ASU basketball took down unbeaten Washington, but the Sun Devils still sit in a three-way tie for second in the Pac-12 standings.
Somehow, this doesn’t come as much of a surprise.
Arizona State split last week’s homestand with the Washington schools, but not in a way logic would dictate. The Sun Devils were ran out of the gym by Washington State – who hadn’t won a road game in seven attempts – before a double-digit win over the Pac-12’s last unbeaten, Washington.
Now 16-7 (7-4 Pac-12), ASU’s NCAA Tournament hopes are in a peculiar predicament. Coach Bobby Hurley’s team does have four Quadrant 1 victories, but it also has two losses in Quadrant 4. At No. 71 in the NET Rankings, the Devils will likely need a top-4 seed and wins in Las Vegas to secure a bid.
Meanwhile, the Huskies dropped from No. 27 to No. 31 in the NET system. Barring collapse, Washington should be safe for NCAA Tournament consideration, but its lack of quality wins could hurt. Oregon (No. 65) might be the only other team with an off-shot of an at-large bid.
With teams ranked two through 10 separated by two games, these final four weeks could play dividends for Utah, Oregon State and Colorado to make a run in the Pac-12 Tournament. Each has proven they’re capable of defeating any team in recent weeks.
More likely than not, this week’s slate will do its part in creating separation at the top. If it’s anything like Wednesday and Thursday, where five road teams won, things could get very exciting.
Let’s take a look where each team stands in this week’s Conference Power Rankings.