By Alex Drude @Alex_Drude on February 2, 2015
Pac 12 Basketball Power Rankings: Week 13
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No surprise here, the Arizona Wildcats are still tops in the Pac 12, achieving a milestone before February began. The rest of the conference appears to be a bit shaky, and that means the second half of conference play will be fun to watch, starting this week.
12. USC (9-12, 1-8 Pac-12)
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12. USC (9-12, 1-8 Pac-12)
Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
Last week: 11th
A triple-overtime loss is enough to sink anyone’s spirits, as happened to the Trojans against Colorado. USC now has lost six straight and hasn’t tasted victory since beating Cal at home on Jan. 7. Next up for Andy Enfield and company? Cal on the road, of course.
11. Washington (14-7, 3-6)
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11. Washington (14-7, 3-6)
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Last week: 6th
Perhaps Washington is the Jekyll and Hyde of the conference. This team started 11-0, but are now losers of three in a row, including a loss to a Cal team that looked absolutely atrocious just last week.
10. Cal (13-9, 3-6)
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10. Cal (13-9, 3-6)
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Last week: 12th
Cal is out of the basement via a Washington-schools sweep, but I'm not convinced this really means anything. They are hosting USC on Thursday, and as mentioned, the Trojans' only conference win was against Cal.
9. Arizona State (11-11, 3-6)
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9. Arizona State (11-11, 3-6)
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Last week: 10th
For the last two weeks, the Sun Devils have had a big win in their first game (Cal by 35, last week Oregon State by 18), but can’t follow it up in the second. This past weekend in the second game, ASU lost to Oregon in overtime after having a multitude of chances to win it. I still can’t figure out why the Pac-12 put the Sun Devils at home during Super Bowl week.
8. Colorado (11-10, 4-5)
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8. Colorado (11-10, 4-5)
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Last week: 7th
Colorado somehow found a way to beat USC in triple-overtime, but then lost to UCLA by a fairly wide margin. It really seems like the Buffs should be much better than they are. Did you realize the USC victory was Colorado’s first road win this season?
7. Washington State (10-11, 4-5)
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7. Washington State (10-11, 4-5)
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Last week: 8th
The Cougs are the best of the under-.500 conference teams, as they have equaled last year’s win total with half the conference schedule to go. A big second half to upset Stanford only confirms that Ernie Kent has this team on the rise.
6. UCLA (13-9, 5-4)
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6. UCLA (13-9, 5-4)
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Last week: 9th
The big win over then-No. 11 Utah, plus a solid defensive effort over Colorado, means that UCLA has now won 5-of-7, although the two losses were pretty bad ones in Oregon two weeks ago. If the Bruins can keep up the winning at Stanford and Cal this week, then the season has a chance to be something.
5. Oregon State (14-7, 5-4)
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5. Oregon State (14-7, 5-4)
Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Last week: 3rd
It was a lost weekend for the Beavers in the desert, although it wasn’t technically a weekend. For some reason, the Pac-12 thought it was a good idea to have home games for the Arizona schools during Super Bowl week, so all the games were done by Friday night, which never happens. Anyway, OSU got slammed by ASU and Arizona, but is still better than much of the conference.
4. Oregon (15-7, 5-4)
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4. Oregon (15-7, 5-4)
Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Last week: 5th
After getting rolled in Tucson, Oregon was able to pull out an overtime win in Tempe despite the ridiculous scheduling quirk, as detailed previously. Finding a way to win means Oregon appears to be coming into their own. With more time off than usual, the Ducks will try to avenge getting swept in Washington a few weeks ago.
3. Stanford (15-6, 6-3)
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3. Stanford (15-6, 6-3)
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Last week: 4th
Despite losing to Washington State, the Cardinal hang on to the three-spot. Stanford now has three conference losses, the biggest margin being by seven points to Arizona. They will host a key game hosting UCLA on Thursday, with NCAA bubble implications for both squads.
2. Utah (17-4, 7-2)
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2. Utah (17-4, 7-2)
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Last week: 2nd
Everyone’s due for a conference letdown on the road -- just ask Arizona about the Wildcats' trip to Corvallis. The key is how the Utes responded from the 10-point loss at UCLA. Utah responded by holding USC to 39 points. Next up is a game at Colorado on Saturday night, a tough place for visitors to win this season.
1. Arizona (20-2, 8-1)
Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
1. Arizona (20-2, 8-1)
Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Last week: 1st
There is no change in the polls for the conference leaders, who held typically high-scoring Oregon to 56 points and then suffocated Oregon State to 34, avenging the Wildcats' only conference loss of the year. They were one of a handful of teams across to country to hit the 20-win mark before February began, and they don't appear to be in danger of losing the top ranking here for quite some time.
Alex Drude is a Pac-12 writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Alex_Drude. “Like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google+.