1. No. 13 Oregon Ducks
It should come as no surprise to anyone that No. 13 Oregon is at the top of our power rankings for the second week in a row.
While the Ducks didn’t exactly play a formidable opponent in Week 1, they showed why they are expected to finish atop the Pac-12. Oregon improved to 2-0 with little resistance in blowout wins at home over Portland State and Eastern Washington.
In those games, freshman Bol Bol turned heads for reasons other than his towering 7-foot-2 frame. Against Eastern Washington Bol displayed versatility in a 23-point, 12-rebound and four-block showing.
Junior guard Payton Pritchard has continued to improve upon his first two seasons in Eugene, a trend that appears likely to extend into his third year.
Pritchard led the team in scoring in the opener with 22 points. Though his scoring fell off a bit in the Ducks’ second game, his overall impact was positive, tallying eight assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Despite the presence of Bol and five-star wing Louis King, Pritchard remains the alpha dog on coach Dana Altman’s roster.
The Ducks get their first big test of the young season this week when they head to New York City to compete in the 2K Empire Classic.
At Madison Square Garden, Oregon opens against Iowa on Thursday night with either No. 15 Syracuse or Connecticut waiting for them depending on the outcomes.
Even though the Ducks look like they deserve the hype surrounding them thus far, there will be more clarity on the matter by this time next week.
– Wilkinson