Ranking the Pac-10: Basketball Edition

Just how many bids will the league receive? Four seems to be the maximum, with three the most likely. Unfortunately for the Pac-10, there isn’t an elite team that garners respect on the national scene, and it is muddled with mediocre to sub-par teams near the bottom.

1. Washington (15-4, 7-1)Last Week: 1

Huskies held serve against Washington and created a bit of a buffer zone as they head into the second half of conference play.

2. Arizona (16-4, 5-2)Last Week: 2

Wildcats missed an opportunity to take control of conference race against Washington in Seattle. They must sweep the Los Angeles schools in Arizona if they hope to keep pace with Washington.

3. UCLA (13-6, 5-2)Last Week: 4

The Bruins are gaining momentum after falling to UCLA at the Galen Center. They have won four in a row and can announce their arrival as a contender if they pull off an upset in Tucson.

4. Washington State (14-6, 4-4)Last Week: 6

Cougars have over a week to recover from their tough, emotional two-point loss to Arizona. They have yet to find a consistent rhythm in conference play, and must turn up the energy if they hope to beat rival Washington on Sunday.

5. California (10-9, 3-4)Last Week:

6. Stanford (10-8, 3-4)Last Week: 3

Cardinal are a challenging opponent at Maples, but their road record is atrocious (1-5). They mustered 31 points in the first 38 minutes against USC and shot just 30% at UCLA.

7. Oregon (9-10, 2-5)Last Week: 10

Ducks showed some life by beating rival Oregon State in Corvallis. Oregon may score a few wins against the bottom-tier teams, but they have yet to show they can compete with the upper-echelon of the conference.

8. USC (11-9, 3-4)Last Week: 8

Trojans showed impressive defensive prowess against Stanford, but reverted back to the play that has made them a .500 team against Cal. The zone defense continues to be the bane of Kevin O’Neill’s existence.

9. Oregon State (8-10, 3-4)Last Week: 7

Beavers regressed in their loss to Oregon at home. Oregon State is very young, and it shows in their inconsistency. The Beavers can beat Arizona but lose to Oregon in Corvallis.

10. Arizona State (9-10, 1-6)Last Week: 9

Pac-10 play hasn’t been kind to the Sun Devils. They sit alone in dead last. Their Washington road trip is out of the way, but they are in for a long remainder of the season. Amazingly, Arizona State ranks 283rd in the country in points per game with 63.5.