Sports360AZ
Story by Jeff Metcalfe
The Best of the West offers fans a candid assessment of the top teams in the western third of the country — a collection that includes the Mountain West and the former Pac-12 schools now scattered across the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and West Coast Conference.
The rankings will be published on the Hotline weekly throughout the regular season.
(Results through Sunday)
1. UCLA (12-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
Last week: 1
Results: beat Creighton 70-41
Up next: vs. Nebraska (Sunday)
Comment: The top-ranked Bruins outscored Creighton 26-4 in the first quarter and 20-8 in the third, even with 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts (leg) out for a second consecutive game. Kiki Rice scored 20 in a rematch from the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament (a 67-63 Bruins win).
2. USC (11-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
Last week: 2
Results: beat Connecticut 72-70
Up next: vs. Michigan (Sunday)
Comment: The Trojans went from up 18 early in the third quarter to down one with 4:34 left before stabilizing just enough for their first victory over UConn in four games. Freshman Kennedy Smith returned from injury after missing seven games. In the new Associated Press rankings, USC is No. 4 after exchanging places with UConn (No. 7).
3. California (13-1, 1-0 ACC)
Last week: 3
Results: beat Fordham 69-53 and Temple 89-63
Up next: at Clemson (Jan. 2)
Comment: The Bears hit the gas in the third quarter Sunday, upping a five-point halftime lead to 21 and cruising to their seventh straight win. They were picked to finish 14th in the ACC preseason poll but now are ranked No. 21 nationally and an ACC contender off their best start since the 2016-17 season.
4. Utah (10-2, 1-0 Big 12)
Last week: 5
Results: beat Arizona State 102-82
Up next: at Arizona (Dec. 31)
Comment: Utah broke the 100-point threshold for the first time under new coach Gavin Petersen, who replaced Lynne Roberts on Nov. 19. The Utes trailed ASU by two after the first quarter, then gained control with a 25-13 edge in the second. Gianna Kneepkens scored 24 points in Utah’s first Big 12 game.
5. Colorado (10-2, 1-0 Big 12)
Last week: 7
Results: beat West Virginia 65-60
Up next: at TCU (Jan. 1)
Comment: Colorado’s first game back in the Big 12 was memorable. The Buffaloes rallied from 16 down in the third quarter to upset No. 14 West Virginia, now down to 18th in the AP rankings. The Buffs were coming off a 10-day break. Frida Formann scored 22, and Missouri State transfer Jade Masogayo had 18.
6. Oregon (9-3, 0-1 Big Ten)
Last week: 11
Results: beat UC Irvine 71-43
Up next: at Illinois (Saturday)
Comment: Peyton Scott surpassed 2,000 career points against UC Irvine. (She missed all but one game last season after transferring from Miami-Ohio.) The Ducks have won three of their last four games with the loss coming against USC. They are only two wins shy of matching their 2023-24 total.
7. Stanford (8-4, 0-1 ACC)
Last week: 5
Results: lost to Ohio State 84-59
Up next: at SMU (Jan. 2)
Comment: Stanford trailed by 14 at halftime against unbeaten Ohio State and couldn’t get closer than 10 in the second half. The Cardinal has lost three of four, all to nationally ranked opponents, headed into a 12-day break before diving fully into ACC play.
8. Portland (13-0, 2-0 WCC)
Last week: 9
Results: beat Loyola Marymount 83-48 and Pacific 84-71
Up next: at Santa Clara (Saturday)
Comment: With two wins to open West Coast Conference play, the Pilots extended the best start in school history to 13-0. They are among eight remaining unbeaten teams in Division I and the only one in that group with double-digit wins in every game. Their strength-of-schedule (No. 316) remains an issue, however.
9. UNLV (8-4)
Last week: 6
Results: lost to Northwestern 79-76 (OT), beat UC Riverside 80-57
Up next: vs. Fresno State (Sunday)
Comment: The Rebels dropped their second game in Chicago, after beating DePaul, then closed out non-conference play with a decisive win over UC Riverside. They are the defending Mountain West champions and likely will duel with San Diego State for the title this season.
10. Grand Canyon (11-2)
Last week: 10
Results: beat Wright State 82-69, Florida Atlantic 81-60 and Georgia Southern 79-52
Up next: vs. Park University Gilbert (Friday)
Comment: The Antelopes have won nine in a row going back to Nov. 27 — all but one of those at home. They have two more this week, including Northern Arizona on Sunday for in-state bragging rights. GCU already has wins over Arizona State and Arizona, while NAU has a victory over Arizona.
11. Northern Arizona (9-3)
Last week: 8
Results: lost to Fresno State 66-55
Up next: at Grand Canyon (Sunday)
Comment: The Lumberjacks were out of character at Fresno State with their lowest point total of the season, by far. They need to get the offense going again to have a chance against GCU, which is averaging 76.8 points.
12. Arizona (10-4, 1-0 Big 12)
Last week: 14
Results: beat Brigham Young 57-53
Up next: vs. Utah (Dec. 31)
Comment: The Wildcats took a significant step forward with a hard-fought win at BYU to open Big 12 play. Breya Cunningham scored a career-high 21, along with eight rebounds. Arizona is on a three-game winning streak but must win some challenging games in order to improve its NET ranking (No. 80).
13. San Diego State (11-2)
Last week: 13
Results: lost to Stephen F. Austin 89-80 (2 OT), beat Hawaii 54-52
Up next: vs. Boise State (Sunday)
Comment: The Aztecs split two thrillers in their home holiday tournament, finishing non-conference play with their most wins since 1983-84. Freshman guard Naomi Panganiban scored 24 against Hawaii and is averaging 21.5 over the last four games.
14. Brigham Young (9-3)
Last week: 12
Results: lost to Arizona 57-53
Up next: at Cincinnati (Jan. 1)
Comment: The Cougars led 30-25 at halftime over Arizona but were outscored 38-22 in the paint to suffer their first loss since Nov. 29. Delaney Gibb scored 23 with five 3-pointers but needed more help.
15. Montana State (10-2)
Last week: 15
Results: beat Presbyterian College 57-40 and Puerto Rico-Mayaguez 75-38
Up next: vs. Idaho (Jan. 2)
Comment: The Bobcats won twice against lesser competition in Puerto Rico and have the best non-conference record among Big Sky teams, plus a respectable No. 74 strength-of-schedule ranking. PR-Mayaguez is the alma mater of Montana State president Waded Cruzado.
Also considered: Washington, Colorado State and UC Davis
