Player of the Week
Jabari Walker (Colorado)
The Buffaloes came out and had themselves a week, winning three inner conference matchups in dominant fashion. Jabari Walker was the clear difference maker in all of Colorado’s wins. On Tuesday, the Buffaloes beat Oregon State by a whopping 26 points with a final score of 90-64. Walker had one of his two double-doubles in this game, scoring 24 points to go along with grabbing 15 rebounds. In addition, he played the most minutes on Colorado with 33. This performance was followed up by a 70-62 win against the California Golden Bears. Walker once again had another double-double, this time scoring 19 points and snagging another 15 rebounds. Again, he played 35 minutes, which was the most of any player in the game. Finally, the Buffaloes destroyed the Stanford Cardinal, 70-53. Walker only had 10 points and 3 rebounds in this contest, but it was evident he didn’t have to do much to beat this squad. These performances have Walker’s draft stock on the rise and the Buffaloes tournament chances.
Who’s Hot
Jaylen Clark (UCLA)
This week saw UCLA beat both Washington and Washington State quite easily. This doesn’t come as a surprise since both teams are the definition of mediocrity but what does come as a surprise is who led the charge this week for the Bruins and that player was Jaylen Clark. In a 76-56 win against Washington State, Clark had a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Clark not only grabbed the most rebounds of any player in this game, but he also played the most minutes of any player. UCLA followed up this win with a 76-50 win against Washington, where Clark scored 25 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. He was the game’s leading scorer and once again was the defining factor in this win for the Bruins. This week was certainly the most impressive on the season for the sophomore guard.
Benedict Mathurin (Arizona)
Last week’s player of the week looked great again and helped lead the Wildcats to another undefeated week, this time beating Oregon State and Oregon. On Thursday, Benedict Mathurin had another 20-point game on the season and led Arizona over Oregon State, 83-69. He followed this up with a 24 point, 7 rebound and 5 assist game against the Oregon Ducks, where Arizona won 84-81. These games have become normal for the stud sophomore out of the desert and have helped Arizona become one of the top teams in the country.
Who’s Not
Harrison Ingram (Stanford)
As NBA mock drafts have been rolling out, Harrison Ingram has become a name associated with a first-round draft grade. This week wasn’t a great one for the freshman forward so acknowledging this is a must. On Thursday, Stanford lost to one of the worst teams in the Pac-12, the Utah Utes. This game saw Ingram play 33 minutes and score 5 points, grab 7 rebounds and pass for 6 assists. Though he was well-rounded, Stanford certainly could’ve used some more scoring in his 33 minutes of play. Stanford followed this up with an embarrassing loss to the Colorado Buffaloes, 70-53. Ingram played another 33 minutes and only scored 2 points to go along with 5 rebounds. A predicted first round prospect should certainly be scoring more and helping his team in more ways than one. It will be interesting to see if he can bounce back before the college basketball season ends.
Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State is currently sitting at 3-22 on the year and it’s not an overreaction to think that they won’t win another game for the rest of the year. This was another week without a win and another week of disappointment from the wonder team in last year’s NCAA tournament. They started off by losing to Arizona 83-69. Their highest scorer only scored 13 and they only had three players score in double digits. They followed this up with a 20-point loss to Arizona State, another struggling team in the Pac-12. This team is downright awful represented by their regular record and their conference record (1-14).
Best Inner-Conference Pac-12 Teams
Arizona Wildcats
Arizona currently has the best conference record amongst the Pac-12 at 14-1. When it comes to conference play, Benedict Mathurin and Azuolas Tubelis consistently play well and prove to every other team why they’re the best in the conference. In addition, they have an 8ndefeated record at home (15-0). It’s safe to say nobody wants to see Arizona, inner conference or not.
USC Trojans
The Trojans currently sit at 11-4 throughout conference play, tied for second best in the entire conference. Isaiah Mobley and Boogie Ellis are two players for the Trojans who always seem to step up when needed most and that no doubt helps USC during conference play. They are also 12-2 at home, an impressive record no doubt.
UCLA Bruins
It’s no surprise that the three best teams in the Pac-12 have the best interconference records amongst the conference. The Bruins are currently tied with USC in conference record at 11-4 and they’ll probably rack up a couple more before the season ends. Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr. are the two leaders for this squad and have helped them acquire this record.
Oregon Ducks
After a rough start to the year, the Ducks have improved their conference play to four games above .500 at 10-6. This is surprising because the Ducks started off playing really bad in both conference play and out of conference play. Now, they sit at 17-10 on the year. They’re also 11-4 at home, a great record at their home arena.
Colorado Buffaloes
The Buffaloes are the last team in the conference to have over 10 interconference wins and their record in that category currently sits at 10-7 on the year. This is huge for a team that’s vying to make the tournament and if they can stay on this track for the last couple of games, they should be able to make the tournament. Their overall record of 18-9 also helps their cause.