The Pac-12 women’s basketball, which has dropped below four of the top 25 teams in an Associate Press poll, for the first time in six years, creates an urgent need to regain some depth in the last two weeks of the non-conference season.
The longest active streak in the country, in which at least four teams were AP ranked, began for Pac-12. November 16, 2015
It ended this week, after 118 weeks of voting, when Oregon (formerly No. 23) and Colorado (No. 25) moved up to receive votes.
Stanford and Arizona rank in the top five in the AP poll, while the third Pac-12, Oregon, is ranked 23rd in the USA Today coaching poll.
But overall, there is still more to be done – and key opportunities to do so before the conference kicks off on December 31st – for Pac-12 to be seen as more than a two-team project.
Here are the first Pac-12 women’s basketball power ratings in the Hotline season:
(NET rating until Monday)
1. Stanford (6-2)
Result: beat Pacific 91-62
Next: v University of California Davis (Wednesday)
NET rating: No. 7
A comment: Yes, Arizona is unbeatable, but third-placed Stanford has a significant graph advantage (13th versus 122nd), which currently guarantees him the first place, despite two losses in the top 25. After UCD on Saturday, a huge visit to Tennessee # 7 awaits.
2. Arizona (9: 0)
Results: beat North Dakota 59-47 and New Mexico 77-60
Next: in Northern Arizona (Friday)
NET rating: No. 8
A comment: After defeating Louisville # 6 and a two-point shoot against Vanderbilt, Wildcats # 4 took care of business in the post-Ari MacDonald era, at least in the short term. The next big test will take place Sunday at home against Texas 11th, who beat Stanford 61-56 on November 14.
3. Oregon (6-3)
Results: beat Long Beach State 68-59 & McNeiss State 109-38
Next: in Kansas (Saturday)
NET rating: No. 15
A comment: There are any number of protected ordering methods ## 3–8. Ducks gain an edge at the top of this tier in part because of their health benefits. Andia Rogers and Nyara Saballi added to the roster, which produced six double-digit scorers on Monday against McNeese State.
4. Washington State (8-1)
Results: defeated Gonzaga 51-49, defeated Boise State 62-55
Next: at no.20 BYU (Saturday)
NET rating: No. 60
A comment: That could be too much for the Cougars, especially given the one-sided defeat to North Carolina’s No. 2 on November 27. But Gonzaga’s win is a good win, and this week’s Cougars festival in Provo is another chance to prove it. … WSU also plays at Cornell on Sunday with some big travel in between.
5. Colorado (9: 0)
Results: disabled since December 7
Next: vs. SMU (Friday)
NET rating: No. 35
A comment: Buffs have been here before. This is their third 9-0 start under coach JR Payne in her sixth season. But the strength of the COP schedule (# 244) is inconclusive. And this is partially responsible for the fact that the CU does not participate in the AP poll again after its first appearance since December 2016.
6. Utah (7-2)
Result: Defeat Cal State Fullerton 100-45
Next: vs. Utah Valley (Saturday)
NET rating: No. 16
A comment: As with our travel partner in Colorado, it’s hard to gauge what to do with Utah right now. There was an exhilarating comeback as a result of a small defeat to BYU and several one-sided victories over weaker opponents. For this snapshot, however, the NET’s ranking in the top 20 carries some weight.
7. University of California at Los Angeles (5-3)
Result: lost to No. 7 Connecticut 71-61
Next: vs. Texas Southern (Thursday)
NET rating: No. 61
A comment: Like Oregon, UCLA will be healthier and better in the future. But the Bruins have shown enough against UConn to guarantee that rating at the very least, and they could move up next week, depending on how they feel at home against Ohio’s No. 24 on Sunday.
8. State of Oregon (5-3)
Results: won against Monmouth 72-58, lost against Villanov 56-52
Next: against Idaho (Friday)
NET rating: No. 89
A comment: The Beavers did not have 6-4 striker Taylor Jones in their defeat at Villanova, which is a real mitigating factor, and their other losses were in the top 25 teams. However, it was a slow start for a quality program that could possibly improve this week at the Maui Classic.
9. State of Arizona (5-5)
Result: lost at Creighton 69-62
Next: in San Diego (Saturday)
NET rating: No. 54
A comment: Again, the # 9-12 rating is a little coin toss at the moment. ASU seemed to be heading in the right direction with three straight wins before losing to Creighton (# 31 NET). “It’s a shame we couldn’t be smarter and tougher,” coach Charlie Turner Thorne said after the game.
10. Washington (3–3)
Result: won Seattle 77-59
Next: v. Eastern Washington (Saturday)
NET rating: 74
A comment: Two of the Husky’s losses come from the top 25 teams, and they deserve to be recognized for the sixth spot on the nation’s chart (by Warren Nolan). However, it is unknown how coach Tina Langley’s first season in Seattle will end.
11. California (7-2)
Result: beat McNeese State 102-60
Next: versus Cal Poly (Saturday)
NET rating: No. 87
A comment: Guard Jayda Curry has won the Pac-12 Freshman Week award three times already, and Charmin Smith looks like the Bears are heading in the right direction for her third season. But the strength of Cal’s schedule is # 196.
12. USC (5-3)
Results: disabled since December 5
Next: vs. Cal State Northridge (Wednesday)
NET rating: No. 81
A comment: Lindsay Gottlieb trains again in Pac-12 in her first season with the Trojans. She brought Cal to the NCAA Final Four in 2013 and is returning to college after two seasons as an NBA assistant. Ingredients for a brighter future in place.
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