Player of the Week
KJ Simpson (Colorado)
Simpson has seen a big jump in production in his sophomore season, having increased his scoring output by more than 10 ppg to 18.7. He could not be stopped this week as the Colorado Buffaloes went 1-1 in conference play. In a 73-70 win against the Stanford Cardinal, Simpson stuffed the stat sheet while achieving his career high in points scored. In 33 minutes of play, he scored 31 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 4 assists. This stat line included shooting 11/23 from the field and 8/9 from the free throw line, an efficient performance from one of the best scorers in the Pac-12. This game was followed by a disappointing loss to the 2-13 California Golden Bears. Though Colorado were not able to get the win, Simpson once again had a great night. He scored 25 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. He shot 10/20 from the field and 3/8 from beyond the three-point line, once again achieving efficient numbers.
Who’s Hot
DJ Rodman (Washington State)
The senior forward for the Cougars had himself a solid week, helping the team go 1-1 in conference play. In a heartbreaking loss to the UCLA Bruins, Rodman had 19 points paired with 5 rebounds. He led the team in scoring and shot an efficient 7/10 from the field and 3/3 from the free-throw line. He kept this up in a Washington State win over the USC Trojans, 81-71. He once again led the Cougars in scoring with 16 points to go along with 4 rebounds. Washington State can only hope this jumpstarts a turnaround for the team.
Spencer Jones (Stanford)
Though Stanford went 0-2 in conference play this week, Jones played well and helped keep both games close. In a 73-70 loss against the Colorado Buffaloes, Jones scored 25 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. He also added 2 steals and 2 blocks, getting things done on both sides of the court for the Cardinal. In a 71-66 loss to the Utah Utes, Jones scored 16 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. He led the Cardinal in scoring for both games and has helped keep them afloat as the season has gone on.
Who’s Not
Arizona State Sun Devils
Though Arizona State sits at a solid 11-3 record, they’re currently on a less than ideal two game losing streak. They suffered a hefty loss at the hands of the San Francisco Dons, scoring 60 points to their 97. The Sun Devils leading scorers only had 12 points and no player had more than three assists. They then lost to the Arizona Wildcats by a score of 69-60. Though Arizona is ranked number 5 in the country, Arizona State once again had no players score over 12. Some improvements need to be made if they want to really be considered a good team in the NCAA landscape.
Top 5 Best Scoring Teams in the Pac-12
Arizona Wildcats
It’s not a shock that the best team in the Pac-12 is also the best scoring team in the conference. The Wildcats currently average just about 89 points per game, leading the second best by nearly 10 points. Arizona has both Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo, two players who rank in the top three for points per game amongst the Pac-12. They also rank first in assists per game at 20 and first in field goal percentage at 52%.
UCLA Bruins
The Bruins have been a great scoring team so far this year. Both Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Jaylen Clark have helped UCLA average 79 points per game while dishing out 15 assists per game. They also shoot an efficient 49% from the field and a Pac-12 leading 37% from the three-point line.
Utah Utes
The Utes average 73.5 points per game which is pretty impressive considering that their top scorer, Gabe Madsen, only averages 13 points per game. This means that when it comes to spreading the ball and giving everyone looks, Utah does it quite effectively. In addition to ranking fourth for points per game in the conference, they shoot 46% from the field and dish out just under 15 assists per game. Rollie Worster is their top passer, averaging 4.7 assists per game alone.
Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado has one of the shiftiest scorers amongst the conference in KJ Simpson which helps them average the third most points per game in the Pac-12 at 76 points. Though their three-point percentage is near the bottom of the Pac-12, and they have an average field goal percentage of 46%, they find a way to get the ball in the basket.
USC Trojans
Drew Peterson and Boogie Ellis lead the Trojans with the scoring load and help them to be the fifth best scoring team in the Pac-12. They currently average 72 points per game while amassing 14 assists per game. Peterson adds 5.3 assists per game on his own while Ellis adds 2.5.