Pacific Takes - Pac-12 basketball 2014: Arizona best in nation, UCLA, Cal, Colorado trail behindWhere The West Coast Is The Best Coasthttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52598/pt_fav.png2014-02-18T12:49:01-08:00http://www.pacifictakes.com/rss/stream/50709412014-02-18T12:49:01-08:002014-02-18T12:49:01-08:00Pac-12 NCAA Tournament Watch 2/18
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<figcaption>Ralph Freso</figcaption>
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<p>Arizona, UCLA, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado and Stanford all in the NCAA Tournament</p> <p><b><u>In</u></b></p>
<p><b>Arizona 23-2 (10-2)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>Duke, at Michigan, at San Diego State, at UCLA, Arizona State, Colorado, at Stanford, Southern</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>1</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Colorado, Cal, at Oregon</p>
<p>The Wildcats have been slipping since they lost <span>Brandon Ashley</span>, but they still have a firm grip on the number one seed out West with the impressive non-conference wins they have and RPI. Unless they really stumble down the stretch, the Wildcats should be able to hang onto a number one seed.</p>
<p><b><u>In, unless disaster strikes</u></b></p>
<p><b>UCLA 20-5 (9-3)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>at Colorado, Arizona State, Cal, at Colorado, Colorado, Stanford</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>4-6</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Cal, at Stanford, Oregon</p>
<p>The Bruins are one of the hottest teams in the nation and are now just one game back from Arizona lurking much like they did last year. The Bruins have the potential to make a late run and win the Pac-12 and get into the 2-3 seed range.</p>
<p><b><u>On the bubble</u></b></p>
<p><b>Arizona State 19-6 (8-4)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>Arizona, at Cal, Colorado, UC Irvine</p>
<p><b>Bad losses: </b>Miami</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>7-9</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Colorado, Cal, Stanford</p>
<p>The Sun Devils made a major statement last weekend by beating Arizona and now are comfortably on the right side of bubble for the moment and could establish themselves as the clear cut third-best Pac-12 team. However, they still have a small margin for error to not slip back to the edge.</p>
<p><b>Cal 17-8 (8-4)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>Arizona, Stanford, UC Irvine</p>
<p><b>Bad losses: </b>at USC, at UCSB</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>8-9</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Arizona, UCLA, at Arizona State</p>
<p>The Bears bounced back from a tough stretch by sweeping the Washington schools on the road, but face a tough gauntlet down the stretch where they are going to have to beat good teams to make it into the tournament.</p>
<p><b>Colorado 19-7 (8-5)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>Kansas, Harvard</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>10-12</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>Arizona, at Cal, at Stanford</p>
<p>Colorado is staying the course and winning the easy games, but not doing anything unexpected, with their win over Kansas and overall record carrying them. I think they are in right now, but I'm worried about them as they have yet to beat a Pac-12 team that I think is in the tournament right now and the committee might mark them down for not having <span>Spencer Dinwiddie</span>.</p>
<p><b>Stanford 16-8 (7-5)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>at UConn, at Cal, Arizona State</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>11-12/play-in</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Arizona, UCLA, at Arizona State</p>
<p>The Cardinal are really teetering on the edge, and a loss at Washington last week hurt, but I think they have good enough wins to make it in right now, but barely. I think the committee would like to put one of the Pac-12 teams in the play-in games and right now I think that slot would be for the Cardinal.</p>
<p><b>Oregon 16-8 (4-8)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>Utah Valley, UC Irvine</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nit-tournament">NIT</a></p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>Arizona, at UCLA, Arizona State</p>
<p>The Ducks have a major mountain to climb, needing to finish the Pac-12 very well to get back into the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/march-madness">NCAA Tournament</a>, but they are ultra-talented and well-coached so it is possible. They have a tough schedule the rest of the way though.</p>
<p><b><u>Still alive</u></b></p>
<p><b>Utah 17-8 (6-7)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>UCLA</p>
<p><b>Bad losses: </b>at Washington State</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>One of those tournaments that start with C or maybe NIT</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>Arizona, at Cal, at Stanford</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Utes will have to have a seriously impressive run to truly get onto the bubble, but they have a great overall record and can have the potential to make a solid run in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/pac-12-basketball-tournament">Pac-12 Tournament</a>.</p>
https://www.pacifictakes.com/2014/2/18/5423432/2014-ncaa-tournament-pac-12-tourney-watch-2-18-six-pac-12-teams-inJack Follman2014-02-10T14:24:54-08:002014-02-10T14:24:54-08:00Pac-12 NCAA Tournament watch 2/10 - Six Teams In
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<figcaption>Jeff Gross</figcaption>
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<p>Arizona and UCLA are shoe-ins, but the rest are on the bubble.</p> <p><b><u>In for sure (barring utter disaster)</u></b></p>
<p><b>Arizona 23-1 (10-1)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>Duke, at Michigan, at UCLA, Colorado, at Stanford, Arizona State, Southern</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>1</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Colorado, at Arizona State, at Oregon</p>
<p>The Wildcats lost their grip on that top overall seed, but are firmly entrenched as a number one seed unless they play very poorly down the stretch. They showed that they could win tough games at home over solid teams without <span>Brandon Ashley</span> this week, but watch out for how they play on the road the rest of the way in-conference.</p>
<p><b><u>In (barring minor disaster)</u></b></p>
<p><b>UCLA 18-5 (7-3)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>at Colorado, Arizona State, Stanford, Cal, Weber State</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>6-7</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Cal, at Stanford, Colorado</p>
<p>The Bruins are hovering just outside of the Top 25 and looking like a team that could gain momentum and make a serious run in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/pac-12-basketball-tournament" class="sbn-auto-link">Pac-12 Tournament</a> on their way to a three or four seed. Right now though, the Bruins are hovering just outside of that 4-5 sweet spot and need to finish strong to break the barrier into that territory.</p>
<p><b><u>On the bubble</u></b></p>
<p><b>Colorado 18-6 (7-4)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>Kansas, Harvard</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>10-12</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>Arizona, at UCLA, at Cal</p>
<p>The Buffaloes haven't completely unraveled after losing <span>Spencer Dinwiddie</span>, but haven't beaten a good team since, or in Pac-12 play. Colorado will get into the tournament if they stay the course and just win the games that they should win, but they are going to have to win some games that they shouldn't if they hope to get in for sure or move into a better seed.</p>
<p><b>Arizona State 18-6 (7-4)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>at Cal, Colorado, UC Irvine</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>11-12/play-in</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>Arizona, at Colorado, at Oregon</p>
<p>The Sun Devils pushed themselves into the tournament by holding court against Oregon and Oregon State and have a very good in-conference record right now. Still, their spot right here is very slippery and they can't afford to lose games that they shouldn't down the stretch.</p>
<p><b>Cal 15-8 (6-4)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>Arizona, at Stanford, UC Irvine <b>Bad losses: </b>at USC</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>11-12/play-in</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Arizona, UCLA, at Arizona State</p>
<p>The Bears looked like they were going to challenge UCLA for the second spot in the conference, but that is looking less and less realistic as time goes one. Still, the Bears have a huge win over Arizona to their credit and it should be enough when combined with a good overall record to get them in right now.</p>
<p><b>Stanford 15-7 (6-4)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins:</b> at UConn, at Cal, Arizona State</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>11-12/play-in</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Arizona, UCLA, at Arizona State</p>
<p>The Cardinal got themselves back in by winning at Cal last week and their win at UConn is going to be a huge boost throughout the process.</p>
<p><b>Oregon 15-8 (3-8)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>at Mississippi, BYU, UC Irvine, Utah Valley</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nit-tournament" class="sbn-auto-link">NIT</a></p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>Arizona, at UCLA, Arizona State</p>
<p>The Ducks are still riding strictly on their stellar non-conference résumé as they have a putrid in-conference record and haven't beaten a single good team in the Pac-12. It might be very hard for the Ducks to get back into the tournament with how many games they have already lost, but they have the talent and experience to do make a serious turnaround.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b><u>Still alive</u></b></p>
<p><b>Utah 16-7 (5-6)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>UCLA <b>Bad losses: </b>at Washington State</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>NIT- one of those tournaments that start with C</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>Arizona, at UCLA, at Cal</p>
<p>The Utes have a bit of a flimsy résumé, but Utah's overall record and improving Pac-12 record is impossible to ignore and while they might not be on the bubble yet, they are creeping into NIT territory.</p>
<p><b><u>Hanging by a thread</u></b></p>
<p><b>Washington 13-11 (5-6)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>at Arizona State, Colorado <b>Bad losses: </b>at Washington State, Boston College</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>One of those tournaments that start with C</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>UCLA, at Oregon, Cal</p>
<p>The Huskies probably ended their chances by losing three-straight, but they close with five or their final seven at home and if they can win all of their home games and steal a road game, they could get back onto the bubble heading into the Pac-12 Tournament.</p>
<p><b>Oregon State 13-10 (5-6)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>UCLA, Stanford <b>Bad losses: </b>Coppin State, at DePaul</p>
<p><b>Seed: </b>One of those tournaments that start with C</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>Arizona, at UCLA, at Oregon</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Beavers had some momentum and a good Pac-12 record, but dropping to in the desert really hurt them and now they need a serious turnaround to even have a good shot at the NIT.</p>
https://www.pacifictakes.com/2014/2/10/5399072/pacific-takes-pac-12-ncaa-tournament-watch-2-10-six-pac-12-teamsJack Follman2014-02-04T16:47:57-08:002014-02-04T16:47:57-08:00Pac-12 NCAA Tournament Watch 2/4
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<figcaption>Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Cal, Colorado, Arizona State, Oregon and Stanford are all on the bubble in early-February.</p> <p><b><u>In (barring disaster)</u></b></p>
<p><b>Arizona 21-1 (8-1)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>at San Diego State, Duke, at Michigan, at UCLA, Colorado<b> Bad losses: </b>None<b></b></p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Colorado, at Oregon, Cal</p>
<p><b>Likely seed (If today was selection Sunday): </b>1</p>
<p>Even if they aren't the top ranked team right now, the Wildcats still might have the strongest résumé of any team in the country right now. The Wildcats took a major hit by losing <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/177165/brandon-ashley">Brandon Ashley</a> for the season, but can still easily hang onto a one seed if they finish the season strong and only suffer a few more losses.</p>
<p><b><u>Work to do, but looking good</u></b></p>
<p><b>UCLA 17-5 (6-3)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>at Colorado, Cal, Oregon, UCSB, Weber State, Chattanooga <b>Bad losses: </b>None</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Cal, Colorado, Oregon</p>
<p><b>Likely seed (If today was selection Sunday): </b>7-9</p>
<p>The Bruins are the best Pac-12 team after Arizona right now and just outside of the Top 25. They could easily sneak into the coveted 4-6 range if they finish well, but also could easily fall back onto the bubble, depending on how it all goes. The Bruins also have some random extra strength right now as they have beaten three lower conference teams (UCSB, Chattanooga, Weber State) who are currently at the top of their conference standings.</p>
<p><b><u>On the bubble</u></b></p>
<p><b>Cal 15-7 (6-3)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>Arizona, Oregon <b>Bad losses: </b>at USC</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Arizona, UCLA, Colorado</p>
<p><b>Likely seed (If today was selection Sunday): </b>8-10</p>
<p>I was tempted to put the Bears up off the bubble and up with UCLA after their win over Arizona, but they are probably still on the bubble since they lost their three previous games, including one against putrid USC. The Bears are still probably safe, but need to get back to winning consistently, particularly in the games in which they are favored.</p>
<p><b>Colorado 16-6 (5-4)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>Kansas, UCSB, Harvard, Oregon <b>Bad losses: </b>None</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>Arizona, at UCLA, at Cal</p>
<p><b>Likely seed (If today was selection Sunday): </b>10-12</p>
<p>The Buffs looked like they were heading towards a seed in the 4-6 range before losing <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/145229/spencer-dinwiddie">Spencer Dinwiddie</a> and have been slipping every since. Still, their early season résumé which is rightfully bolstered by a win over Kansas is strong, they are still talented even without Dinwiddie and have chances to add more good wins down the stretch if they can play well.</p>
<p><b>Oregon 15-6 (3-6)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>Mississippi, BYU, Utah Valley <b>Bad losses: </b>None</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Arizona, Arizona, at UCLA</p>
<p><b>Likely seed (If today was selection Sunday): </b>11-12, with a play-in likely.</p>
<p>The Ducks have a very concerning in-conference record, but are bolstered by a strong, undefeated non-conference run that included wins over a number of good, but not great (wins over Georgetown and Illinois and San Francisco could become "good wins" depending on how those teams finish , teams. I would probably say that they probably sneak in right now, but they need to at least get to nine or 10 conference wins and that will be very tough with how strong the rest of their schedule is. They also need the teams that they beat out of conference to finish strong.</p>
<p><b>Arizona State 16-6 (5-4)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>at Cal, Colorado <b>Bad losses: </b>None</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>Arizona, at Colorado, Cal</p>
<p><b>Likely seed (If today was selection Sunday): </b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nit-tournament">NIT</a>, maybe play-in.</p>
<p>The Sun Devils are very, very close to being in, but I think they would just miss out, and maybe I think that because it seems like that has happened a couple of times to the Sun Devils when they were right on the bubble. I also don't think that the national perception of the Pac-12 is going to be high enough to get more than a couple bubble teams in, so I think the Sun Devils and probably another Pac-12 bubble team will be left out in the cold.</p>
<p><b>Stanford 14-7 (5-4) </b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>at UConn, at Oregon <b>Bad losses: </b>None</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Arizona, at Cal, UCLA</p>
<p><b>Likely seed (If today was selection Sunday): </b>NIT</p>
<p>Like the Sun Devils, I think the Cardinal are one of the very first teams out of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/march-madness">NCAA Tournament</a> right now. However, Stanford has a really good win at UConn and can probably get themselves in if they win the games that they should down the stretch.</p>
<p><b><u>Hanging by a thread</u></b></p>
<p><b>Washington 13-9 (5-4)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>Colorado, Oregon <b>Bad losses: </b>UC Irvine, Boston College, at Washington State</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>UCLA, Cal, at Colorado</p>
<p><b>Likely seed (If today was selection Sunday): </b>NIT- one of those tournaments that start with C.</p>
<p>The Huskies would be firmly on the bubble if they hadn't performed so poorly out-of-conference, but they had a tough run and may have cemented themselves out of the NCAA Tournament by losing at Washington State Saturday. Still, if they can finish the regular season and do well in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/pac-12-basketball-tournament">Pac-12 Tournament</a>, they have a shot at getting on the bubble.</p>
<p><b>Oregon State 13-8 (5-4)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>UCLA, Oregon <b>Bad losses: </b>Coppin State, DePaul, at Hawaii</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>at Arizona, Arizona, at UCLA</p>
<p><b>Likely seed (If today was selection Sunday):</b> NIT- one of those tournaments that start with C.</p>
<p>Like the Huskies, the Beavers have taken care of business in-conference, but were really bad out-of-conference and it is going to make it very hard on them to get onto the bubble. They might still have a shot though if they can finish strong enough and perform well in the Pac-12 Tournament.</p>
<p><b>Utah 14-7 (3-6)</b></p>
<p><b>Good wins: </b>BYU, UCLA <b>Bad losses: </b>at Washington State</p>
<p><b>Three toughest remaining games: </b>Arizona, at UCLA, at Cal</p>
<p><b>Likely seed (If today was selection Sunday): </b>One of those tournaments that start with C, maybe NIT.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Utes were painfully close in every single one of their Pac-12 losses and convincing in all of their wins, so they very easily could have a much better in-conference record and be on the bubble, but you don't get points tournament time for tough losses. The Utes will have to make a serious run in the second half of conference play to be a serious tournament contender.</p>
https://www.pacifictakes.com/2014/2/4/5379518/pac-12-ncaa-tournament-watch-seven-pac-12-teams-could-get-into-2014Jack Follman2014-01-16T12:40:42-08:002014-01-16T12:40:42-08:00Bracketology 2014: 7 Pac-12 teams could make it
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<figcaption>Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>If the tournament was announced today, the Pac-12 would probably have at least five teams in March Madness and two on the bubble.</p> <p><a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology">This is the latest bracketology from Joe Lunardi</a>. Here are the Pac-12 teams that are just making it into the dance.</p>
<p><b>Arizona (1st seed)</b></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 15.994318008422852px;"><a href="http://www.azdesertswarm.com/"><img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo/196/large_azdesertswarm.com.full.7770.png" height="100px"></a></p>
<p>I have a feeling Arizona will stay here all season unless they endure a stunning collapse.</p>
<p><b>Colorado (6th seed):</b></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 15.994318008422852px;"><a href="http://www.ralphiereport.com/"><img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo/156/large_ralphiereport.com.full.22556.png" height="100px"></a></p>
<p>Colorado is going to hold onto those Kansas and Oregon wins for dear life and hope they can stay afloat. Luckily they have the best homecourt advantage in the Pac-12 and Tad Boyle to count on. UCLA and USC come to Boulder this weekend.</p>
<p><b>Oregon (6th seed)</b></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 15.994318008422852px;"><a href="http://www.addictedtoquack.com/"><img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo/145/large_addictedtoquack.com.full.20288.png" height="100px"></a></p>
<p><b></b>Oregon is not in the danger zone yet, but if the defense doesn't pick up they will be. The Ducks can't afford to just get attacked mercilessly on one side of the floor and expect to survive.</p>
<p><b>UCLA (8th seed)</b></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 15.994318008422852px;"><a href="http://www.bruinsnation.com/"><img src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo/106/large_bruinsnation.com.full.69502.png" height="100px"></a></p>
<p>UCLA is in that strange place where they have no great wins but have beaten everyone they're supposed to beat. So they float in the oblivion of the 8th seed.</p>
<p><b>Cal (10th seed, new entry)</b></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 15.994318008422852px;"><a href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/"><img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo/146/large_californiagoldenblogs.com.full.36370.png" height="100px"></a></p>
<p>It seems like the Golden Bears are a marquee win over UCLA or Arizona away from feeling pretty confident about their chances at the dance. Cal is the only other team aside from Arizona that is undefeated in Pac-12 play. Score an upset over the two best teams in conference play and they will be good to go.</p>
<p><b>Stanford (12th seed, last four in)</b></p>
<p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px;"><a href="http://www.ruleoftree.com/"><img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo/330/large_ruleoftree.com.full.3440.png" height="100px"></a></p>
<p><b></b>Stanford is clawing to stay in this one as Johnny Dawkins looks to keep his job. The win over Oregon keeps him afloat. <br><br><b>Arizona State (second among first four out) </b></p>
<p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px;"><a href="http://www.houseofsparky.com/"><img src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo/152/large_houseofsparky.com.full.8572.png" height="100px"></a></p>
<p>The Sun Devils are just hanging on, but they need some marquee wins in a hurry.</p>
https://www.pacifictakes.com/2014/1/16/5316430/joe-lunardi-brackets-arizona-wildcats-colorado-oregon-ucla-cal-stanfordAvinash Kunnath2014-01-14T05:00:05-08:002014-01-14T05:00:05-08:00Arizona #1, Colorado #21, UCLA #25
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<p>There are five Pac-12 teams receiving top 25 votes in the AP poll. </p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/arizona-wildcats">Arizona Wildcats</a>: Still number one. Arizona had their stiffest test of the Pac-12 schedule in their road trip to Pauley Pavilion. But they managed to squeak out of that game with a win and then dominated USC on Sunday night. Arizona will be heavily favored in their next three games and could be undefeated going into February.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/colorado-buffaloes">Colorado Buffaloes</a>: Down to number 21 and in serious danger of falling out entirely with the loss of Spencer Dinwiddie. Colorado got pummeled by Washington and now prepared for a huge contest with UCLA.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/ucla-bruins">UCLA Bruins</a>: Rising up to the ranks at 25. UCLA played as well as they could against Arizona, but then rallied to destroy Arizona State a few days later. They must now prepare for the dreaded mountain road trip.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/oregon-ducks">Oregon Ducks</a>: Out. Oregon suffered an embarrassing home sweep to Cal and Stanford and have fallen to 1-3 in conference play. Dana Altman has to do a bit of rallying of his squad in a hurry.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/california-golden-bears">California Golden Bears</a>: Rising up after a 3-0 road trip. Cal has beaten Stanford, Oregon and Oregon State and the Washington schools loom. Cal has a great shot at starting Pac-12 play 5-0.</p>
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https://www.pacifictakes.com/pac-12-basketball/2014/1/14/5306418/college-basketball-rankings-arizona-wildcats-ucla-bruins-colorado-buffaloesAvinash Kunnath2014-01-13T13:19:21-08:002014-01-13T13:19:21-08:00The good, the bad & the unknown week two
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<p>The Huskies and Bears score huge wins in the second week of Pac-12 play.</p> <p><b><u>The Good</u></b></p>
<p><b>Washington & C.J. Wilcox - </b>The Huskies proved that their blow out of Arizona State and challenge of Arizona to start out Pac-12 play wasn't a fluke by grinding out a close one over Utah and running away from Colorado once Spencer Dinwiddie went down. The Huskies made a major statement about possibly being the best team in the conference after the Wildcats and showing that they have a shot at the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/march-madness">NCAA Tournament</a>. Wilcox had one of the best game a player has had in this young season thus far against Colorado, dropping 31 with seven threes.</p>
<p><b>Arizona - </b>The Wildcats held onto their undefeated season and top spot in the national rankings by winning what might be their most challenging in-conference game, at UCLA. The Wildcats simply look like a well-oiled machine that has all of the pieces to compete for a national championship and be the best Pac-12 team in a long, long time.</p>
<p><b>Cal - </b>There may be no bigger mystery in Pac-12 basketball than why Cal plays Oregon so unbelievably well, but they do and the Bears made a huge statement in the state of Oregon last week - taking down the Ducks and adding a win over the Beavers just for good measure. The Bears look like they could be the best team in the Pac-12 after Arizona and can solidify that by beating Washington in Berkeley Wednesday night.</p>
<p><b><u>The Bad</u></b></p>
<p><b>Oregon - </b>Whoa. That was a bad week for the Ducks as they lost at home to both Bay Area schools and now could easily be 0-4 in conference play if they hadn't won a tight one at Utah. It is still very early in conference, play and it could actually be argued that the Ducks could be 3-1 in conference with a few bounces, but in the end, 1-3 is a very ugly start for such a talented team.</p>
<p><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/145229/spencer-dinwiddie">Spencer Dinwiddie's</a> injury - </b>Dinwiddie left Colorado's loss to Washington yesterday with a knee injury and it doesn't look good. There has been nothing official yet, but it sounds like Dinwiddie might be out for a long time and that's not only bad for Colorado, but fans of the conference who will miss out on getting to watch him play before he goes to the NBA.</p>
<p><b>USC - </b>The Trojans have gotten off to the worst start of any Pac-12 team this season. Getting beaten by Arizona by 20 is one thing, but the Trojans weren't nearly as competitive against Arizona State as they should have been.</p>
<p><b><u>The Unknown</u></b></p>
<p><b>How good are Cal and Washington? </b>As mentioned earlier, it was a big, big week for the Bears and Huskies, but we have seen starts like theirs from similar teams in the Pac-12 that have ended up being fool's gold. It will probably take a few more impressive and consistent performances from each before I fully trust either of them, but they will get the chance to prove that they are at least better than the other when they play Wednesday in Berkeley.</p>
<p><b>Can anyone beat Arizona? </b>It is very, very early, but the Wildcats may have already won the toughest game on the Pac-12 schedule, handling UCLA in Westwood and with Colorado and Oregon sliding back, there just might not be many teams tough enough to challenge them this season. It seems implausible, but could the Wildcats possibly run the table this year?</p>
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<p><b>Who is the second-best team in the Pac-12? </b>Just when Oregon and Colorado looked to be the two teams that would fight it out for the designation - UCLA, Washington and Cal look like they will be in the hunt.</p>
https://www.pacifictakes.com/2014/1/13/5305050/pac-12-basketball-the-good-the-bad-the-unknown-week-two-washingtonJack Follman2014-01-06T16:05:26-08:002014-01-06T16:05:26-08:00The Good, the bad, the unknown week one
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<p>Colorado, UCLA and Cal had great opening weeks in Pac-12 basketball play. </p> <p><b><u>The Good</u></b></p>
<p><b>Colorado - </b>The Buffaloes grabbed the biggest win of the infantile Pac-12 season by giving Oregon their first loss of the season and defended their home court very well - something that will be essential in the conference this season. They also showed that they can score a ton of points if they need to against a good team, dropping 100 on the Ducks.</p>
<p><b>Askia Booker & Spencer Dinwiddie - </b>The Buffaloes made an early statement for having the best backcourt in the conference this season with the two combining for 50 points against Oregon. The two showed an uncanny ability to get to the line and convert, going 29-33 from the line for the past week.</p>
<p><b>UCLA - </b>The Bruins more than proved that they are the top dog in LA and the better team with a first-year coach to start out the Pac-12 season, by destroying USC by 34 points. The Bruins looked almost perfect in their win, with Kyle Anderson and Jordan Adams playing to their full potential and their bench looking deadly.</p>
<p><b>Cal - </b>The Bears and Stanford have seemed to be battling for the same mid-level turf in the Pac-12 for a while now and the Bears got themselves a very good first punch in that fight by winning at Stanford. The Bears were hot form the outside and had a good three-way combo with Justin Cobbs, Tyrone Wallace and Richard Solomon.</p>
<p><b><u>The Bad</u></b></p>
<p><b>Washington State - </b>The Cougars looked dead on arrival in the first week of Pac-12 play and the heat has to be very high on Ken Bone. They looked absolutely dreadful on offense without a fully healthy DeVonte Lacy.</p>
<p><b>USC - </b>The Trojans looked better than they did in 2012-13 in non-conference, but that isn't saying much and they blew up in their first Pac-12 game in which they got absolutely hammered by UCLA. UCLA is good, and the Trojans don't have high expectations, but Andy Enfield needs to make his team look respectable very quickly, or it could be ugly.</p>
<p><b>Utah's finish against Oregon - </b>For a moment, it looked like the Utes might shock the world and show that they belong near the top of the Pac-12 and then that monstrosity of a play happened.</p>
<p><b><u>The Unknown</u></b></p>
<p><b>Washington - </b>Just when everyone had thought that the Huskies were officially dead under Lorenzo Romar, they showed up once Pac-12 play got started yet again, blowing out Arizona State and taking Arizona down to the wire on the road. Will the Huskies be able to turn around their season in Pac-12 play, or was last week just a fluke and they will regress after failing to knock off Arizona?</p>
<p><b>Arizona State - </b>Everyone thought that the Sun Devils were going to be tournament contenders behind Jahii Carson after a strong non-conference run, but then they got blasted by a floundering Washington team at home to open the Pac-12 season. Are the Huskies that good, or are the Sun Devils that bad?</p>
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<p><b>The middle - </b>Once again, the conference is very strong up top with a handful of teams, but the rest is kind of in an even pack that seem just a little out of the edge of being bubble teams. Will the teams like Cal, Washington and Arizona State and such move up and down as the season unravels or hover in the same familiar territory.</p>
https://www.pacifictakes.com/2014/1/6/5281868/pac-12-basketball-the-good-the-bad-the-unknown-week-one-coloradoJack Follman2014-01-06T14:54:35-08:002014-01-06T14:54:35-08:00Catching up on Pac-12 basketball
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<p>Giving some cliff notes on the start of the Pac-12 basketball season for those who have been wrapped up in Pac-12 football.</p> <p>If you are like me, you keep an eye on Pac-12 basketball and watch games when you can in November and December, but you just too wrapped up in the end of the Pac-12 college football regular season and then bowl season. It can be whirlwind trying to absorb two months of basketball, so here are so quick power rankings and overview of the Pac-12 2013-14 basketball season thus far.</p>
<p><b>1. </b><b>Arizona 15-0 2-0 No. 1 nationally</b></p>
<p><i>Recap - </i>The Wildcats ran the table in their strong non-conference slate again - scoring huge wins over San Diego State, Duke, Michigan and UNLV. The Wildcats look big, balanced, athletic and poised as they are the nation's top-ranked team to start the Pac-12 season.</p>
<p><i>Star you should know - </i>Nick Johnson Jr. G -<i> </i>Tough call here, but the all-around veteran and leader, Johnson is probably the Wildcats' best overall player.</p>
<p><i>Tournament chances - </i>Barring an epic collapse, not only are the Wildcats a shoe-in, they are poised to be a No. 1 seed.</p>
<p><b>2. </b><b>Colorado 13-2 2-0 No. 17 nationally</b></p>
<p><i>Recap - </i>The Buffaloes played a very tough non-conference against Big 12 foes and really impressed with a win over Kansas and tough games against Baylor and Oklahoma State. They scored a massive win in the opening week of Pac-12 play, defeating Oregon last weekend.</p>
<p><i>Star you should know - </i>Spencer Dinwiddie Jr. G - He should already be familiar to Pac-12 fans. He's long, athletic and gets to the basket as well as anyone in the country.</p>
<p><i>Tournament chances - </i>The Buffaloes have already made great progress on building a very good <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/march-madness">NCAA Tournament</a> résumé, looking like a potential four or five seed at the moment.</p>
<p><b>3. </b><b>Oregon 13-1 1-1 No. 13 nationally</b></p>
<p><i>Recap - </i>The Ducks didn't lose a game until Sunday and got some solid wins out-of-conference against Georgetown, Mississippi, Illinois and BYU.</p>
<p><i>Star you should know - </i>Joseph Young Jr. G - Young came in as a transfer from Houston and immediately emerged as one of the Pac-12's top scorers, averaging 19 points per-game thus far.</p>
<p><i>Tournament chances - </i>The Ducks look like they have the talent to get right back to the Sweet 16 and are right in the pack for a three or four seed.</p>
<p><b>4. </b><b>UCLA 12-2 1-0 No. 25 nationally</b></p>
<p><i>Recap - </i>The Bruins responded well to transitioning to Steve Alford from Ben Howland. They didn't really win any big games, but also avoided the bad losses that have plagued them in recent seasons and competed with Duke and Missouri.</p>
<p><i>Star you should know - </i>Jordan Adams So. G - Adams is a strong guard with great scoring abilities who really came on late in 2012-13 and has done a great job bouncing back from an injury that ended his year last season in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/pac-12-basketball-tournament">Pac-12 Tournament</a>.</p>
<p><i>Tournament chances - </i>The Bruins are a step down from Colorado and Oregon right now, but can change that if they play at an elite level in the Pac-12, which they have the ability to do, and could sneak into the 3-5 seed range.</p>
<p><b>5. </b><b>Cal 10-4 1-0</b></p>
<p><i>Recap - </i>The Bears had a solid, but not great non-conference performance as they scored a good win over Arkansas and competed well with Syracuse, Creighton and Dayton, but ended up losing all three along with a loss to UCSB. They opened up Pac-12 play well, with a big win at Stanford.</p>
<p><i>Star you should know - </i>Justin Cobbs Sr. G - Cobbs is stepping out of the shadow of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/123296/allen-crabbe">Allen Crabbe</a> and has emerged as the Bears' best scorer and senior leader at point guard.</p>
<p><i>Tournament chances - </i>The Bears will likely be on the bubble all season again and there is a good chance that they will be fighting for one of the Pac-12's final spots so they will need to win the games they should win and steal some to get in as an 11 or 12 seed.</p>
<p><b>6. </b><b>Utah 12-2 1-1</b></p>
<p><i>Recap - </i>After a couple seasons of really struggling out-of-conference, the Utes only lost one game in a heartbreaker to a good Boise State team and looked solid in the Pac-12's opening week - taking Oregon to overtime and beating Oregon State.</p>
<p><i>Star you should know - </i>Jordan Loveridge So. F - Loveridge was one of the better, lesser-known freshman standouts in the nation last year and is taking the next step forward, averaging 17 points and eight rebounds per-game.</p>
<p><i>Tournament chances - </i>The Utes are making strides, but will have to put together a very impressive in-conference résumé to get into the tournament this year and that is a realistic possibility.</p>
<p><b>7. </b><b>Washington 9-6 1-1</b></p>
<p><i>Recap - </i>The Huskies had a very disappointing non-conference slate, losing every one of their big games and suffered a bad loss to UC Irvine. However, they opened up Pac-12 on a strong note, blowing out Arizona State on the road and taking Arizona down to the wire so there is hope in Seattle.</p>
<p><i>Star you should know - </i>C.J. Wilcox Sr. G - Everyone already knows, Wilcox, one of the best shooters in the nation. He's still doing his thing, averaging 20 points a game and shooting 40 percent from behind the arc.</p>
<p><i>Tournament chances - </i>The Huskies can get themselves back into the tournament conversation but can only afford to lose a few Pac-12 games from here to be a serious at-large candidate due to how many games they lost out-of-conference.</p>
<p><b>8. </b><b>Arizona State 12-3 1-1</b></p>
<p><i>Recap - </i>The Sun Devils had one of their best non-conference runs in a while, as they only dropped two and to good teams (Creighton & Miami) and got two quality wins against Marquette and UNLV. Pac-12 play got off to a tough start for the Sun Devils though, as they dropped their opener at home to Washington.</p>
<p><i>Star you should know - </i>Jahii Carson So. G - Following up his stellar freshman year by being one of the most explosive guards in the entire country for the second season in-a-row.</p>
<p><i>Tournament chances - </i>The Sun Devils looked like they were in a good place to compete for a bubble seed before Washington downed them at home, now they will have to win consistently in the conference to prove that they truly do deserve to be in consideration.</p>
<p><b>9. </b><b>Stanford 9-4 0-1</b></p>
<p><i>Recap - </i>The Cardinal made some noise by knocking off UConn on the road and it gave them buzz going into the conference season but they lost their Pac-12 opener at home to Cal.</p>
<p><i>Star you should know - </i>Dwight Powell Sr. F - Everyone knows the Canadian big man for his ability to score and rebound, but this year he is leading the Cardinal in assists with 4.1 per-game.</p>
<p><i>Tournament chances - </i>The opening loss to Cal was a blow, but the Cardinal can bounce back if they perform well and their win over UConn could really help if they get on the bubble.</p>
<p><b>10. </b><b>USC 9-5 0-1</b></p>
<p><i>Recap - </i>The Trojans improve in non-conference play and got some solid wins over Xavier, Boston College and Dayton but opened up conference play with a horrifying 107-73 loss to UCLA.</p>
<p><i>Star you should know - </i>Byron Wesley Jr. G - Wesley has stepped up his game and has become the Trojans' best scorer and rebounder even though he is a 6'5 guard.</p>
<p><i>Tournament chances - </i>The Trojans obviously could still make the tournament logistically, but they are going to have to bounce back in Pac-12 play in a big way.</p>
<p><b>11. </b><b>Oregon State 8-6 0-2</b></p>
<p><i>Recap - </i>The Beavers scored a surprise win at Maryland in non-conference but had a few bad losses and opened up Pac-12 play with competitive losses at Colorado and Utah.</p>
<p><i>Star you should know - </i>Roberto Nelson Sr. G - Nelson isn't the best overall player in the conference, but he is a pure scorer loves to put it up from outside and can regularly knock it down.</p>
<p><i>Tournament chances - </i>The Beavers would have to make a serious run in Pac-12 to have a chance to be considered for the NCAA Tournament.</p>
<p><b>12. </b><b>Washington State 7-7 0-2</b></p>
<p><i>Recap - </i>It was a tough non-conference run for the Cougars and start to Pac-12 play as they got rolled by Arizona and Arizona State.</p>
<p><i>Star you should know - DaVonte Lacy Jr. G - </i>Unfortunately he recently had to have surgery to get his appendix removed, but when healthy, Lacy is the Cougars' only real scorer and a strong player that is great at getting to the basket.</p>
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<p><i>Tournament chances - </i>It would require a serious turnaround for the Cougars to be a serious NCAA Tournament contender.</p>
https://www.pacifictakes.com/2014/1/6/5281612/pac-12-basketball-catch-up-reportJack Follman