ASU Basketball: 2018 Pac-12 Week 8 Power Rankings

Arizona completed its third straight regular season sweep of ASU basketball while UCLA, USC and Utah bounced back from losses with key victories.

For the next two and a half weeks, there will be tons of speculation about the NCAA Tournament chances of the Pac-12 conference.

Just two weeks ago, it looked like five teams had a shot at making the tournament (Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, USC and Washington) with two teams on the cusp of breaking the bubble (Utah and Oregon).

Since that date, the number of guaranteed teams has dropped to two, and everyone outside of Arizona and Arizona State is currently on the outside looking in to get in the tournament.

After a tough week in Arizona, the USC Trojans responded with two wins at home over Oregon and Oregon State. Chimezie Metu had a dominant week for the Trojans, averaging 16.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while hitting the game-winner against the Ducks on Thursday.

UCLA held its ground at second place in the conference with a sweep of the Oregon schools following their loss to Arizona State. Aaron Holiday was named the conference’s player of the week after averaging 23 points, eight assists and three rebounds in the two home victories.

The Utah Utes continued their hot streak of play as they picked up two road victories against the Washington schools. Since their loss to Colorado, the Utes are now winners of four straight.

In the Pac-12’s most anticipated game of the week, the Arizona Wildcats defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe. Thanks to a 25-point, 16-rebound effort from Deandre Ayton, the Wildcats improved to 6-0 against the Sun Devils since Bobby Hurley arrived in Tempe.

With only two weeks remaining until the Pac-12 Tournament, nearly every team in the top half of the conference has to “win out” in order to secure or receive a NCAA Tournament bid.

Needless to say, these games should be a lot of fun to watch.

Let’s take a look at where each team stands going into the second-to-last week of conference play.

12. California Golden Bears (8-19, 2-12)

It was an opportunity the Bears almost had.

Down three with 18 seconds remaining, Don Coleman picked up a miss from Stanford’s Kezie Okpala, drove coast to coast and put up a layup to try to cut the Cardinal lead to one.

It was blocked by Josh Sharma.

After two free throws from Dorian Pickens to extend the Cardinal lead to four, the Bears missed two more shots, leaving one of their most consistent performances behind as another loss.

Despite shooting only 37.1 percent, the Bears found some promise on the offensive end. Four players scored in double figures, including Coleman, who hadn’t done so since the beginning of the month against Oregon.

The Bears will hope to get another crack at a victory this week as they’ll return home to take on Washington State and Washington.

11. Washington State Cougars (10-16, 2-12)

What a win for the Cougars.

Trailing by eight with 13:12 to go against Colorado, Malachi Flynn put the team on his back, as he scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half to end the Cougars’ seven game losing streak.

Robert Franks added 14 points after missing the team’s last game with a knee injury.

Two nights later, the Cougars put together another solid performance against the Utah Utes. However, a late comeback effort fell just short, as Flynn’s 20 points were unable to overcome a combined 39 points from Tyler Rawson and Justin Bibbins.

In spite of the loss, the Cougars put together their best week of defense this season, limiting their opposition to just 73 points per game.

Next up, the Cougars will hit the road to to take on Cal, who they beat by 25 earlier in the season, and Stanford.

10. Oregon State Beavers (13-13, 5-9)

It just wasn’t enough momentum.

After pulling off their first conference sweep of the year, things came crashing down for Oregon State, as they dropped two road games against UCLA and USC.

The Beavers, who averaged 95.5 points per game against the Washington schools, fell back into a cold spell on offense, as they shot just 31 percent from the three-point line in the two losses.

Despite solid outputs from Tres Tinkle, his team wasn’t around to help this time, as Stephen and Ethan Thompson followed up subpar performances against UCLA by combining for nine points on 3-for-13 shooting against USC.

With little time in the season remaining, the Beavers will hope to rebound this week at home against the Arizona schools.

9. Colorado Buffaloes (15-12, 7-8)

The road environment can make quite a difference.

After sweeping the California schools at home, the Buffaloes ran into some struggles in the state of Washington, falling in a tight game to the Cougars and a blowout to the Huskies.

The issues began with the pressure they faced on defense. Thanks to the Cougars’ impressive week and the Huskies’ lengthy 2-3 zone, the Buffaloes shot just under 40 percent from the field, including just 23 percent from the three-point line in the two losses.

On defense, CU wasn’t able to make up the same ground that they’ve been able to at home. They allowed Washington State to go on a 5-0 run in the final 51 seconds to win Thursday’s game while they were unable to shut down Matisse Thybulle in the second half of Saturday’s game against Washington.

The Buffaloes will return home next week as they will look to take advantage of their elevation edge against USC and UCLA.

8. Stanford Cardinal (14-13, 8-6)

It was close, but a win is a win.

The Cardinal rebounded from two consecutive losses against the Mountain schools last week, as they found hope in a road rivalry win against Cal.

In that game, the Cardinal had four of their starters score in double figures, including a game-high of 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists from Daejon Davis.

With the offense clicking again, the Cardinal hope that their remaining four games will provide them more momentum for the Pac-12 Tournament.

They’ll return home this week to take on Washington and Washington State.

7. Oregon Ducks (17-10, 7-7)

That wasn’t the week Dana Altman wanted to see.

Following two stellar defensive performances against the Washington schools, the Ducks blanked on two chances to improve their NCAA Tournament odds, as they fell in two tight games last week against USC and UCLA.

Against the Trojans, the Ducks used a comeback effort in the final minute to tie the game at 70 with 17 seconds remaining. Then, after looking to trap Jordan McLaughlin on the wing, MiKyle McIntosh got caught too high above the basket on defense, as McLaughlin found Chimezie Metu for a lay-in to win the game.

Two nights later, the Ducks came back again, forcing overtime against the Bruins after a clutch second half performance from Payton Pritchard. However, the Ducks couldn’t pull together enough stops on defense, as the Bruins exploded for 15 points in the overtime period.

Now, with 10 losses, it’s likely the Ducks will have to win out in order to keep their tournament hopes alive.

They’ll look to begin the process this week as they return home to take on Arizona State and Arizona.

6. Washington Huskies (18-9, 8-6)

What is there to make of Washington?

After another loss against Utah, it looked like the Huskies would submit to a freefall. It had been their third consecutive loss, and their offense was dormant again.

However, on a night where they retired Isaiah Thomas‘ jersey, it looked like things may have been straightened out.

The Huskies dominated the Colorado Buffaloes by 23 points as a much-needed offensive burst took place. Four Huskies scored in double figures, a feat that included a combined 14-for-22 shooting output from Noah Dickerson and Matisse Thybulle.

With that kind of output, is it safe to say that Washington is back?

We’ll have to find out this week, as the Huskies will hit the road to take on Stanford and Cal.

5. Arizona State Sun Devils (19-7, 7-7)

It was another tough go for Bobby Hurley against Sean Miller.

After trailing by as many as 18 in the first half against Arizona, Arizona State fought all the way back, cutting their deficit to just one by halftime.

Kodi Justice and Tra Holder opened up a 8-0 run to start the second half, and with a seven-point lead, it looked like the Sun Devils would run away with the game at home.

Then, Deandre Ayton happened.

Ayton recorded 14 of his 16 rebounds against ASU in the second half, as he crashed the offensive glass and forced second opportunities that led to a seven-point victory for the Wildcats.

Despite Ayton’s output, the Sun Devils left several opportunities out on the floor, including five missed free throws, a missed dunk from Shannon Evans and just seven 3-point makes on 25 attempts.

Barring a collapse, the Sun Devils should be a lock for the NCAA Tournament. However, with the Pac-12 Tournament looming, it’ll be important that they try to boost their seeding in their four remaining games.

ASU will open its last road trip of the regular season this week as they travel to take on Oregon and Oregon State.

4. Utah Utes (17-9, 9-6)

The Utes are making a stand.

Just when a loss against Colorado made times look lost, Larry Krystkowiak has since revitalized his team, as they’ve now won four straight after their victories against Washington and Washington State.

The Utes dominated the low post against the Huskies, as David Collette scored 22 points on 8-for-10 shooting. With the help of his four other starters being in double figures, the Utes were able to overwhelm Washington’s zone with an inside-out approach.

Against Washington State, the Utes dominated outside the arc, connecting on 12 of their 31 three-point attempts to fight off the hot shooting of Robert Franks and Malachi Flynn.

With three games remaining at home, the Utes find themselves in position to control their own destiny in terms of making a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

They’ll begin the homestand this week as they’ll take on two other bubble teams in UCLA and USC.

3. USC Trojans (19-9, 10-5)

The Trojans answered their biggest test of the season last week, as they defeated Oregon and Oregon State to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

After losing a late lead against the Ducks, the Trojans showed late-game maturity, as Jordan McLaughlin found Chimezie Metu for a lay-in on the final possession to give the Trojans a win over another bubble team.

Two nights later, the team unleashed a great defensive effort, limiting Oregon State to just 59 points while Elijah Stewart went off for 28 points on 9-for-10 shooting.

After missing out on three consecutive key victories, the Trojans now find themselves primed for two more opportunities, as they will face Utah and UCLA in two of their final three games.

However, their hopes of making the tournament lie on little margin for error, and with two of their last three games on the road, it’ll be tough to live up to those odds.

The Trojans will look to answer the bell as they’ll travel for those two road games this week against Colorado and Utah.

2. UCLA Bruins (19-8, 10-5)

Nothing seems to faze this UCLA team.

Despite all the distractions in China and the way the team could’ve reacted after the loss to Arizona State, the Bruins again showed resiliency, picking up a huge sweep of the Oregon schools at home.

Aaron Holiday dominated the competition in two games, as his averages of 23 points, eight assists and three rebounds in the two victories carried him to his second Pac-12 Player of the Week honor of the season.

With their NCAA Tournament hopes still alive, the Bruins will now have to increase their odds of a bid with three games away from home in the next two weeks.

Although some may count them out against Utah and Colorado, their fight this season will likely keep them competing in all of their remaining games.

Their last two-game road stand of the year will come this week, as they’ll travel to take on Utah and Colorado.

1. No. 14 Arizona Wildcats (21-6, 11-3)

It wasn’t looking good for Arizona.

After allowing Arizona State to go on a 31-6 run from the end of the first half to the beginning of the second, it looked like the Wildcats, much like earlier in the season, would fall to the pace of their opponent.

Thankfully, they had Deandre Ayton.

Ayton, who had just eight points and two rebounds at halftime, went off for 17 points and 14 rebounds in the second half of his team’s win against Arizona State, as he constantly crashed the offensive glass and forced De’Quon Lake, Mickey Mitchell and Romello White into foul trouble.

After Kodi Justice tied the game at 63 with 3:53 to go, the Wildcats’ talent took over, as Ayton and Allonzo Trier kicked off a 7-0 run that turned a close game into a decisive victory.

Now holding a two-game lead in the conference standings, three wins in Arizona’s last four games would allow them to clinch sole possession of their second straight regular season conference title.

Next: ASU Basketball: 2018 Pac-12 Week 7 Power Rankings

The Wildcats will travel this week in their last road trip of the season to face Oregon State and Oregon.

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