Pac-12 Power Rankings Have UW in Familiar yet Uncomfortable Spot

The Huskies open conference play, finally, on Tuesday at Washington State.

The University of Washington basketball team, after a few aborted attempts because of COVID-19, will open Pac-12 play at Washington State on Tuesday night.

As it stands, the Huskies (5-5) turn up No. 10 in our SI Pac-12 men’s basketball power rankings, five slots lower than the Cougars (8-5).

WSU has something Mike Hopkins' team doesn't at this stage of the season — big men you have to guard.

It will be redeeming for the Huskies to get conference play started; it just might not be all that rewarding.

This is a program that still struggles to be anything but a lower-division entry and has fast been losing fans. 

SI PAC-12 MEN’S BASKETBALL POWER RANKINGS

1. Arizona (11-1, 1-0), 58 points (3 first-place votes)

2. UCLA (8-1, 2-0), 57 (2 first-place vote)

3. USC (12-0, 2-0), 50

4. Colorado (9-3, 1-1), 44

5. Washington State (8-5, 1-1), 38

6. Utah (7-4, 1-1), 36

7. Oregon (6-6, 0-2), 28

8. Arizona State (5-7, 1-1), 26

9. Stanford (7-4, 1-1), 21

10. Washington (5-5, 0-0), 14

11. Cal (8-5, 1-1), 12

12. Oregon State (1-10, 0-2), 5

DONNIE DRUIN, ALL SUN DEVILS

1. UCLA; 2. Arizona; 3. USC; 4. Colorado; 5. Washington State; 6. Arizona State; 7. Oregon; 8. Utah; 9. Stanford; 10. Washington; 11. Cal; 12. Oregon State

Comment: I respect Oregon's efforts in their eight-point loss to Baylor. As for Arizona State, the Sun Devils appear to possibly be turning a corner thanks to their tough early season battles despite losing a close game to San Francisco. We'll see if ASU can end on a good note against Florida A&M before the gauntlet of USC/UCLA/Arizona arrives.

JEFF FARAUDO, CAL SPORTS REPORT

1. UCLA; 2. Arizona; 3. USC; 4. Colorado; 5. Utah; 6. Washington State; 7. Oregon; 8. Arizona State; 9. Washington; 10. Stanford; 11. Cal; 12. Oregon State

Comment: With UCLA on pause, Arizona and USC continue to impress. The gap is widening between the top three and the rest of the field, although Oregon showed some signs of finding its way in a 78-70 loss to defending national champion Baylor.

DYLAN REUBENKING, DUCKS DIGEST

1. Arizona; 2. UCLA; 3. USC; 4. Colorado; 5. Utah; 6. Washington State; 7. Stanford; 8. Oregon; 9. California; 10. Arizona State; 11. Washington; 12. Oregon State

Comment: The Ducks looked like the wheels were beginning to turn toward a comeback against No. 1 Baylor. The Pac-12 looks to be a top-heavy conference with a bunch of meddling teams trying to find their way, and Oregon needs to start putting together some wins to gain confidence heading toward conference play because the Ducks look far from a team that can consistently compete with the likes of USC, UCLA and Arizona.

SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS

1. Arizona; 2. UCLA; 3. USC; 4. Colorado; 5. Utah; 6. Washington State; 7. Oregon; 8. Arizona State; 9. Stanford; 10. Washington; 11. Cal; 12. Oregon State

Comment: As difficult of a decision as it was, the Wildcats are just too hot not to put at No. 1. Heck, even the Trojans would be No. 1 in most conferences right now. UCLA shouldn’t be blamed for getting hit hard by COVID – or at least it shouldn’t count against them on the court – but playing one game in a four-week span will introduce a lot of question marks for when they do return. It could help or it could hurt, only time will tell, and it will become very clear via the outcome of the UCLA-Arizona game at the end of the month.

DAN RALEY, HUSKY MAVEN

1. Arizona; 2. UCLA; 3. USC; 4. Washington State; 5. Colorado; 6. Utah; 7. Arizona State; 8. Oregon; 9. Stanford; 10. Washington; 11. Cal; 12. Oregon State

Comment: Finishing up the bulk of non-conference play, the league looks as tough as it's been for a long time. Tommy Lloyd has brought a Gonzaga vibe to Arizona. The LA schools are tough. Kyle Smith has made Washington State a spoiler. The Huskies finally played again after their longest in-season layoff in school history – three weeks. If COVID doesn't disrupt things too bad, Pac-12 basketball should be great fun.

Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Husky Maven stories as soon as they’re published.

Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.

Find Husky Maven on Facebook by searching: Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven