ASU Basketball: 2018 Pac-12 Week 9 Power Rankings

With the FBI probe centered on Arizona, USC solidified their tournament hopes while UCLA, Utah and ASU basketball fell back toward the wrong side of the bubble.

Sean Miller couldn’t have looked more nervous.

Before heading to the locker room with his team up by one at halftime against Arizona State, Miller was bracing himself for something he’s had to face all season:

Discomfort.

It started in September, when his longtime assistant coach Emmanuel “Book” Richardson was arrested for “federal bribery, fraud, and other corruption charges” after allegedly accepting $20,000 in bribes, which he reportedly gave to some recruits.

As the season began, Miller’s discomfort level grew. His recruiting, which he has been praised for during his time in Tucson, suddenly ceased. The Wildcats had only locked up two top 40 recruits in Shareef O’Neal and Brandon Williams before the season.

Now, one is gone, and the other may soon follow.

Last week, the pressure piled on, as ESPN’s Mark Schlabach reported that a wiretap had allegedly caught Miller discussing a payment of $100,000 to lock up star freshman Deandre Ayton. In wake of the situation, Miller decided not to coach in his team’s game against Oregon, stating only that he “would be vindicated.”

But before all that, Miller had to make the walk to the locker room. He finished his interview with ESPN’s Molly McGrath, put his head down and marched through a swarm of “FBI” chants from the Sun Devil student section.

Now, after his team just hit their stride, Miller may have to make the walk out of college basketball.

With his return uncertain and Allonzo Trier’s ineligibility for trace amounts of Ostarine intact, Arizona just may have played themselves out of the NCAA Tournament and the sphere of national dominance.

On the flip side, basketball games were still to be played.

USC is back at the No. 2 position in the conference, as they picked up two double-digit road victories against Colorado and Utah to quickly become one of the favorites to win the conference tournament.

With the loss to the Trojans, the Utes lost the chance to sweep their three remaining home games, and now they must use a deep run in the conference tournament to secure a bid in the big dance.

UCLA, who entered the week on a hot streak, faced an ultimate collapse in their Mountain area road trip, dropping a crucial game to Utah and losing against Colorado for the second time this season. Now, this week’s matchup against USC will be essential to their postseason survival.

Meanwhile, the Pac-12’s other NCAA Tournament frontrunner may not have that calling card much longer. Arizona State suffered two crucial losses on the road to Oregon and Oregon State, as late comeback attempts evaded the Sun Devils in the closing minutes. Their loss to the Beavers, who ranked No. 190 in RPI, may cost them with Selection Sunday looming.

It was the most controversial week in conference play, and a lot of noise plagued what was an otherwise entertaining week in Pac-12 play. Let’s see how it shaped up this week’s power rankings.

12. California Golden Bears (8-21, 2-14)

Overtime was just on the way.

Trailing by two with 27 seconds remaining, the Bears got into their halfcourt set with an isolation for Justice Sueing. He drove left, forced the defense to collapse and dished a handoff to Marcus Lee, who made a layup to tie the game at 76. It seemed like overtime would be near.

As it turns out, the Bears were too caught in the moment.

Malachi Flynn dribbled the full length of the floor on the opposite left side and found his teammate Drick Bernstine, who put up a game-winning layup with two seconds remaining that would end all momentum for the surging Bears.

Two nights later, Cal would return home to take on Washington, where they would initially match the Huskies with a solid defensive effort. However, things broke down in the second half, as the Bears only scored 16 points en route to a 17-point loss.

The Bears will finish their regular season on the road this week as they travel to face Arizona State and Arizona.

11. Washington State Cougars (11-17, 3-13)

Talk about a thrilling way to do it.

After Flynn’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 27 seconds remaining, the Cougars weren’t deterred about what happened next. Instead of thinking about Lee’s layup, Ernie Kent told his team to push the floor, and they were able to find Bernstine to score complete the team’s first road victory since Jan. 29.

Two nights later, the Cougars drove the Stanford Cardinal down to the wire, coming back from a double-digit second half deficit to tie the game with 36 seconds remaining.

However, the effort came up short, as two free throws from Daejon Davis secured the victory and sent the Cougars home short of a conference sweep.

Now, the Cougars will return home, looking to pick up on their recent surge of solid performances against Oregon and Oregon State.

10. Oregon State Beavers (14-14, 6-10)

Corvallis is a dangerous place to play.

With the absence of Allonzo Trier, the Beavers pushed Arizona to the limit Thursday night, coming back from a 12-point deficit to send the game into overtime.

However, the effort was too little, as big shots from Rawle Alkins and Deandre Ayton down the stretch sent the Beavers packing with their third consecutive loss.

Two nights later, the Beavers got revenge, as they defeated Arizona State to pick up their 13th home victory of the season.

In that game, all five Oregon State starters scored in double figures, which allowed them to execute an effective offensive attack and impose their size on a smaller Sun Devil team.

Tres Tinkle, who shined in the first game against ASU, put forth another strong performance Saturday, adding 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Beavers to keep ASU guessing on defense.

Although they won’t get a first round bye, the Beavers proved that they’re capable of catching fire and upsetting any team when they have their offense clicking.

They’ll return to the road in their final two games of the season to take on Washington and Washington State.

9. Arizona State Sun Devils (19-9, 7-9)

Here we go again.

Just two weeks removed from jumping toward the top of the conference standings, the Sun Devils are back in trouble and in a big way.

ASU entered the week as high as a No. 5 seed in several bracketology reports, looking to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Now, after two losses to teams outside the RPI top 90, the Sun Devils have fallen back as far as a No. 10 seed or completely out of the tournament in the same reports.

What was the main reason for ASU’s 0-2 week? The shooting troubles.

The Sun Devils shot a combined total of 41 percent from the field in the two losses, including just 35 percent from the 3-point line.

ASU’s two biggest scoring options, Tra Holder and Shannon Evans, shared games of being non-factors in the two losses. Holder went scoreless against Oregon, and Evans had 8 points on 2-of-10 shooting against Oregon State.

Without their best players providing a consistent output, the Sun Devils will continue to have a hard time finding ways to close out games.

They’ll look to save their NCAA Tournament bid this week as they return home to Tempe to take on Cal and Stanford.

8. Colorado Buffaloes (16-13, 8-9)

It was the most surprising season sweep of the year.

After falling by 11 to USC, the Buffaloes responded on senior night to send off George King, Dominique Collier and others with a dominant offensive performance in a 80-76 victory over UCLA.

The pair scored a combined 35 points for the Buffaloes, providing key shots that would help their team hold onto their lead down the stretch.

After losing their early nine point lead in the second half, the Colorado defense picked up, as they went on a 12-0 run over a 2:50 span to turn a two point deficit into a double digit lead late in the half..

The Buffaloes built their lead up to as many as 14, and despite a comeback effort from Aaron Holiday, key defensive stops from King’s rotations helped his team pick up their 12th home victory of the year.

Tad Boyle’s team will look to finish .500 in the conference season as they’ll travel to take on Utah in their last game of the season.

7. Washington Huskies (19-10, 9-7)

The curious case of the Washington Huskies continues.

Much like the previous week, UW showed two sides of their capabilities last week, following up a 16-point loss to Stanford with a 17-point victory over Cal.

Against Stanford, the Huskies were anything but their normal defensive identity. Thanks to a 33-point, nine-rebound night from Reid Travis, the Cardinal exploded out of the opening tip, extending a 22-point lead by halftime.

After scoring just 26 points at the break, the Huskies stormed back by tallying 52 points in the second half, but answers from Travis and Dorian Pickens would keep Washington from nearing any closer than 12 points.

The Huskies responded Saturday afternoon with a dominant defensive performance against Cal, limiting the Bears to just 34.6 percent shooting while giving up just 16 points in the second half.

Jaylen Nowell led the Huskies with 23 points that night, while Matisse Thybulle added nine points and two steals in the win.

Going forward, the Huskies will have some work to do to get into the NCAA Tournament. Despite strong victories against Kansas, Arizona and Arizona State, closing this week strong against the Oregon schools will be important for their conference tournament seeding and playing for a berth in March Madness.

6. UCLA Bruins (19-10, 10-7)

Now was not the time to collapse.

After an impressive conference sweep the week prior, the Bruins fell apart in their Mountain school trip, falling in two close games to Utah and Colorado.

For the majority of the conference season, UCLA has relied on the explosive guards of Aaron Holiday and Jaylen Hands to push the tempo and create transition opportunities for themselves and Kris Wilkes.

However, despite Holiday averaging 22 points per game last week, the Bruins failed to out-run their opponents, as low-post gameplans for Utah’s David Collette and Colorado’s Lucas Siewert disabled the Bruins from creating opportunities in transition.

With back-to-back losses on their resume, the Bruins hurt their chances of having a secure bid in March Madness. They’ve fallen back to fourth in the conference standings, and now they must rely on losses from Stanford to jump back in third place.

The Bruins will have to pick up their lone regular season game remaining against USC and a few games in the Pac-12 Tournament to have a shot at sneaking back into the NCAA Tournament.

5. Utah Utes (18-10, 10-7)

The margin for error was so slim.

After pulling off a great victory against UCLA, the Utes redacted their NCAA Tournament momentum, as they suffered a 16-point loss at the hands of USC.

USC freshman guard Jordan Usher had a breakout game against the Utes, connecting on four of his five three-pointers to help Chimezie Metu execute in the low post on offense.

Collette posted a strong performance with 13 points and seven rebounds for Utah, but the lack of prior help from Tyler Rawson and Justin Bibbins proved to be too much for the Utes to overcome.

The Utes shot just 5-21 from the 3-point line in the loss, having no ability to keep up with the fast-paced offense of the Trojans in the open floor and in the low post.

With Sedrick Barefield’s status still looming, the Utes will have to look forward to winning their last game against Colorado and a deep run in the conference tournament to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

4. Stanford Cardinal (16-13, 10-6)

What a week from Stanford.

The Cardinal took full advantage of their final homestand of the season, as they put forth a complete performance against Washington followed by a narrow victory over Washington State last weekend.

Reid Travis picked up Pac-12 Player of the Week honors after averaging 26.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in the two victories.

Against the Huskies, Travis looked to use his aggressiveness to his advantage. The Cardinal would keep feeding him the ball inside the zone, and Travis would use his physicality to muster his way to the rim and shoot 17 free throws on the night.

The Cardinal would limit Washington to just 26 points in the first half, and thanks to a responsive second half, Stanford would keep their lead above double digits for the remainder of the game.

Against the Cougars, the Cardinal encountered some struggles on the defensive end. Washington State shot 57 percent from the floor in that game while making 11 of their 23 3-point attempts.

Thankfully, the Cardinal were hot as well. They made 51 percent of their field goal attempts and got to the free throw line 20 times on the night, where they would only miss two chances. Thanks to a combined 50 points from Kezie Okpala, Michael Humphrey and Dorian Pickens, Travis didn’t have to force taking over the game on his own.

With a big lineup complemented with capable scoring guards, Stanford has the capability of making a run in the Pac-12 Tournament. The way they’ll be able to do so is by wearing teams down in the low post and continuing to work their opponents inside then out.

They’ll look to keep a top three seed in the conference this week as they’ll take on Arizona and Arizona State on the road.

3. Oregon Ducks (19-10, 9-7)

From here on out, the Ducks need to be perfect in order to make the NCAA Tournament.

They got off on the right foot last week, as they dominated Arizona State for the majority of Thursday night’s game while overcoming a double-digit deficit to beat a furious Arizona team Saturday.

Elijah Brown put forth a dominant scoring week for the Ducks, averaging 24.5 points per game in the two victories. Payton Pritchard helped lead the team by averaging seven assists and showing proper game management down the stretch of both affairs.

With the two wins, Oregon moved up from No. 90 to No. 74 in RPI. They picked up their first victory over a Quadrant 1 opponent, an opportunity that has allowed them to sneak back into talks for a tournament berth.

They’ll have a chance to add on to their resume this week when they visit Washington State and a fellow bubble team in Washington.

2. USC Trojans (21-9, 12-5)

The run for USC couldn’t have come at a better time.

After dropping two straight games against the Arizona schools, the Trojans capitalized on their opportunities last week, extending their win streak to four games after key victories over Colorado and Utah.

In their two wins, the Trojans played phenomenal defense, holding their opponents to just 61 points per game on 41 percent shooting.

Since the news that Bennie Boatwright, the team’s second leading scorer at 13.6 points per game, would be out for the remainder of the season, several other players have stepped up, including freshman guard Jordan Usher.

Usher recorded 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the 3-point line against Utah, giving the Trojans a secret weapon that few teams have been able to encounter thus far. With the tail end of the season approaching, Usher could prove to be an X-factor that could give the Trojans a boost with March on the horizon.

With an impressive resume now formulating, the Trojans could now build themselves up for a very successful Pac-12 Tournament. With Arizona’s issues and the inconsistencies of other teams, the could be viewed as the early favorite to win the conference tournament.

They’ll look to add on to their hot play this week as they close out the season at home with a rivalry game against UCLA.

1. No. 19 Arizona Wildcats (22-7, 12-4)

For now, Arizona remains the top team in this week’s power rankings.

The question is, how long will that be?

The Wildcats received devastating news last week that Allonzo Trier had re-tested positive for trace amounts of Ostarine in his system. According to the university, it’s the same substance that Trier had tested positive for that forced him to miss the first half of last season.

Just a few days later, it was announced that Sean Miller was involved at the center of the FBI’s probe into illegal payments in college basketball. Deandre Ayton was the named player at the center of the report’s accusations.

However, with inconsistencies in the accuracy of the Schlabach report, the Wildcats may have a shot, however small, to regain some of their missed pieces. If Trier can regain his eligibility and Ayton can come out of the ESPN report clean, Arizona could still be a dangerous team in March.

However, certain pieces have to fall in place. It’s expected that the university will make a decision on the future of Miller’s job this week.

Next: ASU Basketball: 2018 Pac-12 Week 8 Power Rankings

With unpredictability at an all time high around the program, it’s hard to say just what this team will be built of by the time next week rolls around. The Wildcats will return to the McKale Center this week to take on Stanford and Cal.