UCLA Basketball: Pre-PAC-12 conference schedule power rankings

Go Joe bruin takes a look at how the UCLA basketball team stacks up with the rest of the Pac-12 as we head into the conference portion of the schedule.

It has been an interesting start to the season for the UCLA basketball and the rest of the PAC-12. With the non-conference schedule coming to an end, let’s take a look at how the teams from the across the PAC-12 stack up before conference play begins tonight.

(Rankings in parentheses represent RPI rankings as of Thursday, December 28)

Cream of the Crop

Arizona State 12-0

The Sun Devils continue to roll as they went undefeated during their non-conference schedule. Wins over (2) Xavier, (18) St. John’s, and (22) Kansas are as impressive as any team in the country. Not to mention that they have been winning their games by almost 20 points. Lead by Tra Holder (21.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 4.8 apg) and Freshman of the Year candidate Romello Evans (14.9 ppg and 8.6 rpg), Arizona State looks to be the early front runner for the PAC-12 title. Their opening PAC-12 game with in-state rival (21)Arizona should be a good test for the Sun Devils to see if they can handle their early success.

Top Contenders

Arizona 10-3

Before the season started, the Wildcats were a trendy pick to get to at least the Final Four. But after three losses in a row, they dropped out of the AP Top 25 while dropping off many peoples’ radar. Now after beating (7)Texas A&M and a talented (29)Alabama team, Coach Sean Miller and company are back on track. Allonzo Trier (21.2 ppg) is picking up right where he left off last year (and more) and freshman DeAndre Ayton (19.5 ppg and 11.4 rpg) has impressed even more quickly than expected. Arizona’s 10-3 record looks even better with their top 20 strength of schedule.

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USC 9-4

Except for (148)Princeton, the Trojans don’t have a bad loss to their name. Losing to (5)Texas A&M and a Trae Young-led (10)Oklahoma team could happen to any school in the country. Their other loss is to a (62)SMU team that should end up making the NCAA Tournament. The problem is with their best wins coming against (40)Middle Tennessee State and (42)UC Santa Barbara, USC will have to prove their talent is more than just on paper as PAC-12 play begins.

UCLA 9-3

Before beating (28)Kentucky, the Bruins’ best win was a three point victory over (89)South Dakota. Struggling against (128)Wisconsin, (136)CSU Bakersfield, (248)Georgia Tech, and (252)Central Arkansas did nothing to promote confidence in a team but at least UCLA was able to come out of these games with victories. The loss at (37)Michigan hurt and really exposed the Bruins’ lack of depth. But beating (26)Kentucky on national TV is never easy and shows how UCLA is capable of playing. If Kris Wilkes (12.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg)and Jaylen Hands (12.2 ppg) can continue to contribute along with leaders Aaron Holiday (17.6 ppg) and Thomas Welsh (13.2 ppg, 10.7 rpg), going at least 3-1 to open PAC-12 play is not out of the question.

Washington 10-3

After losing two of their first three games, Washington went on to win eight of their next nine games including a victory in Lawrence against (21)Kansas. With only two wins against teams with an RPI better than 66 (Besides Kansas), the Huskies have yet to prove what kind of team they are. But a win against Kansas is nice to build on and shows that if Washington comes to play, they can beat anyone in the PAC-12.

Utah 8-3

With five Utes averaging in double figures, Larry Krystkowiak brings a balanced Utah attack to PAC-12 play. Their only decent win so far is against (17)Missouri but on the other side of the coin, they have beaten everyone they are supposed to beat. David Collette (13.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg) is once against leading the Utes but with additional help, he doesn’t need to be the do-it-all player. With their balanced attack, it also means that a bad game by one player doesn’t mean an automatic loss. The first part of PAC-12 play could define Utah’s season as they open with two winnable games against Oregon and Oregon State. After that, they go up against the Arizonas and then travel to Los Angeles to face UCLA and USC. If the Utes are not able to get a few splits, they could find themselves at the bottom of the PAC-12 looking up early in the season.

Oregon 10-3

The Ducks are another team of many who have been able to win games early in the season against a weaker set of opponents. After losing their top five scorers from last year, sophomore guard Payton Pritchard (16.3 ppg) has taken over as Oregon’s leading scorer. The Ducks’ best win so far has come against (47)Portland State and the majority of their other wins have come against sub RPI 150 teams. Oregon is another team that can have their PAC-12 season decided quickly as their early schedule is filled with top tier PAC-12 teams. If they can survive this early stretch, they may be able to group some wins together and sneak into the Big Dance.

Playing for Pride

Colorado 8-4

After two years of decent play including a trip to the NCAA Tournament a couple of years ago, the Buffs may find winning in the PAC-12 this year to be a difficult task. Wins against (85)South Dakota State and (112)Northern Colorado as your best victories is nothing to brag about, especially since N. Colorado’s RPI looks better due to the fact that the THREE non-Division 1 teams they beat don’t count against their ranking.

When up against better competition, Colorado hasn’t fared well losing to (2)Xavier, (93)San Diego, (119)Colorado State, and (151)Iowa. Freshman guard McKinley Wright IV has been a bright spot for Tad Boyle’s team averaging 17 points and 5.2 rebounds a game. Unless a few other players besides George King (14.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg) join Wright IV in production, Colorado will have a tough time finishing over .500 in PAC-12 play.

Washington State 8-4

Anytime you start the season 6-0, it’s great. Beating a now 12-2 (50)St. Mary’s team and perennial Mountain West power (58)San Diego State should have meant that the Cougars were ready to turn their program around after five consecutive losing seasons. Unfortunately, any time you lose to (183)Idaho and (282)UTEP by a combined 34 points, it’s not great. With their tallest contributing player listed at 6’9”, Washington State will have a tough time in the paint and may have to live from the outside. So far they have hit nearly 40% of their three pointers but they will need to continue that to reach 15 total wins for the year.

Oregon State 8-4

With zero wins against a team in the RPI top 100 and a loss to (272)Kent State, the young Beavers may still be a year away from success. Led by a sophomore, two juniors, and a freshman, Oregon State has been able to shoot 57% from inside the arc. But with a non-conference SOS 0f 297, the Beavs are in for a rude awakening as they could open PAC-12 play going 1-7.

Cal 6-7

The Bears opened up their season with victories against (253)Cal Poly and (95)Wofford but from there it went downhill. A loss to (22)Wichita State isn’t bad, along with a loss to a somewhat down (97)VCU but a 14 point loss to Division 2 Chaminade is crushing. The loss to Portland State ensured a losing non-conference schedule. Junior guard Don Coleman (20.5 ppg) may be their only bright spot this year.

Next: UCLA basketball's Top 10 recruiting classes since 2000

Stanford 6-7

The bay area looks to be down in basketball this year as Stanford joins Cal at the bottom of the PAC-12. So far the Cardinal looks great against less competition going 5-1 versus sub RPI 150 teams but beating better teams have been a problem. Their best win is against (116)Northeastern and that’s their only win against a top RPI 150 team. The core of Reid Travis (21.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg), Michael Humphrey (11.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg), and Isaac White (10.5 ppg) will keep them in most games but their bench is thin and will wear out by the second half.