Player of the Week
Caleb Love (Arizona)
Transferring from UNC was the best move for Caleb Love because not only is he playing the best basketball of his career, Arizona has been amazing. Even though they dropped a game to Washington State this week, they beat Washington by 16 and remain the best team in the Pac-12. In the 77-74 loss to Washington State, Love had 27 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 5 assists. He led the Wildcats in both points and assists for this game, showcasing his ability to do everything on the offensive side of the ball. He followed this up by scoring 28 points and grabbing 7 rebounds against Washington in a 91-75 win.
Who’s Hot
Washington State Cougars
Washington State went 1-1 this week but that’s not the reason they’re featured in this blog post. They’re officially being recognized nationally, being ranked #19 in the country behind freshman guard Myles Rice and junior Jaylen Wells. They upset #6 Arizona 77-74 this week behind Wells’ 27 points and Isaac Jones 16. Watch out for this squad come March.
N'Faly Dante (Oregon)
It’s clear how much N'Faly Dante affects the game when he plays because the Ducks are back to being one of the top teams in the Pac-12 behind his paint presence and rebounding prowess. During a 78-65 win against Stanford, Dante scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, keeping everyone on the Cardinal under double-digit boards. He followed this up with a 15 point, 9 rebound game against California, upping his season averages to a near double-double. Even though they lost, his return has been everything for Oregon.
Who’s Not
Stanford Cardinal
After a promising start to the year, Stanford has fallen off a metaphorical cliff. They suffered two losses this week to teams they could have beaten and it doesn’t seem like anything is going right for them. The state of Oregon handed them these losses with the Ducks beating them 78-65 and Oregon State beat them 85-73. They’re currently 12-15 with the future not looking too bright for the rest of the season.
Top 5 Best Conference Records in the Pac-12
5. California Golden Bears
The Golden Bears have been surprisingly alright this year (Okay that’s a little disrespectful but they’ve been pretty bad the past couple years). Their conference record is 9-8 and they have an overall record of 13-15. A lot of credit has to go to Jaylon Tyson, the junior guard who’s averaging 20 points per game. They’re also on a three game win streak, the longest in the Pac-12.
4. UCLA Bruins and Colorado Buffaloes
These two teams have had quite the opposite year, with UCLA disappointing fans and Colorado exciting fans, but they still boast the same conference record at 9-7. The Bruins are 14-13 overall, losing their most recent matchup to their in-state rivals USC. The Buffaloes are 18-9 with an impressive record of 14-1 at home.
3. Oregon Ducks
The Ducks are 10-6 during conference play and as mentioned earlier, N'Faly Dante has helped this tremendously. After starting off the year questionable, they now have a chance to make the tournament at 18-9.
2. Washington State Cougars
Not only is Washington State going to make the NCAA Tournament, they could definitely make a deep run. Their conference record this season is 12-5 with a 21-7 record overall. They’ve beaten Arizona twice and picked up some other nice wins this season.
1. Arizona Wildcats
What a shock, the Wildcats have the best conference record in the Pac-12. During conference play, the Wildcats are 12-4 with a record of 21-6 overall. When looking at this roster top to bottom, it’s hard to find a weakness so we’ll have to see what happens come March.