Pac-12 rewind: Arizona stands alone, WSU keeps pace and UCLA rolls on following road sweeps

Utah and Oregon lost close games and vital ground in conference race

Recapping the on-court action across the Pac-12 …

Theme of the week: Clarity arrives

The conference race is finally taking shape — it only took seven weeks — after Arizona, Washington State and UCLA all produced road sweeps. As a result, the Wildcats are alone in first place with a one-game lead over the Cougars, who are alone in second place with a one-game lead over the Bruins and Oregon, who are tied for third place. Those four are the frontrunners for opening-round byes in the conference tournament, which begins one month from Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Theme of the season: NCAA outlook

As the conference race gains clarity, the Pac-12’s forecast for March Madness bids turns murky. Utah’s odds grew much longer following a faceplant at home (to Arizona State); Oregon failed to improve its position with a home loss to a fellow bubble team (WSU); and Colorado missed a golden opportunity (against Arizona). The Hotline’s official Over/Under prediction for NCAA bids is 2.5, and that includes the Pac-12’s lone lock, Arizona.

Game of the week: Arizona 105, Utah 99 (3 OT)

The weekend produced plenty of drama, with eight games decided by single digits. It’s impossible to select anything other than the Thursday thriller in Salt Lake City, which featured 10 lead changes, six ties and three overtimes. However, the final six minutes of UCLA’s one-point win at Cal was as good as it gets — if not for the shot-making then at least for tension.

Team of the week: Arizona

The Wildcats not only became the first team to win in Salt Lake City or Boulder this season, they won in Salt Lake City and Boulder in markedly different fashions. The victory at Utah was as close as the win at Colorado was lopsided. The 99-79 wipeout of CU would have been impressive under any conditions. Coming two days after the triple-overtime escape at Utah, which required four starters to play at least 44 minutes, the win was a next-level performance.

Coach of the week: WSU’s Kyle Smith

You could make a solid case for UCLA’s Mick Cronin or Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd; quality coaching is central to any road sweep. We selected Smith because he steered WSU clear of the fate that befell Arizona a few weeks earlier (losing at Oregon State prior to the weekend showdown at Oregon) and produced a monumental win in Eugene. At this point, Smith is the favorite for Coach of the Year honors, slightly ahead of Cal’s Mark Madsen.

Player of the week: Arizona’s Pelle Larsson

The junior guard led Arizona past Utah, his former team, with 27 points and eight assists in the three-overtime affair, then contributed 18 points (one shy of the team high) in Boulder. And his efficiency was off the charts, with 45 points on just 28 field goal attempts. For good measure, Larsson added 11 rebounds, 10 assists and five steals for the weekend.  Honorable mention recognition to Utah big man Branden Carlson, who had 52 points and 26 rebounds in the losses to the Arizona schools, and Stanford 7-footer Maxime Raynaud, who had 45 and 19 combined in a split with the L.A. schools.

Upside surprise of the week: Arizona State

The Sun Devils had lost five in a row and seven of eight when they stepped onto the Huntsman Center court Saturday evening as double-digit underdogs. They took advantage of first-rate (and rare) 3-point shooting from their perimeter unit — not to mention Utah’s hangover from the Arizona loss — to collect a desperately needed victory. With four of their next five at home, the Devils have a chance to build momentum headed into Las Vegas.

Downside surprise of the week: Utah

Perhaps we should have expected a suboptimal showing from the Utes after the taxing loss two days earlier. Even so, they should have mustered the effort needed to handle ASU given everything that was on the line — not only position in the conference race but a possible at-large berth to the NCAAs. In the aftermath of the Quadrant III loss, Utah’s NET ranking dropped 11 spots, to No. 47. That’s bubble territory.

Turnaround of the season: UCLA

One month ago today, the Bruins lost at Utah by 46 points for their fourth consecutive defeat. Since then, a remarkable recovery has materialized: After sweeping the Bay Area teams, UCLA has won six of seven, climbed into a third-place tie and positioned itself as a very difficult out in the Pac-12 tournament. Which is the only path into March Madness, because the Bruins aren’t even on the at-large bubble at this point.

Oh-so-close loss of the week: Cal

The Bears rallied from 14 points down with 16 minutes remaining and had a chance to beat UCLA, but Jalen Celestine’s errant 3-pointer with six seconds left sealed a 61-60 loss. Had they escaped with victory (in regulation, in overtime, by any means necessary), the Bears would have jumped over .500 in league play and been tied for fourth place. We aren’t sure the college basketball world is capable of comprehending Cal as a contender.

Stat of the season: Arizona State

For most teams, an 85-point effort would be impressive but not eye-opening. ASU is not most teams, and the point total attained in the victory at Utah constituted a season high for the Sun Devils. They had broken 80 once previously in league play.

Stat of the decade I: Arizona

The Wildcats’ 99-79 victory at Colorado was their first win in Boulder since 2015, a streak that looks a tad worse than it is: Due to the unbalanced conference schedule, Arizona missed two trips to the CU Events Center over that timeframe.

Stat of the decade II: Washington State

The Cougars swept the Oregon Trail for the first time since 2009, the final year of the Tony Bennett era.

Stat of forever: Stanford

The Cardinal made a school-record 19 shots from 3-point range in a blowout victory over USC (in 38 attempts). The win featured a 25-0 run by Stanford in the first half.

Game of this week: Colorado at UCLA (Thursday)

The first and only meeting of the regular season between the Bruins and Buffaloes is critical if the visitors hope to claim a top-four seed in Las Vegas. It’s also one of just two games this week matching teams with winning records in conference play. The other: Stanford’s trip to Washington State on Saturday, which is well worth watching.