Player of the Week
Tristan da Silva (Colorado)
The Buffaloes went 2-0 in conference play this week. They were led by the junior forward Tristan da Silva. He had 30 points and 7 rebounds while shooting 11/17 from the field and 3/4 from beyond the arch in a 68-41 win against the Oregon Ducks. Again, Silva was their top scorer with 17 points and 5 rebounds in a 62-42 win over the Oregon State Beavers. He helped Colorado move to 11-6 on the year and 3-3 in conference play.
Who’s Hot
Branden Carlson (Utah)
Seven-foot big man Branden Carlson helped the Utes move to 12-5 on the year and go 1-1 in conference play on the week. Utah beat Oregon State 79-60 where the senior center had an impressive double-double, scoring 27 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. This added to his points per game total on the season, putting him at #7 in the Pac-12. Carlson almost had another double-double in a loss to the Oregon Ducks. He scored 10 points to go with 9 rebounds in a game where Utah struggled to contain the Ducks.
Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona)
The top scorer in the Pac-12 seems to find himself on this list weekly and this week proves no different. In a 70-67 win against the Washington Huskies, Tubelis scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Double doubles have been a regular occurrence for the junior big man as he averages 20.6 points per game and grabs 9.1 rebounds per game. In a 74-61 loss against the Washington State Cougars, Tubelis did all he could. He scored 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in 32 minutes of play. He is solidifying himself as one of the best centers in the NCAA.
Who’s Not
Washington Huskies
The Huskies have started the year 1-5 in conference play and just lost to three straight Pac-12 opponents. In a game against the UCLA Bruins, the Huskies lost 74-59. Aside from Braxton Meah, no player scored in double figures. They lost again to the Arizona Wildcats, 70-67. Though this was a better game, they still couldn’t finish at the end and lost. They then lost to Arizona State, 73-65. The Huskies will have to be better against the conference if they wanna turn their season around.
Top 5 Coaches in the Pac-12
1. Mick Cronin (UCLA)
Since becoming the Bruins head coach in 2019, Cronin has helped a storied program continue to be one of the best teams in the NCAA. He has led UCLA to two 20 win seasons and continues to guide them this year, as they have a record of 14-2.
2. Tommy Lloyd (Arizona)
Lloyd has helped lead the Arizona Wildcats to a 33-4 record in the 2021-2022 college basketball season and continues to be dominant this year as the Wildcats stand at 14-2. After being a Gonzaga assistant coach for multiple years, he has transitioned into a great head coach.
3. Dana Altman (Oregon)
After being hired in 2010, Altman has never had a losing record with the Oregon Ducks. They have had multiple conference tournament championships and they are accustomed to the NCAA Tournament. Though the past couple of years have been rough, the Ducks are always a tough opponent.
4. Andy Enfield (USC)
Since Enfield became head coach in 2013, the USC Trojans have been a consistently good team amongst the NCAA. He has a total of 235 wins in his career to only 151 losses. He has helped USC become the program it is today and has sent plenty of players to the NBA. This was seen most notably with Evan Mobley, the third overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.
5. Kyle Smith (Washington State)
Washington State has been somewhat inconsistent under Smith’s leadership, but they have not once finished under .500 on a season. In the 2021-2022 NCAA season, they had one of their best years in recent memory, going 22-15. This was their best year since 2010 and Smith was only in his third year. Though the Cougars have started slow with a mediocre 7-10 record, they just beat USC and Arizona to kickstart what might be a comeback in the rankings.