Player of the Week
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA)
The Bruins came out and won two games against conference opponents behind the motor that is Jaime Jaquez Jr.. He started off the week with a solid performance against the Oregon State Beavers, scoring only 7 points but grabbing 12 rebounds with a steal. UCLA went on to beat Oregon State, 62-47. They followed up the win with a nailbiter against the Oregon Ducks, ultimately prevailing with a final score of 70-63. Jaquez Jr. did everything himself this game, scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He shot 7/8 from the free throw line and also got two steals. It’s integral for the Bruins that in close games, they could go to their leader and have him will them to win.
Who’s Hot
N'Faly Dante (Oregon)
It seems as though N'Faly Dante is becoming a solid option for the Oregon Ducks to rely on when they need someone to grab rebounds and put the ball in the basket. In a 78-60 upset win against USC, Dante led the team in scoring with 17 points and also grabbed 5 rebounds. He only missed three shots, shooting 8/11 from the field, and added three steals and three blocks. In a heartbreaker loss to UCLA, he had a near double-double. He scored 13 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. He also had two blocks.
Amari Bailey (UCLA)
Amari Bailey had a breakout scoring game against the Oregon State Beavers that really proved to make the Bruins a dangerous team to play. In 27 minutes, he scored 24 points on 10/16 shooting from the field and 4/4 shooting from the free throw line. He also added two rebounds and two steals to propel UCLA to a convincing 62-47 win. This performance really solidified his efficiency campaign this year. He shoots over 50% from the field and 37.5% from behind the three point line.
Who’s Not
Arizona Wildcats
The Wildcats are still one of the highest ranked teams in the NCAA and can easily bounce back from a 1-1 week but in a loss against Stanford, some of their weaknesses got exposed. During the 88-79 win for the Cardinal, Azuolas Tubelis was in foul trouble, ending the game with four. He only scored 4 points and didn’t grab a rebound the entire game. This shows that if you get him in foul trouble or he’s just having an off night, there’s a good chance that the Wildcats lose. This is definitely something to look at come tournament time.
Top 5 Pac-12 Games this Week
Arizona Wildcats v. Utah Utes
Both of these teams are amongst the best in the Pac-12, setting up for a good game that can definitely shift some national rankings around. The Utes are currently 17-9 overall and 10-5 in conference play while the Wildcats are 22-4 overall and 11-4 in conference play. Arizona is home and has definitely been the better team this year which will definitely make them favored in this game but an upset is certainly not out of the cards.
Arizona State Sun Devils v. Colorado Buffaloes
Arizona State has surprised many by being one of the better teams in the Pac-12, currently sitting at 18-8 on the season. Although they’ve been impressive, they have been a streaky team as of late, going 3-5 in their last eight games. They also don’t have a great record versus inter conference opponents, going 9-6 on the year. Though Colorado hasn’t been great this year (14-12 overall, 6-9 in conference play), KJ Simpson and Tristan da Silva make this team dangerous against anyone.
Utah Utes v. Arizona State Sun Devils
Both of these teams have been somewhat over performing throughout the season, making this matchup very fun. As they both look for some momentum heading into the Pac-12 tournament, this game will be a toss up as to who will come out victorious. Branden Carlson will definitely play a big part for Utah.
USC Trojans v. Stanford Cardinal
Though the Trojans are definitely better than the Cardinal this year, Stanford is coming off of a huge win against the Arizona Wildcats. Michael O'Connell was great for Stanford in this game and Boogie Ellis will have to outperform him to guarantee a win for this USC squad. The Trojans are currently tournament bound and they need to win these games against worst opponents to solidify this.
Oregon Ducks v. Washington Huskies
The Ducks are traveling to Washington this week to face the Huskies and this game couldn’t be scarier. Though Oregon is the better team, they are 3-4 when playing away this year. This is huge because they are currently in the running for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, something they would love to be a part of. They need to win these remaining games to get a spot and it doesn’t look like it will be easy.