ASU basketball split its SEC road trip, UCLA lost to a mid-major and Oregon might be without its star player. Here’s how the latest shaped our Pac-12 Power Rankings.
This week was supposed to be a cornerstone. Now, it’s a prayer.
After Arizona State’s 81-65 loss to Vanderbilt, the Pac-12 is in disarray. If the Sun Devils don’t bounce back against first-ranked Kansas on Saturday, the conference could have zero ranked teams and a lack of marquee victories entering league play.
That desperation was only heightened two days prior as UCLA fell to unranked Belmont. While that Bruin team may win the Ohio Valley, an absence of production has another Pac-12 coach square on the hot seat.
Although Washington played tough against Gonzaga two weeks ago, their upset efforts against a top-13 opponent fell short against Virginia Tech. Once again, poor 3-point shooting and early execution proved to be their downfall.
Additionally, Oregon might be without star freshman Bol Bol for some time. He has an undisclosed lower leg injury, making the impact of Louis King that much more important.
Suddenly, this week has become as important as any in recent history. Much of the balance rests on the Sun Devils’ performance this weekend, and without a win, the Pac-12 could have a hard time getting more than a few teams into the NCAA Tournament.
Ahead of that matchup, let’s take a look at where each team sits in this week’s conference Power Rankings.