56 winner over Stanford on Nov. 14.
3. Oregon (6-3)
Results: beat Long Beach State 68-59 and McNeese State 109-38
Next up: at Kansas State (Saturday)
NET ranking: No. 15
Comment: There are any number of defendable ways to order Nos. 3-8. The Ducks get the edge at the top of that rung in part because of improving health. Endyia Rogers and Nyara Sabally add to a roster that produced six double-figure scorers Monday vs. McNeese State.
4. Washington State (8-1)
Results: won at Gonzaga 51-49, beat Boise State 62-55
Next up: at No. 20 BYU (Saturday)
NET ranking: No. 60
Comment: This might be too high for the Cougars, particularly given a one-sided loss to No. 2 North Carolina State on Nov. 27. But the Gonzaga win is a good one, and this week’s Cougars fest in Provo is another prove-it chance. WSU also plays at Cornell on Sunday with some major travel in between.
5. Colorado (9-0)
Results: off since Dec. 7
Next up: vs. SMU (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 35
Comment: The Buffs have been here before. This is their third 9-0 start under coach JR Payne, in her sixth season. But CU’s strength of schedule (No. 244) isn’t convincing. And it’s and partly responsible for CU dropping back out of the AP poll after its first appearance since December 2016.
6. Utah (7-2)
Result: beat Cal State Fullerton 100-45
Next up: vs. Utah Valley (Saturday)
NET ranking: No. 16
Comment: Similar to travel partner Colorado, it’s hard to assess what to make of Utah at this point. There was a stirring comeback in a narrow loss to BYU and a bunch of one-sided wins over lesser opponents. For this snapshot, though, a top-20 NET ranking carries some weight.
7. UCLA (5-3)
Result: lost to No. 7 Connecticut 71-61
Next up: vs. Texas Southern (Thursday)
NET ranking: No. 61
Comment: Like Oregon, UCLA is going to get healthier and better going forward. But the Bruins showed enough against UConn to warrant this ranking, at minimum, and they could climb next week depending how they fare at home against No. 24 Ohio State on Sunday.
8. Oregon State (5-3)
Results: won at Monmouth 72-58, lost at Villanova 56-52
Next up: vs. Idaho (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 89
Comment: The Beavers were without 6-4 forward Taylor Jones in their loss to Villanova, a true mitigating factor, and their other defeats were to top-25 teams. Still, it’s been a sluggish start for a quality program that perhaps will improve this week at the Maui Classic.
9. Arizona State (5-5)
Result: lost at Creighton 69-62
Next up: at San Diego (Saturday)
NET ranking: No. 54
Comment: Again, the No. 9-12 rankings are a bit of a coin toss at this point. ASU seemed headed in the right direction with three straight wins before coming up short vs. Creighton (No. 31 NET). “It’s disappointing we can’t be smarter and tougher,” coach Charli Turner Thorne said after the game.
10. Washington (3-3)
Result: won at Seattle 77-59
Next up: vs. Eastern Washington (Saturday)
NET ranking: 74
Comment: Two of the Huskies’ losses are to top-25 teams, and they deserve some credit for the nation’s No. 6 strength-of-schedule (per WarrenNolan.com). It’s uncertain, though, how coach Tina Langley’s first season in Seattle will play out.
11. California (7-2)
Result: beat McNeese State 102-60
Next up: vs. Cal Poly (Saturday)
NET ranking: No. 87
Comment: Guard Jayda Curry already is a three-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honoree, and Charmin Smith seems to have the Bears moving in the right direction in her third season. But Cal’s strength of schedule is No. 196.
12. USC (5-3)
Results: off since Dec. 5
Next up: vs. Cal State Northridge (Wednesday, late)
NET ranking: No. 81
Comment: Lindsay Gottlieb is back coaching in the Pac-12 in her first season with the Trojans. She took Cal to the NCAA Final Four in 2013 and returns to college after two seasons as an NBA assistant. The ingredients for a bright future are in place.
