Reviewing the week in Pac-12 basketball …
Theme of the week: The race tightens
USC’s victory within the crosstown showdown helped carry conference-leading UCLA again to the pack. The Bruins (8-2 in league play) have a one-game lead within the loss column over Arizona and USC, with Oregon and Utah hovering two video games again. (ASU is fading quick.) The scramble for a top-four seed within the convention match, which carries an opening-round bye, might be at the very least as riveting because the race for the regular-season title.
Reminder of the week: UCLA’s schedule
Sure, the Bruins have dropped two in a row (at Arizona, at USC) after opening with eight consecutive convention wins. However they are going to be heavy favorites in 5 of their subsequent six video games (at house towards the Washington and Bay Space colleges and at Oregon State), so this may be as shut as they arrive to shedding their edge. USC faces the identical opponents, and Arizona’s schedule over that multi-week stretch is manageable. But when both slips up, the Bruins might head into March with a two-game lead.
Theme of the season: March outlook
The Pac-12’s prospects for the NCAA Match stay gloomy — solely Arizona and UCLA are locks — however we’ve seen motion with regard to the at-large bubble. As ASU’s hope fades, USC’s prospects enhance; as Utah slips, Oregon surges. The framework stays unchanged, nevertheless: Margin for error is scarce, parity is prevalent, and the chance of putting greater than three groups within the discipline is low.
Recreation of the week: Washington 69, ASU 66 (OT)
On a weekend that produced few shut video games, this was the one one-possession affair. The Huskies led by three within the remaining seconds of regulation, however a foul on veteran ahead Keion Brooks with lower than one second left despatched ASU’s Austin Nunez to the road for 3 pictures. The freshman drained all of them, however the Huskies managed extra time and got here away with the victory when ASU missed a 3-pointer with one second remaining.
Workforce of the week: USC
February arrives with the Trojans (15-6/7-3) as sizzling as any group within the convention following their scorching efficiency towards UCLA. Verify that: Following their scorching second half. They outscored the Bruins 52-27 within the remaining 20 minutes behind guard Boogie Ellis and have climbed to No. 53 within the NET rankings. The season-opening house loss to Florida Gulf Coast, coach Andy Enfield’s former group, continues to weigh on their resume.
Participant of the week: USC’s Boogie Ellis
Ellis performed just one recreation however was a straightforward name for the respect after his sterling efficiency towards UCLA in probably the most consequential recreation of the week. He scored 27 factors within the second half because the Trojans turned a 12-point halftime deficit right into a 13-point victory. Ellis completed with 31 factors on 17 pictures and added six assists. Oh, and he was 10-of-10 from the road.
Freshman of the week: OSU’s Jordan Pope
The rookie guard (and three-star recruit) scored 17 factors within the second half of Oregon State’s victory over Colorado and reminded all observers, together with the Hotline, that he warrants sturdy consideration for Pac-12 Freshman of the Yr honors. Pope leads the Beavers in scoring (12.6 factors per recreation) and has been impressively environment friendly along with his capturing percentages and assist-to-turnover ratio.
Sweep of the week: Oregon
Determined for 2 wins, the Geese (13-9/7-4) dispatched Colorado by six factors and Utah by 12 to climb onto the highest tier of the convention standings. However bother looms for a group that has set the usual for inconsistency. Oregon visits Arizona this week, then hosts the Los Angeles colleges. Win three of 4, and the NCAAs come into focus. Something much less, and the trail narrows significantly.
Assertion of the week II: Arizona
The Wildcats (19-3/8-3) escaped the tough Washington swing with a sweep that saved them in shut vary of UCLA, their opponent within the regular-season finale. They received with protection in Pullman and offense in Seattle and acquired an enormous increase in each from level guard Kerr Kriisa, who was 11-of-21 from 3-point vary.
Splat of the week: ASU
The Solar Devils (15-7/6-5) started the week with a two-game shedding streak and pressing want for at the very least a cut up in Washington. They departed the Pacific Northwest with two defeats, a four-game shedding streak and quickly fading NCAA hopes. One purpose for the double stumble: They made simply 14-of-47 pictures from 3-point vary (29.7 p.c).
Splat of the month: Colorado
It wasn’t way back that the Buffaloes (12-11/4-8) have been coming off a powerful house sweep of the Oregon colleges and solidly on the NCAA bubble. However after 5 losses of their previous six video games, together with two in Oregon over the weekend, they're nearer to final place than fifth place. And their schedule over the ultimate month is grueling.
Stat of the week I: Washington
It’s not typically that groups with twice as many turnovers as assists find yourself within the victory column, however the Huskies did simply that towards Arizona State. In actual fact, they'd greater than twice as many turnovers (22) as assists (10) within the extra time win.
Stat of the week II: Washington State
Had you advised us that prime scorers TJ Bamba and Mouhamed Gueye would shoot 5-of-22 from the sphere, we might not have anticipated the Cougars to beat ASU — and we definitely wouldn't have anticipated them to beat ASU decisively. But WSU turned 42 mixed factors by Justin Powell and Andrej Jakimovski right into a 17-point victory.
Upcoming recreation of the week: Oregon at ASU (Saturday)
Admittedly, the highlight might be on Oregon’s date with Arizona on Thursday night time, however the matchup in Tempe carries extra Choice Sunday significance as a result of each combatants are on the NCAA bubble. ASU’s blowout victory in Eugene a couple of weeks in the past raises the stakes for the Geese. They can't afford two losses to a group that additionally could possibly be combating for one of many remaining at-large slots.
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