1. Arizona (20-3, 8-3) — Did anyone care that the Wildcats lost to Cal? Arizona is still No. 9 in the AP Poll, 7 in RPI, 14 in Sagarin and 15 in Pomeroy. Top-10 teams have suffered worse stumbles this year.
2. UCLA (18-6, 8-3) — Sweeping the Washington schools at home wasn’t overly impressive, but no one in the Pac-12 looks solid right now. The Bruins may be inconsistent, but they dismissed WSU with relative ease and snapped out of a three-game shooting slump — shooting over 60 percent for the first time since 2010.
3. Arizona State (18-6, 7-4) — Is ASU due for a fall? The Sun Devils have allowed each of its last three opponents to shoot at least 47 percent from the field. In the nine games prior, they held six opponents to below 40. Jordan Bachynski has vanished since his 22-and-15 outburst against UCLA, averaging 5.8 points and 4.0 rebounds since.
4. Stanford (15-9, 6-5) — In their five Pac-12 losses this season, the Cardinal are shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc. In their six wins, they’re shooting 55 percent. Stanford runs hot and cold, but it doesn’t face the Arizona schools again and will likely have its second winning conference record under Johnny Dawkins.
5. Cal (14-9, 6-5) — Through 22 years in this conference, Mike Montgomery has led his teams to bottom-half finishes just three times. This season, Bears looked awful to start league play but now have two wins over top-10 teams in three games. A telling quote from Allen Crabbe after beating Arizona: “I don’t know how to explain this feeling. It’s wonderful.”
6. Oregon (19-5, 8-3) — The Ducks bounce right back up these rankings once Dominic Artis (foot) returns, but for now they’re in freefall. In five games without its freshman point guard, Oregon’s assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.53. If that number were extrapolated over an entire season, it would be last in the country.
7. Colorado (16-7, 6-5) — After a stinging loss to Utah, Colorado beat Oregon (limping without Artis) and Oregon State (plain bad). The Buffs get another shot at Arizona on Valentine’s Day. I’m guessing they circled that on the calendar a while ago.
8. USC (11-3, 6-5) — Under Kevin O’Neill, the Trojans averaged 63.8 points per game. Bob Cantu has pushed that up to 72 in his seven games at the helm. After starting conference play 2-5, USC is riding its first three-game winning streak since 2011.
9. Washington (13-11, 5-6) — Through conference play, the Huskies’ offensive efficiency ranks third to last due to turnovers and poor free throw shooting. Not only do they rarely draw fouls — 11th in free throw rate — but they also convert just 65.8 percent of their chances at the line (also 11th). In losses to USC and UCLA, Washington shot 6 of 26.
10. Washington State (11-13, 2-9) — According to RealTimeRPI, the Cougars are the only Pac-12 team without a quality win. WSU has shot above 41 percent just twice in the last nine games. How did it lose to Gonzaga — recipient of two first-place AP votes — by only two points?
11. Oregon State (12-12, 2-9) — Big man Joe Burton has three straight double-doubles, including one with 10 assists in a rout of Utah. The Beavers aren’t very good, but the 6-foot-9, 295-pounder has soft hands and is fun to watch. He’s come within four combined rebounds and assists of a triple-double three times, twice in the last four games.
12. Utah (10-13, 2-9) — The Utes led Oregon by eight at halftime before falling on the road, and now return to the mountains to host Arizona and ASU — teams they lost to by four combined points at the beginning of January. Head coach Larry Krystkowiak said Utah needs to show some of that “desperation mode.”
Past rankings:
February 5
January 28
January 21
January 14
January 7