The final Thanksgiving holiday for Pac-12 basketball was one of the worst on record. The conference recorded five wins and 12 losses from Wednesday through Sunday, with much of the damage sustained by the usual suspects: Stanford, Cal and Oregon State.
The Cardinal was winless in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has followed that event over the years.
Care to guess the Pac-12’s record in the Bahamas over the past decade? That’s 27 total games, with nine teams playing three each year. (There was no tournament in 2020.)
If you guessed a 14-13 record, barely above .500, well, that would be dead wrong.
The Pac-12 is 7-20 … yes, 7-20 … on Paradise Island dating back to the 2013 event.
Stanford’s awful showing last week, which included a 22-point loss to Northern Iowa, was simply more of the same.
All in all, the Pac-12 has a 46-26 record in non-conference games with one month remaining before league play ramps up. That winning percentage (63.9) suggests a calamitous fate on Selection Sunday.
To the power ratings …
1. Arizona (6-0)
Last week: 1
Results: beat Michigan State 74-68
Next up: vs. Colgate (Saturday)
Comment: Football school.
2. UCLA (4-2)
Last week: 3
Results: lost to Gonzaga 69-65
Next up: vs. UC Riverside (Thursday)
Comment: Beating bad teams decisively and losing to good teams narrowly will only get the Bruins so far up the NET rankings. The next chance for a big win is next week, against Villanova.
3. Colorado (5-1)
Last week: 3
Results: beat Iona 85-68
Next up: at Colorado State (Wednesday)
Comment: The Buffs don’t have a quality win yet, but they don’t have a bad loss, either — and that sets them apart from many of their peers.
4. USC (4-2)
Last week: 5
Results: beat Seton Hall 71-63, lost to Oklahoma 72-70
Next up: vs. Eastern Washington (Wednesday)
Comment: After playing Eastern Washington, the Trojans face another team from eastern Washington. It’s based in Spokane and is a pretty solid program from what we understand.
5. Oregon (4-2)
Last week: 4
Results: lost to Santa Clara 88-82, lost to Alabama 99-91
Next up: vs. Michigan (Saturday)
Comment: Don’t say we didn’t warn you about Santa Clara. In fact, our exact words in this space last week were: “Beware the Broncos. That’s our only comment. Beware. The. Broncos.”
6. Utah (4-2)
Last week: 7
Results: beat Saint Mary’s 78-71
Next up: vs. Hawaii (Thursday)
Comment: Victories over SMC usually serve to enhance resumes and boost NET rankings. Not sure that will be the case this year. The Gaels are struggling.
7. Arizona State (3-2)
Last week: 6
Results: lost to Brigham Young 77-49, beat Vanderbilt 82-67
Next up: vs. Sam Houston State (Wednesday)
Comment: Apparently, having a full week to prepare for BYU wasn’t nearly enough time. Or maybe it was too much?
8. Washington (4-2)
Last week: 8
Results: beat UC San Diego 83-56
Next up: vs. Colorado State (Saturday)
Comment: Don’t underestimate the challenge this weekend. Colorado State is undefeated and ranked 20th after smashing Creighton. A win would boost UW’s thin resume.
9. Washington State (5-1)
Last week: 9
Results: beat Utah Tech 93-53, beat Eastern Washington 82-72
Next up: vs. Portland State (Saturday)
Comment: Let’s be honest: The Cougars’ non-conference schedule is a who’s who of who? But at least WSU is eating the cupcakes, not gagging on them.
10. Stanford (3-4)
Last week: 10
Results: lost to Arkansas 77-74, lost to Michigan 83-78, lost to Northern Iowa 73-51
Next up: vs. San Diego (Sunday)
Comment: We’ve seen this movie before, many times. It’s disappointing, every time.
11. Oregon State (3-3)
Last week: 11
Results: lost to Baylor 88-72, lost to Pittsburgh 76-51
Next up: vs. UC Davis (Thursday)
Comment: A week to forget in Corvallis, in so many ways.
12. Cal (2-5)
Last week: 12
Results: lost to Tulane 84-81, lost to San Diego State 76-67
Next up: vs. Santa Clara (Saturday)
Comment: Our advice: Take the Broncos on Saturday and give the points, regardless of the line.
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Pac-12 survival: Time for commissioner George Kliavkoff and the presidents to take swift, bold action (i.e., the “Costanza plan”)
