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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

Pac-12 basketball power rankings: Week One

Arizona — The Wildcats have opened up their season 2-0 with both wins coming in dominating fashion. Arizona also extended its home winning streak to 40 games as the Wildcats look to defend their Pac-12 Conference title. Sean Miller recently threw shade at UCLA and its crowds during his post-game press conference, so it was an eventful week in Tucson.

California — The Golden Bears opened up the season strong with two wins. Tyrone Wallace was the first Pac-12 Player of the Week for the third year in a row. An impressive feat for Cal nonetheless.

Oregon — After joining the top 25 this past week, the Ducks showed they deserved it by knocking off No. 20 Baylor. Former Pac-12 Player of the Year Joe Young may be gone, but the Ducks are proving that they have what it takes to contend in the Pac-12.

Utah — Although the No. 16 Utes are currently undefeated, they probably would have liked to have won by a bigger margin. Utah better tighten up as it faces Wichita State and Duke next month without its former star Delon Wright.

Stanford — While its football team blew its chances at the College Football Playoff, the Cardinal basketball team is quietly 2-0. Stanford’s matchup against No. 11 Villanova next week should be an accurate measurement of how good the team will be this season.

USC — The Trojans have lit up the scoreboards so far this season as they have averaged 92 points per game so far in their two victories. Their matchup next week against Wichita State will be interesting, as it will most likely push that number down.

Oregon State — The Beavers are on pace to have more wins than the football team by the end of this week. They are under the radar and could surprise a few people, potentially making a run at the tourney this season.

Washington — The Huskies opened their season in the most interesting way as they tipped off in China against Texas. Naturally, Bill Walton announced this overseas matchup as the Huskies defeated Texas 77-71.

Washington State — The Cougars opened the season with an 82-70 victory over NAU with Josh Hawkinson leading the way. The junior forward had 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Cougars look to make the tourney this year. Beating the Lumberjacks by just 12 points won’t cut it later down the road.

10 UCLA — The Bruins kicked off their basketball season by losing in overtime to Monmouth. If the Bruins are struggling against Monmouth and Cal Poly, one can only imagine what Kentucky, Gonzaga and UNC will do to them next month.

11 Colorado — The Buffaloes were so close to upsetting No. 7 Iowa State, but they were unable to pull it off. Fortunately, the Buffs beat Auburn on Tuesday to become the last Pac-12 team with a win. Hopefully their basketball team will have fans forgetting about coach Mike MacIntyre and his football team, whose season has been pretty much hopeless.

12 ASU — The Bobby Hurley era is off to a poor start, as the Sun Devils lost to Sacramento State. Fortunately, Hurley got his first career victory as a Sun Devil, defeating Belmont 83-74. They are going to need the curtain of distraction more than ever if they want to make a push for the tournament.


Follow Ivan Leonard on Twitter.


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