Pac-12 Basketball Notes: Pac-2 Rises; Road Issues at the Top
The unpredictability of Pac-12 basketball continues, leading to more questions:
How did Oregon State suddenly get good?
A week ago we proclaimed there was only one certainty in Pac-12 basketball: Oregon State is the worst team in the conference.
Afterall, the Beavers entered the past weekend on a five-game losing streak, including defeats by 27 points and 33 points in which they shot 31.3% from the field. Their only win in three conference home games had been against last-place USC, so it appeared they were headed for a double beating with the Arizona schools coming to Corvallis.
Surprise.
Oregon State pulled off a major upset on Thursday when it shot 56.3% from the floor and defeated then-No. 9 Arizona 83-80 on Jordan Pope’s three-pointer at the buzzer.
And when a letdown seemed to be in store two days later, the Beavers merely hit 56.5% of their field-goal attempts in a dominating 84-71 victory over Arizona State.
Jordan Pope, the Pac-12 player of the week, looked like the best player in the conference in those two games. After totaling 17 points and shooting 6-for-21 (28.6%) in the Beavers’ previous two games combined, Pope scored 31 points against Arizona and 19 against ASU while making 17 of 28 shots (60.7%).
And some guy named Tyler Bilodeau, who came into the Arizona game making just 23.8% of his three-point tries, shot 4-for-5 from distance while scoring 40 points against the Arizona schools, making 12-of-16 shots.
.
And the other Pac-2 school is rolling
When Washington State lost three of its first four Pac-12 games, the Cougars seemed destined for mediocrity.
But after beating Utah and Colorado this past week, they have won five of six games, the only loss being an overtime defeat at Cal. The Cougars are now just a half-game out of first place and contenders for an NCAA tournament berth.
Saturday’s win was eventful for several reasons: It drew WSU’s second-largest home crowd of the season (3,723), two fans were ejected during the game, and head coach Kyle Smith picked up a technical foul when he stepped onto the court to argue that Colorado had goaltended, part of a 7-0 Colorado run.
However, the Cougars held on down the stretch.
“They kept their poise when their head coach didn’t,” Smith said, according to the Spokane Spokesman-Review.
.
Why can’t the Pac-12’s best teams win on the road?
Most NCAA tournament projections have three Pac-12 teams in the field – Arizona, Utah and Colorado. And they are the conference's three highest-rated teams in the NET rankings.
Those three teams are a perfect 33-0 at home, but they are 3-12 in conference road games. Obviously, teams will perform better on their home court, but you would expect the conference’s top teams do better than 3-12 on the road.
It’s probably an indication that the best teams in the conference are not great, and the worst teams in the conference are pretty good, making the venue a critical variable.
The Utes are particularly vexing. They are 5-0 in conference home games, winning by an average margin of 20.6 points. But they are 0-5 in Pac-12 road games, losing by an average margin of 16 points. They have been without point guard Rollie Worster in recent games, but his replacement, Deivon Smith, was Pac-12 player of the week last week and scored 20 points in Saturday’s loss at Washington, a game Utah lost by 25 points.
So what gives? Is the altitude in Salt Lake City that much of a factor?
.
Did Cal turn a corner?
Cal had been a Pac-12 laughing stock the previous six seasons, but its two-point home win over Stanford on Friday suggested the Golden Bears may have things headed in the right direction.
To say Cal has remade its team is an understatement. None of its five starters played a single game for Cal last season, and new coach Mark Madsen is a public-relations dream with his ability to promote optimism and bring enthusiasm to a fan base.
Madsen beat his alma mater in a thrilling 73-71 victory over the Cardinal, but more important was the attendance of 8,710, easily the biggest crowd of the season and a sizable increase over last year’s home attendance average of 2,155.
The thing about Madsen’s over-the-top enthusiasm is that it is genuine. Actions and words that would seem contrived from most coaches come off as – well, just Mark Madsen.
Check out Madsen mingling with the crowd at the end of this twitter video:
.
Is Caleb Love keeping Arizona afloat?
Arizona’s loss to an Oregon State team that is 160th in the NET rankings, even after beating the Wildcats, was not only shocking, but was another hint that Arizona is not as nearly as powerful as we suspected a month ago. Oumar Ballo has not been the dominant inside presence that was expected, and the Wildcats are just 2-3 in Pac-12 road games.
Keeping Arizona high in the rankings (No. 11 in the AP poll, No. 4 in the NET rankings) is the offensive excellent of North Carolina transfer Caleb Love. Two days after the devastating loss to the Beavers, Love tallied 36 points in a convincing road victory over Oregon, hitting 12-of-18 shots, including 3-for-5 on three-pointers.
Love is averaging 22.8 points in Pac-12 play as the Wildcats continue their conversion from the inside play of Azuolas Tubelis and Ballo that was the identity of last season’s team to a perimeter-oriented squad led by Love and Pelle Larsson that characterizes this season’s team.
It’s worth noting, Arizona’s third-year head coach Tommy Lloyd has never lost two games in a row.
.
Pac-12 Player of the Year Standings
(A team’s place in the standings matters)
1. KJ Simpson, Colorado – 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 50.8% shooting, 46.8% three-point shooting.
2. Caleb Love, Arizona – 19.3 points per game, 22.8 points in Pac-12 play.
3. Frankie Collins, Arizona State – 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.2 steals.
4. Jaylon Tyson, Cal – Averaging a Pac-12-leading 20.6 points and 7.2 rebounds for the improving Bears.
5. Keion Brooks Jr., Washington – 20.6 points, 7.0 rebounds as Huskies stay relevant
.
Top Five Pac-12 Teams
(Based on results, not the eye test)
1. Arizona (15-5, 6-3 Pac-12) – The Wildcats’ road win over Oregon canceled out the loss to Oregon State.
2. Washington State (15-6, 6-4) – The Cougars’ NET ranking of 40 puts them on the cusp of an NCAA tournament berth.
3. Oregon (14-6, 6-3) – Ducks are still tied for first place.
4. Colorado (15-6, 6-4) – Buffs handled Washington on the road.
5. Utah (14-7, 5-5) – Perhaps the No. 5 spot should be blank, but all the projections have the Utes safely in the NCAA tournament field. For now.
.
Cover photo of Jordan Pope by Wendell Cruz, USA TODAY Sports
Follow Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by going to https://www.facebook.com/si.calsportsreport
